Opening the journal

[cigfran_cg]

I've avoided starting an LJ until now because I figured that I probably wouldn't post much (going by my track record with other on-line groups) but could easily end up wasting far too much time reading and browsing about.  However, I think I ought to make a concerted effort to do a bit of writing on a regular basis, so I'm going to try using LJ as

Comments

[poltr1]

Welcome, Cigfran, to the wild, wacky, and wonderful world that is LJ!

[cellio]

Welcome!

I don't know what to do with the interests list either. When I started my journal I thought its purpose was descriptive, but the profile is also available for that. I'm coming to the conclusion that its best use is as search-bait (find all people interested in X), and I might as well drop off the really common ones. But mostly I just ignore it, occasionally adding something I see in another profile that makes me say "yes!".

[shining_woman]

Welcome to LJ, lady. I'm really bad at updating mine but I do follow friends entries.

[yourmommma]

Welcome to livejournal. I, like SW, am not very good at updating although I am trying to be better.

What kind of bird is in your Avatar? Crow? Raven? Something else?

The other day I was driving home from an errand and a sparrowhawk flew right in front of my car. She flew a bit north and stopped in a tree. There were some feathers blowing off of her and I think she tried to hit a bird and missed. But what a delight to see right here in the 'burbs!

[cigfran_cg]

That's a raven. Cigfran is Welsh for raven. ("cig" = "meat", "bran" = "crow", so technically, the term for raven in Welsh is "meat-crow", which is why I tend to raise an eyebrow when people shorten my name to "Cig".) Pronounced KIG-vrahn, btw. I think of all the corvids as my cousins: crows, jays, etc. See a lot more crows around here than we do ravens.

As for hawks, the most frequently seen hereabouts is the red-tail. All the raptors are fascinating to watch. And then there are the turkey vultures... incredibly graceful in flight and so *huge* seen up close. They tend to soar up so high that one could think them much smaller than they are, but catch one on the ground, spreading his/her wings for takeoff--breathtaking.