My Say What Blog Archives - Page 42 of 53

Jun 5th Great Horned Owl Family Loves Lowe’s!

Have you seen a Great Horned Owl up close and personal? Well here’s your chance. For the second year in a row, in the shadow of Pikes Peak, a pair of Great Horned Owls have taken up residence on a pallet of Ice Melt at the Lowe’s Garden Center at University Village shopping center, Colorado Springs. Seems these owls who normally have a habit of stealing nesting sites from other birds, have decided to call Lowe’s home. There are also a family of Great Horned Owls in residence at the Lowe’s Garden Center on Constitution and Powers in Colorado Springs.

Two weekends ago, we went to visit the owls and see what all the commotion was about. Employees of Lowe’s spotted the owl eggs months ago and contacted the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The three owlets are now nearly as big as their parents and oh so cute! But DO NOT TOUCH THE OWLS. Not only is this a warning, but it’s the law. The great horned owls are not endangered but along with all owls, they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the capture, killing or possession of them without a permit.

An employee told us that behind the Lowe’s are a wide open fields and access to a creek. Perfect hunting grounds for the owls. The two feet tall mother owl watches the owlets by day and the father takes over parenting duties by night. When the owlets fly down to the floor, the employees cordon off the area until the birds return to the rafters. Safety for all since according to the Nature Conservancy reports a great horned owl can extend its talons. As with all wildlife, it is wise to keep a safe distance from owlets and their nests. Great horned owls are not afraid to attack if they perceive a threat to their family.

The owlets will remain with their parents for another two or three months, then fly off to find a place of their own. Perhaps another Lowe’s will be in their future?

Not the first time great horned owls have called home improvement centers home. In 2009, an owl family selected a Home Depot in Prescott Valley, AZ. The pair of great horned owls nested in the outdoor canopy area atop a bag of soil. In 2014 great horned owls staked their claim in a Lowe’s in Omaha, NE., and in 2016, A great horned owl family nested in a Phoenix, AZ at an unspecified home improvement store. Guess word got out on the Great Horned Owl Network that home improvement centers make great nesting sites. LOL

Did you know there are psychological benefits of wildlife viewing? According to Where Is The Wildlife. Nature produces an emotional response of awe, wonder and privilege that unlocks ecocentric and anthropomorphic connections to wild animals and a feeling that is ‘beyond words’. There is time to stand and stare and contemplate. Nature and wildlife are not only spatial events but also temporal ones. In this liminal, embodied space of a wildlife encounter, socially constructed modern fast time dissipates and is replaced by stillness and nature’s time whereby participants are totally absorbed in the spectacle. All thought and action is concentrated on the moment. This provokes a deep sense of well-being that transcends the initial encounter leading to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits. Yep, this is why our family goes camping!

So if you’re in the market for flowers, home improvement supplies, or an owl sighting that could lead to spiritual fulfilment and psychological health benefits, Lowe’s at University Village, Colorado Springs is the place for you!

Mom has tuffs on her head and Owlet doesn’t

Posted in My Say What Blog, The Pikes Peak Region and tagged camping, Great Horned Owls, home Improvement Ctrs, Lowes, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Nature Watching, Psychological Health Benefits, Where Is The Wildlife by Tena Stetler with 5 comments.

May 30th Cheyenne Mountain State Park Camping! Where’d You Go?

We had a relaxing and fun Memorial Day Weekend. Spent it camping in Cheyenne Mountain State Park. We arrived on Friday afternoon, set up our fifth wheel, put out the camp chairs and went for a hike. Most trails in the park are an easy and fun hike. Upon returning to the campsite we started a blazing campfire roasted hot dogs and brauts then later marshmallows for S’mores. A little guitar music as we enjoy the city lights.

The next day Mother Nature rained all over us, but we were not deterred. Morning hike then chased inside where it was popcorn and movie night. Yep, that’s why we camp in a fifth wheel trailer. The rest of the weekend was sunny and warm, steaks over the campfire with baked potatoes. Then S’mores of course. Perfect camping weather! Now the wonderful news!

I’m so excited, finally all my letters, forms in suggestion boxes, and answers to surveys for the Colorado State Parks & Wildlife system were answered! Yippee! Colorado State Parks & Wildlife Department is doing a three month trial allowing dogs on certain trails in Cheyenne Mountain State Park and Mueller State Park. That little tidbit made our day as well as our dog’s! In Cheyenne Mountain State Park as of June 1^st dogs are allowed on these trails Acorn Alley, Bobcat Way and Raccoon Ridge. The trails connect to park’s campground, where dogs are already allowed.

In Mueller State Park, as of June 1st dogs will be allowed on portions of Homestead Trail and Black Bear Trail leading out of the campground.

The trial period could be extended into the winter, if it’s deemed a success. Of course it will be a success! Even better, it could become a permanent policy. Music to our dog’s ears! We have been advocating for allowing dogs on Colorado State Park trails for years. Steamboat Lake already allows dogs on their trails and we love it!

The caveat is visitors with dogs MUST pick up after their dogs, bag stations have been installed, so there is no excuse. It’s completely in our hands to see it’s a success! We got this.

There is nothing more exciting than hiking a trail with your canine companion. So PLEASE, pick up after your pets. If you see someone who needs a little nudge to pick up after their dog, hand them a bag and say THANKS! Let’s make this a permanent policy.

***Next week – We take a look at the Great Horned Owl family that have taken up residence in the Lowes Home Improvement Center in University Village Shopping Center in Colorado Springs! Don’t miss it!

Posted in Camping, My Say What Blog and tagged Campfire, camping, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado, Dogs, Dogs allowed, guitar, Hiking with you dog, Memorial Day Weekend, Mueller State Park, Trails by Tena Stetler with 3 comments.

Apr 23rd Camping Season is Here! Have You Made Reservations?

Welcome to the Spring ‘Tastic Blog Tour. Thanks for stopping by! At the bottom of this post are links for visiting the other blogs and info on the grand prize. So sit back and learn why you should be camping!

It’s here, finally here. I’ve looked forward all winter to packing up the fifth wheel and camping! Yes, we have to de-winterize it first, details, details. LOL I love the scent of a campfire, roasting marshmallows, s’mores, and steaks cooked on an open campfire are the best. Don’t you think?

Hiking, kayaking, relaxing, unwinding from the daily routine of life and napping, oh yes, napping is a must when camping. The fresh mountain air wafting over you in the comfy lounge chair in front of the fifth wheel, trailer or tent, nothing better. Relaxing with a good book after a nice hike is a great way to hit the reset button on the stressors in your world. Many an idea for my books I attribute to camping trips. What do I write? Paranormal Romance, thanks for asking. My fifth book, A Warlock’s Secrets releases June 14, 2017, it’s second in the Demon’s Witch Series, and one you’ll want to take camping. For a list of all my books, click here. Now back to your regularly scheduled post.

Sleep may come a little easier in the fresh mountain air and under the starry skies. A new report from the University of Colorado (yep, I live in Colorado) backs up what I’ve known all along. Camping is good for you! Even a weekend trip, can make a difference in the rise and fall of the hormone melatonin which regulates our biological clock. Couple that with spending quality time with family, friends and pets (yep, our dog, parrot, and box turtle go camping too) and you have a recipe for recharging your mental and physical batteries. We spend our weekends camping as often as possible from spring through fall, when the honey-do list allows. Heck, sometimes when it doesn’t. LOL

According to Kenneth P. Wright, a sleep researcher and author of a study published in the journal Cell, “Living in our modern environments can significantly delay our circadian timing, and late circadian timing is associated with many health consequences.” Gotta go camping for my health!

Okay, enough with the scientific stuff. I’ve given you plenty of reasons to get out there and enjoy nature. What are you waiting for? Fresh mountain air, wildlife, kayaking, hiking & biking trails are calling you.

Where you ask? Let’s start with the fantastic National Parks, https://www.nps.gov/index.htm. Rocky Mountain National is a favorite of ours as are Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite and several others. Then you have the wonderful Colorado State Parks, http://cpw.state.co.us/ Steamboat Lake, Pearl Lake, Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and Mueller State Park are just a few of our favorites. Come play outside and take a gook book with you!

Here is a sneak peek at my upcoming book, A Warlock’s Secrets, releasing June 14th, second book in Demon’s Witch Series.

Years ago a sacred ceremony at the Dragon’s Moon Coven, turned deadly. Son of the high priestess, Tristian Shandie’s life changed forever. With a price on his head and revenge in his heart, he has no choice but to follow in his father’s footsteps to a profession shrouded in secrets. Now his skills as an enforcer for the Demon Overlord are second to none. But dangerous secrets he harbors are a liability he can no longer afford.

A chance meeting with a woman he finds irresistible flips Tristian’s world upside down. Hannah is a cyber security specialist with secrets of her own. Bad boys never appealed to her until Tristian, who changes everything. In his darkest hours she is dragged into his magical world. If they survive, is she strong enough to heal his heart and tame the warlock? Or will their secrets destroy them?

If you haven’t read the book that started it all, A Demon’s Witch, its available at Amazon.com, Kobo, The Wild Rose Press. and Barnes & Noble. Then watch for A Warlock’s Secrets, June 14th, pre-orders coming soon!

For a chance to win a $10.00 Amazon gift card, sign up for my quarterly newsletter and like my facebook page. Oh, did you find the missing eggs? Sure you did, leave a comment letting me know your thoughts, then head on over to the Highway Café for info on the grand prize and more fantastic blogs. Click below!

http://transcanadaromancewriters.blogspot.ca/2017/04/spring-tastic-tour.html

Posted in My Say What Blog and tagged camping, Colorado State Parks, Giveaways, Highway Cafe - Spring Tour, hiking, kayaking, National Parks by Tena Stetler with 20 comments.

Apr 7th Camp Nanowrimo Creates Romance & Happily Ever After

Once again I am participating in Camp Nanowrimo, April 1^st through April 30^th, 2017. It’s a little more unstructured than the November Nanowrimo, where you have to complete 50,000 words in thirty days. At camp you set the pace and how many words you want complete in the 30 day timeframe. Still, there are hundreds of writers worldwide participating so you cheer each other on. It’s a fun forum, when usually it’s only you, the computer and keyboard. Writing is a solitary endeavor for the most part. Check back here to see how I’m doing! This morning, April 7th, I’m at 8,990 words, so I have a bit to go to meet my daily word count. Wish me luck!

For me Camp Nanowrimo is still 50,000 words in thirty days, because I need a good start on my next book. But there are a few obstacles, Pikes Peak Library District’s Mountain of Authors is Saturday , April 8^th. It’s a lost day of writing but so much fun hanging with local authors, selling and signing books for my readers. Then April 28^th through the 30^th I will be at the Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference, so I better have my 50,000 words done at that point. Whew! That means only twenty-seven days. Still I love a good challenge!

Something that has always mystified me is the rolling of eyes and a few derogatory comments when I say I write romance or paranormal romance with a little mystery and suspense thrown in. It’s the happily ever after that draws me to the genre. What could be more inviting than to be swept away to a world of magic, fantasy, feel good and romance for a few hours. No time in recent history has there been a greater need for a safe place to escape for a few hours. Or a reminder of the heart-warming and healing power of love. Especially when devastating destruction is all around us, whether it be natural disasters or man’s violent acts on mankind.

So to those who question my choice in writing — too bad. I will continue to create stories that stress the importance of seeing beyond ourselves to help others obtain their happily ever after! I’m not sure what can be done to fix this world, but for my part I will continue to create happily ever afters in my corner of the world to share with you.