24 Shots!! I Kid You Not!

 This happened last week.

Husband kept talking about a little bird that was frequenting our bird feeder.  I paid no mind to him, really.  He's always talking about the different varieties of birds that he sees outside our bedroom window feeding.  Still, every day I must hear about Itty-Bitty, the tiny bird that he had never seen there before. 

 I had just gotten out of the shower and was in the bedroom to get ready for my day and outside the bedroom window, sat perched quietly eating of the birdseed, was the little bird he'd been talking about!

It was really cute.  So, I gingerly picked up my phone to get a shot. 

 Got it!  

I drew in just a little closer for another shot.  Success!  

The closer I was able to get, the more excited I got.  

This little bird was adorable, and it was posing so nicely.  After (I kid you not!) 20 different shots, each one a little closer, I felt really intelligent when I recognized this bird as being a baby owl.  

24 shots in, and I was right on top of the thing and still, it posed!  

That's when Husband walked into the room and I gushed...  "I see the little bird you were talking about and I got tons of pictures!  It's almost posing for the camera, and I'm pretty sure it's a baby owl!" I'll bet he'd never gotten such good shots of Baby Owl!  "Look!  There it is!"  Baby Owl still sat, motionless.

He laughed.  

It wasn't meant for a practical joke or anything like that, he had put the fake bird there for decoration.  But!!!    The fact that it fooled me so impeccably gave him great satisfaction.  

There's no fool like an old fool.   

I can't think of a better day to share this story than today.  

Forbidden

I have the most wonderful #1 son with the most awesome taste in flowers.  Maybe he doesn't even realize how he picks just the right gift for me when it comes to birthdays, holidays etc.  But he does!  My Mother's day flowers have flourished and just keep getting more and more beautiful.  

And speaking of children...  Mama Robin picked just the right place to house her nest of babies this year.  Safe and secure under our deck they waited ...  as mama returned over and over again with worms and such to feed their cute little beaks.

Gracie was quite curious about the goings on under there and tried feverishly to unveil the mystery beneath the deck.  When I caught her standing on her hind legs and sniffing out the nest I thought it best to put a stop to her shenanigans and G and I put up barriers to keep her out from under there.  Oh the torment it must have been to be sniffing through that lattice and know the forbidden was just sniffs away.

Not funny.

The babies grew quickly.  Soon mama had them out and about, teaching them to fly on their own.

I couldn't help but wonder, will Mama worry for her babies much like us humans tend to do, now that they are on their own?

Spring is blossoming into vibrant color, finally.  Our hydrangeas are budding and showing hope for a flourishing summer of beautiful flowers.  Daisy's are plentiful and I can't help but think of my sister when I behold their beauty.  Daisy's were her favorite.  Oh how I miss her!

Our seasonal camp site is coming along.  Not quite ready for overnight just yet... but soon.

Our neighbors look to be real characters.

They seem very nice, though.  Really.

A visit to the country store at camp and I was able to purchase my very first comfort food for the freezer.  You never know when you might need a scoop or two of butter pecan, right?

Yesterday was Memorial Day and so after an awesome service at the cemetery we took the girls to camp to check it out.

They were impressed.  Mostly with the playground.

No snakes.  Only one spider.  A minor bug bite.  It was a good day!

Saving The Little Ones

And the rains came threatening to sabatoge the family just outside my office window...

There's something about the little ones.  The innocent.  The poor, defenceless babies 

weathering life storms...    I feel helpless.  

Me:  "Gary!  We have to do something!" 

And so, my knight climbed the step ladder and puttied the hole where the 

rains were flooding the nest.

Soon mama bird returned and gave the little ones a piece of her mind.  I could hear her chirping from inside my office and I watched her bobbing back and forth in extreme animation, probably telling them that they should never allow humans anywhere near the home while she is away.

If they only knew....

Dear Diary,

There are days when I feel like a pup again.  Could be dementia.  Could be just plain spunk on my part.  Maybe one is only as old as one feels acts.  It felt good to rip up that package of tissues and spread them all over the floor.  Real good.  Gracie.

Big Trouble!!!

Dear Diary,

I haven't been in this much trouble since I almost tripped dad while jay zig zag walking during our walk.

Dad put me outside today.  Soon after, he came out to find me with a birdie friend in my mouth, fighting for its life.   

Hey...  I was just trying to find the squeaker.  

Guess who got in big, big trouble?

R.I.P. Birdie Friend.  Gracie.

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE....

I spy with my little eye... 

Something made of straw, twigs, and mud.

A Robin's Nest!

I spy with my little eye... Something Totally Adorable!

Baby Robins!

I Spy with my little eye...  Something Red!

A Mama...  quite concerned.

I Spy with my little eye...

Opened beaks and a little fuzz...

Squawking babies!

A Body Part

Who would've thought that a tree stump would 'sell' a house.  But this one did.  That was in 2006.  What do you think our intentions were.... for this stump?  

If you guessed 'have an ear carved out of it'  

YOU ARE RIGHT!

Due to circumstances which I won't get into at this time, our plans of a business did not materialize back in 2006... and our tree stump only served as a safe haven for bunnies, bugs, and... woodpeckers?

Gary looked out the window last month and noticed a woodpecker pecking away.  

Then again another day... and another...

"He's carving our ear for us.." I said.  

Okay, so he wasn't carving our ear.  See the bench in the background?  We were walking past it last week and Gary said, "Too bad they won't let us put a sign on the bench to advertise our business..."  (It's right in front of our house).

The next day we got a letter in the mail offering a plaque to be put on one of the benches for a fee, of course... with our business name on.  "YES!  WE'LL TAKE THE BENCH AT 700 NATIONAL HIGHWAY.."  We sent them a check right away.

Pop pop takes Rissi out to show her what the woodpeckers did to our stump.

Hoping to find Mr. Woodpecker

"C'mon Pop pop.  Will you make bucka for breakfast now?"

And so...  our grand opening will be in July.

And the stump has been stamped 'off limits' to Mr. Woodpecker.  Soon there will be a body part (an ear) growing from our yard.  

Look Who's Back In Town!

Look Who's Back In Town!

 And smiles are going around...

For in the air is Spring...

  And Mama Robin can't wait to hear her babies sing.

Mondays Mug: Tweet, tweet

Mondays Mug: North Carolina

Passing through North Carolina en route to Florida a few years ago... 

I just had to stop for a mug :)

What better time than now to tell you about the realistic singing bird from the Audubon Society that I found last year at a yard sale for a dollar. It tweeted and moved it's head... just like a real bird.  (Shhh... he didn't know about it)  It was just about the time Gary had decided he was going to take up bird watching as a hobby.  He put up bird feeders and I got him a book for his birthday so he would become educated on the different species of birds that his bird feeder was attracting.  

I placed our little plastic friend on the bird feeder ledge outside of our bedroom window the next morning and waited.

Soon Gary called me into the bedroom.  "You have to see this!" He said.   I could hardly contain myself as he pointed out the petrified, singing bird that sat on the feeder refusing to fly away. 

Our birdie friend found a permanent place on top of the kitchen cabinets guarding the mugs... so I thought I'd include him in todays post.  

"Tweet, tweet."