I'll be back.

Two years ago I quit caffeine. Tonight, I should have brewed a pot of coffee and sipped all evening, or, I should have run out for a cold Red Bull or one of those new caffeine explosive drinks. In about five minutes, my head will be resting on my cool contour pillow if I can stop sneezing. I’ll be back. The female talent on American Idol wore me out when I was already exhausted after a long day. I'll be back!

Thinking and Looking Up

The Robin is the One

That interrupt the Morn

With hurried - few - express Reports

When March is scarcely on -

The Robin is the One

That overflow the Noon

With her cherubic quantity -

An April but begun -

The Robin is the One

That speechless from her Nest

Submit that Home - and Certainty

And Sanctity, are best

Emily Dickinson

After the morbid but funny post I wrote yesterday, I awoke this morning and forced myself to look upwards. What inspired me more was to see my first bird of the day, a Robin - the sign of Spring arriving and perhaps a new beginning.

I came to two conclusions for myself today. First, greet the birds in the morning. That’s when they are most active and brave. Second, make time everyday to feel at peace and smile, as I'm responsible for my own happiness.

I never tire of bluebirds. I know this is Millie, and next comes Johnny. Yeah, I’m on the verge of being a cuckoo, but I love these birds.

and heeeeere’s……….JOHNNY!

I postponed my budget meeting today until tomorrow. Guess what? I still won’t be ready but that’s alright because no one else will be ready, either. I’m not going to lie awake at night and worry anymore. There’s just too much going on right now, the workload is overwhelming for many of us, and I need to study for my “Whodunnit” trial tomorrow. But I did make time for a long stroll around the campus today and visited places I haven’t seen before. I thought the sun’s reflection on the pines were pretty.

The Forensics team has a pig pen at the base of the campus and I’ve heard about it but never saw it with my own eyes. This is where dead pigs are caged for observations on body decomposition, flies and maggots. Sad, but true. I’m glad there were no pigs today but soon, when the weather warms, they’ll be there.

I’m not a plant expert but I think this is a Rose of Sharon that’s hidden on the back of the campus. What a shame that it’s hidden from view! I’ll visit it more often. While I was looking around in these hidden areas, I decided that I won’t let the injustices and inconsistencies in the office make my eye twitch anymore. For my own sake, I’ll look the other way and concentrate on my own business and learn to say, “No” to all of the invitations for help I receive that cramp my style. For most women, saying “No” is a difficult decision to make.

There was a wide variety of birds at the feeder tonight when I got home and many of them were my favorites. Ten minutes later, I saw they were gone, and the freeloaders were “hanging out” like teenagers at a burger joint. Just sitting there, hogging the space. But I forced a congenial “smile and nod”…

Will this clear sunset resemble my thoughts and attitude in the morning? I hope so. But already, I gritted my teeth tonight while Michael sat at the computer when I have a post to finish before American Idol airs. Note to self: get your own computer. Am I fooling myself throughout this post? Probably. I’ll be back to a weekly rant in six days - a gentler and kinder one. :o)

Mama said there would be days like this.

I’ve heard the words of wisdom, “If you work hard, you will go far.” It’s a very true statement. In my case, however, I’m tired of working hard because the more hard work I contribute on the job, the more hard work I receive. This scenario has followed me for the past thirty-plus years and now I’m at a point in my life that I just want to do a good job without the stress and go home. I’m not focusing on career moves anymore because I’ve been there and done that. A year ago, I accepted this job in NC with a forty percent cut in pay from what I earned in Delaware. Because of that, I don’t want so much pressure in this low totem pole job I have. My character won’t let me slack off, though. It’s just in me to be dedicated to volumes of quality work.

Today, I just couldn’t take it. This afternoon I broke away for a short hike on the trail.

I thought I was looking at another Pine Warbler fifty feet up in a pine tree but it turned out to be a Titmouse! That was quite a surprise to see one in the wild.

Trying to hide from me, as usual. I’m getting better at having my head cranked back and looking up without falling backwards.

This bird looked foreign to me as I saw brown in the sunlight from where I was standing. I refuse to call it a mockingbird, because I'm sick of them and I’m irritable. I’m going to call it something like a Southeastern Overgrown Brown Phoebe Morph and be done with it.

At noon, I went to the Food Lion to get some lousy chicken strips for lunch. You don’t need to drive miles away from home to see birds. Just go to the grocery store with your camera.

I heard bird noise but the trees were bare. This is what I found in an “O” at Food Lion.

Another in the “A” at Huntersville Family Haircutters.

A pair of them on the parking lot.

As I was focusing my camera, cars stopped and people watched. My words to them were, “It’s OK, carry on.” “Oh, excuse me, I’m sorry, I’m in the fire lane, just ignore me.” In my mind I was thinking, “I’m just taking photos of the low-life scum of sparrowdom.” I’m glad the house sparrows are living in a grocery store parking lot and not at my house. What a thrilling LIFER.

Wow. Another scavenger.

A perfect ending – a blurry, but new visitor at the feeder.

I’m due for another exciting post I was able to share on February 14 - “Valentines Day and Cedar Waxwings”. I am dying for a thrill. Now, I guess I'll be off for a glass of wine or two or three and I’m calling it a day! Despite everything on this miserable account, I’m laughing. A sense of humor is a true blessing.

Photo Driven Post

There’s no theme or subject in my head today so I’m going to record my weekend by referencing the photos I’ve taken. Saturday was bright and beautiful but today it’s wetter than wet and quite dreary. I’m not complaining, though, because we need a day of soaking and steady rain.

Pelting rain. I regret topping the pond yesterday as it’s overflowing as I sit here. The birds are enjoying the bath and I’ll don my raincoat later to refill the platform feeder for them. This post is coming earlier than usual because a warm front will move in later today with forecasts of thunderstorms and damaging winds. I admire the power of gas and electricity. It’s a blessing we take for granted until it’s gone!

This is the goofy face of a Boston Terrier who is inviting you to play! What you can't see is her butt wiggling back and forth, challenging me to take her new rawhide stick. She's back to her puppy ways after having her bad teeth extracted and her nails cut to puppy length. She must feel so much better, as seen in her face. Her personality radiates mischief in the purest sense of the word.

Michael bought Chloe and Bella some dental puppy sticks at Target this morning. Neither of them have had puppy sticks in years and anything new to them creates a riot!

“Anybody gotta light?”

Bella: “Chloe, I didn’t know you smoke…”

The Carolina Blue Skies are amazing. Maybe they were just as blue in Maryland and Delaware and I didn’t notice. That’s probably the case since I didn’t carry a camera around my neck then. This blue background is what I see nearly every day. Some people might wonder if my photos are edited. For one thing, I don’t have time to edit them (plus, I’m too lazy) and what I see is what you get.

It was glorious yesterday. The temps hovered around 60 degrees and I worked outside for most of the day. The cracked seed got raked under the feeders and the pond pump and filter housing got washed. The Koi and goldfish are beginning to beg for food again and are racing around in mating behavior although it’s quite early for that. This male House Finch watched me for the entire time I worked.

A Tufted Titmouse teased me for at least thirty minutes…a constant source of frustration for me but when I can nail a photo of any quality, I’m happy. Yahoo!

Standing way too far in the distance and afraid to move in closer, I waited to get that little bird! I read on Julie’s blog about her rehabilitating a titmouse and how vocal they are. It’s true. Look at this bird in the photo, shouting and screaming obscenities at me, possibly… I could hardly contain my giggle when on full zoom. Even the Cardinal turned its back on the fool, “I don’t know you…”

Another frustrating bird but sweeter than a Titmouse. Not my best Chickadee photo, but it was a pleasure trying. Their "steal and run" technique drives me crazy.

If I were driving on the interstate and saw a vehicle like this one, I’d wonder who on earth would drive something like this? Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but I’ve never seen a Hershey's Kissmobile! It was parked on a grocery store lot on Friday afternoon raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network. For a donation, I received four Hershey Kisses. They were unfoiled and gobbled before I drove off the store parking lot. Mmmmm. Just what the doctor ordered.

Missing Dad

During my drive to work this morning, I saw the sun rise and remembered that I dreamed of my Dad. Perhaps he was in my dreams because I’m planning to drive up to Maryland to see him in the next few weeks since the mid-Atlantic weather has calmed down. I haven’t seen him in a few months and I want and need to go soon. He won’t know me as his daughter but I’ll enjoy hearing him laugh with me.

Nearly twelve years ago, my Dad had a major stroke that paralyzed his left side and he’s been in a wheelchair since then. He lost his wife of nearly fifty-four years last May and sadly, he doesn’t remember her. He didn’t even remember her on the day she died, after her two-month stay in the hospital. Maybe it’s good for him that he doesn’t grieve for her…

Tonight I looked back on posts I have written about him and the two most recent ones are here and here. The first one breaks my heart and the other one makes me laugh out loud.

My brother lives near the nursing home and keeps me informed of Dad’s days there. He stops by to see him quite often and other than his progressing dementia, he’s doing well without any major health issues. Whenever my brother drops in to see him, he’s never in his bed but is out and about in his wheelchair, either enjoying the view or participating in the activities. I picture him sitting with a group of patients, telling lies on top of lies and believing every other lie he hears. He enjoys music and I know he has belted out a few tunes with the piano player!

He is 81 years old and I hear he wants to eat ice cream with his fingers but is working on trying to remember to reach for the spoon. What makes me happy is that he still craves a treat!

I’m giggling as I write this and picturing him exhibiting one of his most outstanding traits as a younger man. He never met a stranger. My Dad was a social man who thrived on interaction with people. That’s why after he retired from the Baltimore City Fire Department he gained employment at BWI, driving the airport bus and taxi. On the day before his stroke he delivered meals by “Meals on Wheels”. He participated in every church activity that needed him, and, ironically, his stroke made him fall on the Church altar while he was lighting candles for the 5:30 a.m. Mass.

This photo was taken last April while my Mom was in the hospital. I cared for him for a few days and we got along wonderfully even though, at times, he knew me as his sister Patsy. He wanted to watch the History Channel before bedtime that night but I encouraged him break away from his same old routine and watch American Idol with me. He loved it! That’s “Ditty Kitty” - his constant companion.

What I saw today:

White Throated Sparrow, off the ground. Peek-a-Boo!

Are you a King? Or are you having a bad hair day...

A surprise on the way home from work. Trees with color! Pink! Must have happened overnight!

Bits of Info

When I pinched the new growth on this tree, a little puff of pollen blew. I had only a few minutes away from office today for a little walk and the smell and sounds of Spring were all around.

The temperature reached 72 today but it will get quite chilly overnight and for the rest of the week. This would have been the perfect day to call out sick for driving around, chasing hawks and finding other things of more interest to me than organizing piles of paper in a windowless office.

My article about the Bluebird release on campus was published in the college newspaper. Will I receive a stipend? HA! Of course not, but I’m not about stipends. I just enjoy the whole experience. I learned of good news yesterday, too. The Futures Institute of the college has received funds to create a National Wildlife Habitat on each of the seven campuses. Plans are to provide bird sanctuaries with feeders, properly mounted birdhouses, and shrubs and trees that will attract birds and butterflies. My Dean and another professor solicited my help to co-chair the effort and I wholeheartedly agreed! Little is known about details yet but I’ll be informed soon. I have ideas already to include a stream bed but it will depend on the budget.

Michael brought bird and butterfly chimes home on Tuesday night. He’s caving in. Maybe he’s realizing that birds aren’t all that poopy after all. They’re ceramic chimes so I’ll keep them hanging inside the sunroom to prevent damage.

Maybe this is old news to most people. Gina has been promoting these goofy looking shoes called “Crocs”. When I first saw them, I laughed out loud and refused to even try them on. Last week, she convinced Michael to buy her a pair and he bought me a pair also. Hesitantly, I tried them on and since then, they are my preferred pair of shoes! I wear them from the time I arrive home from work until bedtime. They are cushiony, light-weight, and give ultra-comfort. I even think they are therapeutic for my left ankle that has screws and pins in it. Wonderful shoes! I still can’t get past the fact that they remind me of bedroom slippers, though, so I haven’t worn them around town – yet.

House finch butts. This is the best I could do this afternoon with 55 mph wind gusts.

A few days ago, Cuppa at Brown Betty Brew wrote a post that included links to truly sweet, wonderful stories and photos of Chickadees. If you love Chickadees and would love to be very close to one, go to this post and follow the two links she provided. I loved it. The stories made me want to go out and stock up on Jiff peanut butter (not Peter Pan)!

The Soul Sistas. My little Chickadee on the left and my Ewok on the right say goodnight. Time for American Idol.

Cell Phone Sins

Many people don’t hesitate to bring out their cell phone anywhere or any time. Does it give them a natural high to reaffirm their own self importance, i.e. VIPness? Cell phones annoy the heck out of me as do the people who use them with such a sense of urgency. Take it outside, if you must gab away, and don’t expect me to listen to your conversation because I-Just-Don’t-Care!

In the early 90’s my husband had a “mobile phone” he used for work, a heavy cumbersome thing that was hooked up to his dashboard in his car. I thought that was a great concept. A few years later, cell phones became the rage and I bought one for a good reason. My cell phone was a safety tool I kept with me during the rides to and from swim practice with five or six kids in my car, many times at 9:30 or 10:00 at night. I didn’t even consider chatting on that phone. We insisted that Gina carry a cell phone when she got her driver’s license, too, and she was told to pull over and park her car before picking up the phone to call anyone.

I realize times have changed and a lot of people don’t even have land lines anymore. And sometimes I wonder how we ever managed without cell phones. I think the most value I ever placed on having a cell phone was a few years ago when Gina and I were driving from Wilmington, NC to Delaware in our separate cars. It was our first time taking a route through Virginia and we were lost a few times that day – a horrid trip but funny in retrospect! We were in heavy beach traffic on Rt. 64 in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, looking for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Following Gina, I wasn’t speedy enough to stay close behind her and it was difficult for me to read the signs since my right contact lens popped out and I later found it dried up and crispy on the steering wheel. I looked to my right and there went Gina in her little green Cabrio, disappearing from my sight down an exit ramp, while I was being pushed straight ahead by the heavy flow of traffic. Ooops. Twenty minutes later, we reunited on the parking lot of a Walmart store, thanks to our cell phones.

This post started out cranky and this is why. While waiting in line with two people ahead of me at the grocery store today, a woman at the checkout counter was having a conversation on her cell phone. And she blabbered away the entire time her items were being scanned and bagged. I estimated her age to be around forty, dressed in business attire, and I had plenty of time to determine it was a business-related call having to do with rescheduling an appointment. Now, how urgent can that be, I ask? She finished the conversation and while rooting through her ridiculously enormous black leather bag for her debit card, her phone rang again. She answered, of course, and continued the conversation where it left off seconds before… This is when the cashier, the man in front of me and I exchanged a quick glance. Then we started shifting our weight from one leg to the other witih hands on hips. This high and mighty woman had the audacity to raise her pointer finger up at the cashier as if to say, “Wait just a minute”. She turned and faced the opposite direction of the register, cashier, and the two poor fools in line who were waiting for her to put the phone away. Forty-five seconds is a long time to hold up a grocery store line of people, especially when you are in the “10 items or less lane”. Our jaws hung open. I wanted to shout, “Just end the freaking call, woman!”

Unfortunately, this type of person is far too common. She didn’t apologize to the cashier and I wasn’t surprised. Sometimes we wonder why America’s children seem to be self-centered, preoccupied with their popularity, and grow up to be rude and disrespectful adults. I’m certain that “cell phone be-och” made her contribution by setting an example for her own kids…

Had to vent and I feel better now.

I sneaked out of the office twice today for a 15 minute walk and here is what I found. By the way, it was 65 degrees today, nice enough for a light jacket!

There were about five Fox Sparrows digging around and they knew I was approaching so I kept my distance. They’re not a lifer for me, but I rarely see them. They blend in well, look closely or enlarge.

Mystery bird. I’ve been watching this bird dart around the treetops for weeks. It’s very tiny, has a bright yellow belly, and clings and flits back and forth at the top of the highest pine trees. Difficult to catch by camera fifty feet below! Here’s another.

It could be a Kinglet but I know I can’t rely on a guess. I’ll be looking for more photo opportunities.

I saved the best for last. Yes, it’s only a male Downy Woodpecker, but it’s a lifer for me. When I caught sight of this black and white display, I stopped dead in my tracks and took one shot. He fled instantly. Oh, I wish I could have moved in closer!

Spring & Summer on the Horizon!

If Laura in NJ can photograph toads hugging each other in her post, “Not What You Think”, I’m going out on a limb and showing a little toad porn taken last Spring on my pond. Look closely or click to enlarge. See the on-looker waiting for a piece of the action? Now is the time that I am ready for fun in the sun! I’m so tired of dwelling on how short the hours are in the day so I’m dipping into my photo archives and concentrating on what I have to look forward to in a few weeks or few months.

By May 1st, I expect to see the canna growing and multiplying, and color around the pond as in this photo taken last May. It’s so dormant, depressing, and bland now. It’s a young pond and will grow more beautiful each year as I add my personal favorites around it. I'll be ready for the hummingbirds to return in a month or so, too, and adding more Koi and watching offspring grow.

Here's one of the residents who was responsible for a lot of noise and over a million tadpoles last year and still resides in that spot, all winter long.

The lizards like the western side of the house where they bake in the hot sun. Might sound weird, but I like the lizards.

The fragrance of a Magnolia blossom is so heavenly!

This pair was my first sighting this morning on campus. It’s possible they are Millie & Johnnie, as they were perched above the house they investigated a few weeks ago. I saw a different side of bluebirds today. Not the sweet song I’ve heard before, but I saw irritated wing flapping and loud songs as if they were very annoyed with each other. Could they be courting, or was there another male invading their territory? I found a link at Life Histories of Families of North American Birds that described the loving courtship of bluebirds. I'll be watching them closely.

Here’s an excerpt from the link:

The love-making of the bluebird is as beautiful as the bird itself, and normally as gentle, unless interrupted by some jealous rival who would steal his bride; then gentleness gives place to active combat. The male usually arrives a few days ahead of the female, selects what he considers to be a suitable summer home, and carols his sweetest, most seductive notes day after day until she appears in answer to his call. Then he flutters before her, displaying the charms of his widespread tail and half-opened wings, warbling in delicious, soft undertones, to win her favor. At first she seems indifferent to the gorgeous blue of his overcoat or the warm reddish brown of his ardent breast. He perches beside her, caresses her in the tenderest and most loving fashion, and sings to her in most endearing terms. Perhaps he may bring to her some delicious morsel and place it gently in her mouth, as an offering. Probably he has already chosen the cavity or box that he thinks will suit her; he leads her to it, looks in, and tries to persuade her to accept it, but much persistent wooing is needed before the nuptial pact is sealed.

The pond needed topping today. At the same time I dropped the garden hose in it and looked to the feeder, I saw a Tufted Titmouse preening itself, only twenty feet away from my face. He looked at me, square in the eyes. This is a bird I don’t see often it and made my adrenaline rush. It was too much for me to take and I blew five shots at this brave little bird…each one of them resulting in a blurry mess. At least I suppressed a primal scream before he fled. I really need to settle down and relax, but when you are new at photographing birds, you fumble. I have said this before…being a novice in bird photography is similar to being a novice golfer. You have your eye on under par then you wind up with a triple bogie more often than you’d like. And, each time that happens, you need to keep in mind that there is always the next hole.

I'm putting off the winter doldrums tonight. Husband is in VA and I have the house to myself. Now, I'll crank up Taylor Hicks on the Bose and clean the Beta tank.

Working Weekend

After I spent last weekend fooling around and gallivanting around town, my conscience forced me to buckle down and give the house a good cleaning. The past three days have worn me down. For three nights in a row, a dog has vomited in the bed and on the carpet in the bedroom. I know these things happen when you own dogs or cats but I’m tired of waking twice in the middle of the night to the sound of heaving next to my ear and cleaning up. Stripping the bed and washing the linens down to the mattress pad on a king bed is enough work for one day!

We recently changed dog food but today went back to the old. Chloe’s problem is more than likely due to the upset of surgery. My fingers are crossed that tonight will be peaceful since I want to get to work tomorrow and be somewhat coherent.

It’s been a weekend of scrubbing and dusting (the chore I loathe). I left the house only twice since Friday just to visit the grocery store! This morning, daughter Gina questioned, “What are you having for dinner?” What I wanted to do for dinner was to throw a frozen pizza in the oven and be done with it, but since I love seeing her, Billy, and Mr. Biggins, I knocked myself out and made a nice meal. We watched some of the Daytona 500 and a golf tournament that I can’t even name.

What I needed was a little time outside with my camera. So for a few minutes here and there throughout the day, I stepped outside. None of these photos are breathtaking but I’m posting them anyway.

It’s unseasonably cold here in Charlotte. My skin is dry and my hands are cracking. The winds were so fierce that the birds were flying backwards in their attempts to get to the feeders. The chair hammock on my neighbor’s back porch eventually broke off and landed on the roof of their neighbors’ house. The temperature should hover around 60 by the weekend and Michael primed the lawn equipment today. I wish I felt Spring in the air...

Cute little thing held on tight for a sunflower seed.

I’ve been nicknaming Bella “Chickadee” lately. I see a resemblance.

My convalescing Chloe is doing quite well other than nighttime belly problems... My old girl is a trooper and eating slowly until her mouth heals.

My goal was to get near a male Cardinal today since I usually ignore them, in search of others less common. Most of the time, there are about twelve of them staring me in the face, for goodness sakes! Could I catch one up close? No, sir – not today! The wind kept them moving and finding sheltered spots too far away from me.

This guy didn’t give a hoot if I clapped my hands or not. The wind blew the roof open on the feeder and I found him inside! In this photo, he had just realized that I meant business and made a dash for it right after I snapped the photo. Another thing to add to my list, “BUY BAFFLE.”

At least the bed linens are once again fresh, there is no dust visible, and the house is sparkling. The weekend wasn't a total loss. Sigh...

A Game of Tag, Anyone?

Annie in Austin and Laurie of Don't Make Me Get My Flying Monkeys were tagged this week in a game that is fun and can be very revealing to those who are getting to know you! The rules are to list at least five things that most people don’t know about you, then name six people you want to tag. I’m not going to tag anyone but I’ll play the game anyway. Listing things about me that few people know was more difficult than I thought!

1. My great-great grandmother was a Squaw.

2. Regarding food, I tasted one brussel sprout in my life and quickly spit it out. I treat myself to baby beef liver and onions twice a year. I’m not too picky.

3. My least favorite household chore is dusting. I’d rather scrub a toilet. When I dust the house, I play my favorite music loudly to take my mind off the misery.

4. I have a natural talent for drawing. My art was displayed in public libraries during my school years. Artistic talent is God-given but it needs nurturing and work. I've wasted it but I hope to get it back one day.

5. I can wiggle my ears. I’m right-handed but use my left hand for dealing playing cards, vacuuming, and other things.

6. My first “official” kiss happened when I was thirteen years old at a boy-girl party in a psychedelic basement (parents upstairs) while playing Spin the Bottle. I wore fish-net stockings...ughh. We were probably listening to something like Iron Butterfly’s “Inagodadavida” and the little creep slipped me his tongue and I was so grossed out I could hardly sleep that night.

7. My typing speed is 75 wpm with 100% accuracy. Whoopee! I’m only that good during a test. I also take shorthand (I’m dating myself, I know…) but haven’t taken it since 2001 when I told my boss it was a waste of my time and his. That forced him to learn the keyboard.

8. I’m not a jock, by any means, but I’m a great fan and spectator of any sport. I can play Badminton, and basketball, though. Love it.

9. When I was in the fifth and sixth grade, I aspired to become a Catholic School Sister of Providence. I loved the smell of their starched habits as they walked passed my little desk and the mystery behind the headpiece. That dream was thwarted when I had my first “crush”.

10. I’ve never used an illegal drug, except for taking one drag of marijuana when I was 22. It was awful. Pot stinks.

11. I don’t have a college degree. There have been times during my life I’ve regretted entering the workforce after high school and not continuing my education. However, I have held some very fine and successful jobs along the way.

12. I LOVE TO DANCE (a lot of people already know it).

Would anyone like to join me in revealing a few things about yourself? There are a few items above that I never told anyone before and I didn't mind telling one bit!

The day wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t post a “bewd” picture.

A Carolina Wren loving the suet.

Heavy Eyelids, and Kudos

Due to Chloe’s condition, I stayed home from work today. Last night her mouth bled as well as the incision on her back, so I thought it best that I watch her closely today. She’s perky and doing very well! I’m exhausted, though, because of last night’s events.

11pm: I escorted Bella into the bedroom to sleep with Michael and I set up camp in the family room with Chloe. Oh, joy. When it was time to turn off the lights, she was planted in the middle of the sofa, snug as a bug in a rug, so I didn’t bother her. I found a small spot on the end of the sofa and slid my legs around her, pulled up the covers, and laid there on my back (not in my favorite fetal position) with my eyes wide open for a long time, unable to move.

Midnight: I must have dozed and was awakened by her hair raising, high soprano whine, each lasting about ten seconds. It then switched to a baritone, equally as long in length. She sat in the middle of the floor and performed for longer than I could stand. There was nothing I could do, as she had pee’d outside, drank and ate. She later settled back on the sofa with me, covered by a blanket.

3am: I heard the bedroom door open and Michael, along with Bella, noisily trudged through the family room. By then, one of my legs was hanging off the sofa but at least I had been sleeping! Michael, “She’s coughing! She won’t stop coughing!” I am always amazed at the sounds that bellow from Bella. She hacked and coughed and hacked some more. In his Fruit of the Looms, he was desperate for sleep, but let Bella outside. Meanwhile, Chloe was snoring and I opened one eye to say, “Michael, go to bed when Bella comes inside. Let her stay out here with us.” Happy with my suggestion, he bends over to give Chloe a pat on the back and, in turn, she gave him a sincere warning growl and snap. Michael, “All I did was pet her!” I said, “Oh, just go to bed”, but thinking, “She just had surgery on her back, dumbo… duh…”

With Bella back inside the house, still hacking in my ear, I was determined to close my eyes even though there was still no room for my left leg on the sofa. I heard Michael’s annoyed mumblings and exclamations in the bedroom and a few bumps and thuds. I didn’t even care. Just let me sleep. Bella quieted down.

6am: The house was silent. I heard Michael’s keys. Then I heard him pour his bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Karuuunch. Karuuunch. Karuuunch. For at least five minutes, I could hear the hollowness in his head with each karuuunch, over and over and over again. I listened with wide eyes and contempt. The sound seemed to be amplified in the silence of the house and I was only seconds from asking him to take that damned bowl down the hall and finish it.

Later this morning, I learned that Bella had thrown up an eight inch wide pile of vomit in the middle of bed. That’s one other reason I stayed home today and the reason for Michael’s little temper tantrum in the middle of the night.

I can’t stop yawning.


Took a trip to Lowe’s home store for some thistle today and here’s what I found in the parking lot.

It’s Cedar Waxwing Week here. Say that ten times fast after a glass of wine.

There was lots of action at the feeders today and I am so happy to report that I saw a red-bellied woodpecker! I was stepping outside with the dogs and, unfortunately, he heard our sounds and made a u-turn and fled. Immediate happy dance! I hope he returns… The suet feeder is finally getting some visitors.

Here’s another mocker showing off. Camera hogs, they are.




I like how you can spot a house finch from afar.



The Chickadees are visiting regularly and after at least twenty shots, this is the best I could get.

If you want to see super photos of Chickadees, check out Tom, Laura at Natural Notes, and Sandy at Gardenpath. They showed great Chickadees this week!

Icicles were a hot item this week as shown by Sandy at Gardenpath, Cathy at Looking Up, and Donna at KGMom Mumblings.

My blogroll is loaded with talent. Every day I look forward to visiting poets, writers, historians, photographers, artists, soul searchers, and others who have something distinct and personal to offer. Some are wacky and some are serious. All of these great people have their own style but I think we all share a few things in common – curiosity and a love for the simple things in life that often go unnoticed.

This week, Trixie from way up north, photographed some birds we probably won’t see at our feeders. And Lynne at Hasty Brook photographed a hawk/crow combo on her way to Target!
I'd highlight something from everyone’s blog tonight if my eyelids weren’t so heavy…I appreciate all of you.

Chloe, Home from the Hospital

It was hard for me to sleep well last night, knowing I had to drop Chloe off at the hospital in the morning. This was the first time in ten years I left her at the vet. My heart was breaking for her because she has always had a fear of the vet’s office and examinations. She's been very nasty with vets in the past. Today she went under general anesthesia to have a benign surface mass the size of a bing cherry removed from her shoulder, a teeth cleaning, and a nail clipping. While I was signing some papers this morning at the reception desk, an attendant took her lead and she toddled off before I could say good-bye. Around the corner I saw her go and I called to her in a soft, but loud enough voice, “Be a good girl, Chloe... I’ll be back later!” I had a knot in my throat the size of a lemon and told the receptionist it’s the first time I’ve left her for surgery in a decade. She understood. I drove to work fighting back tears to see the road.

You know, in a weird way, I think it’s harder to leave your frightened pet than it is to leave your child. Of course, leaving your child tears your gut and heart out, over and above this, but at least you can communicate with them, tell them everything will be OK and the doctors and nurses will take good care of them, and Mommy and Daddy are right here! Even though Chloe and Bella understand most of what I say, there’s no guarantee they understand me when I need it the most.

On the way home, she didn’t care to look out the window at every stop. Too woozy.

Her dental treatment was more complicated than I expected, as the vet found dead and decayed molars and dead, loose front teeth. They were all extracted but she still has plenty of teeth for chewing. I regret not having her teeth professionally cleaned in all her years and I’m going to make sure Bella has a professional cleaning within the next year, or sooner. If you have pets, schedule an appointment. They’ll have cleaner breath in their later years and they won’t have to endure extractions.

She thought we were in the neighborhood and needed to see if it was true! Can I leave my calling card on that hydrant, please? Just pick me up and take me to it.

Bella was all over her, checking her wounds and ID. She was a very concerned sister and sensed that Chloe didn’t need any rough and tumble playing. Poor, insecure Bella was home alone all day. Chloe leads the way for her and I would imagine that she whined for a while after we left this morning and might have stood at the kitchen door all day, waiting for us to come back inside.

Boston Terriers don’t give up on action. She needed to check out the back yard to see if it was still there. The girl is obviously exhausted in this photo, unsteady on her feet, but is afraid of missing out on something.

Thirty minutes after her homecoming, she was snoring in the sun. You can see her incision (Chloe has a red collar and Bella has the black one.) Nurse Bella made sure she was sleeping soundly.

She didn’t miss a tid-bit treat here and there tonight and was still present for her daily dinnertime handout. Those Bostons are persistent, no matter what!

Since her incision is weeping a little blood from her leaps onto furniture, I think I’ll sleep in the family room with her tonight and I may even stay home from work tomorrow to keep an eye on her. We’ll see. Everyone is sleeping right now. That's good.

Valentine's Day and Cedar Waxwings

I'm not a poet. During my lunch hour today, though, I scribbled this little ditty and I almost took it out of this post. I decided to leave it in since this is my journal, it's true, and very silly.


Camera, walking shoes, field guide in my bag in the mornings

Husband, perplexed, rolls his eyes at me as a warning, and thinks…

Does she need a suitcase?

Is my eccentric wife a bird-hunting nutcase?

Camera around my neck,

Down the driveway for the mail, I trek,

He asks, “You need a camera to get the mail?”

“Well, yeah…I might see something…like…a snail.”

My husband, Michael, doesn’t understand my fun with birds and photography. He likes the sunset photos and the dog photos, but doesn’t quite get the birds. However, this is my gift from him for Valentine’s Day. This Swavorski now sits in the middle of my curio, directly under the light. He isn’t so bad, after all!

I remember when a Mourning Dove crashed into our sunroom in Maryland and died on a pond rock. I found the poor thing, cold and stiff, and Michael followed me to the scene. He couldn’t believe the bird was dead, picked it up, and placed its belly on his ear like you would hold a telephone. He turned his head to the side, listening for a heartbeat. I interrupted him and said, “Michael, if you are calling the bird, or waiting for its voice, there is no answer.” So, he really does care…

When I arrived at the hair salon's parking lot yesterday I saw a silhouette of a flock of birds resting on a small tree. Under the tree, they were flitting and flying in and out of low berry bushes. It was a rainy, gray day, so I had to get close. But when I parked the car and approached them, they fled. Seeing their crest, I knew they weren’t cardinals and definitely not titmice…hmmmm. But there’s more ahead!

There is something so luxurious and relaxing about resting your head back in the sink and have your stylist massage your scalp. I always close my eyes. Why doesn’t it feel the same when you try it with your own hands? Amber is a pretty young woman, tanned, with loads of long auburn and brown hair and a pearly white smile. All of the cute stylists wear black trendy outfits and black high heels. I wonder how they do it? If I was a stylist and the salon opened at 9am, I’d be limping pathetically by 9:30! Actually, I’d be disabled. Period. For a while, I was the only frumpy over-50 woman in the place but I was glad to see another one walk in later, frumpier than me. Ahem...I'm not that frumpy.

Feeling a lot lighter and sheik with my freshly done hair, I got in my car and scanned that tree again, and found it still full of those birds. In pursuit, I turned off the radio, rolled down the window, approached at one mile per hour and stopped the car fifteen away. In the driver’s seat, I raised my camera... in… slow… motion.

A lifer for me. Beautiful Cedar Waxwing. Of course, I didn’t know they were Cedar Waxwings until I got home and downloaded the photos, but I knew they were a special find for me. If the sun were shining, I couldn't have imagined how beautiful their colors would have been…

Today I went to the grocery store at the same strip mall. Through my windshield, busy Cedar Waxwings, on a sunny day.

Oh, how lovely.




From my driver's seat, in the sun, simply gorgeous.

I wish for my friends, who are buried under loads of snow and ice, that it will melt quickly and the sun will shine on you soon.

Empty-headed

Yesterday I realized that I have posted on all but two days since Christmas Day. I’ve run out of posting steam. There are no words, no ideas right now, so I need to charge my battery for a while. For a day or two I’ll visit my favorite blogger friends to see what everyone has been up to. After I click “publish” tonight, I’ll fold a load of laundry and watch a mindless TV show. I’ll be back in a few days, or sooner than that if I catch the Great Blue Heron standing on the side of my pond!

At the right side of this photo, there is a glimpse of Chickadee feathers exiting the feeder.

See? I need a break.

Cute Overload

Just when I’m feeling a horrible case of blogger burnout, which will probably be the subject of a post soon, something happens to invigorate me. There is so little time in the day for meeting my responsibilities plus finding time for relaxation, which in my case, is creating a form of art called blogging. It’s a peaceful release of energy that I look forward to every day but it’s a challenge to find the time to create something pleasing for myself, first and foremost, and for others who might read along with me.

Here he is. Mr. Biggins spent a few hours with us this weekend. For those who don’t know Mr. Biggins, his real name is Austin (named after the city in Texas) and belongs to my daughter Gina and her boyfriend Billy, originally from Austin, Texas. But we call him Mr. Biggins because he is three times the size of my two Boston Terriers. Does he look like a mean dog in this photo or does he look worried? Yes, but his looks fool you. He is the sweetest, gentlest male Boxer mix! Mr. Biggins loves pink plush toys with squeakers in them. What I love about him most of all is his affection for Bella, Chloe, Grampa, and Gramma. When Gina brings him through our door, he turns himself inside out with glee and heads directly to the kitchen for a cookie.

“Off you go!”, I say. “Play outside for a while.” Two minutes later, they are begging for me to come out to play with them. “And, bring some TOYS!” (Cute overload.)

PURE DOG JOY.

Mr. Biggins and Bella wear each other out. I love my camera and this photo! This action shot would have been a complete blur if taken with my old camera.

MORE PURE DOG JOY.

They are spent. Mr. Biggins ran and played until he couldn’t stand on his feet. Chloe asks, “Is it time for him to go home yet?”

There was no time for a walk or watching the feeder birds today but I managed to catch a few. They are especially for YOU, Gina!

The Cowbirds are back after being gone for a week or two. They try to rule the feeder but the others get their share. I caught this female waiting for me to disappear.

I’ll probably tire of the Goldfinches soon but until I do, here's another one, “Around and around we go…”

This afternoon I went to a movie with Gina, her friend Lea, and her mother, Ellen. The movie we saw was so appropriate for mothers and daughters, called “Because I Said So”, starring Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore. It's a nice chick-flick that made me laugh alot and cry, just a little. While driving out of the mall complex, passing the restaurants, I saw the sky swarming with Ring-billed Gulls. It’s the first time I’ve seen them in several months!



While I was stopped at a traffic light I saw a gull perched on a light fixture... I fumbled for my camera and dropped it once, rolled down my window and got one shot before the light turned green. Because I held up traffic for maybe three seconds, at the most, the driver behind me honked his horn. I shouted out loud, “Oh, blow it out your ass!” Then, as I drove through the green light and remembering it’s Sunday, I calmly said, “And have a nice evening.”

Millions of Flowers

When the trees are bare during the winter months, I have a front porch view of steam rising from the largest greenhouse in the United States, right here in Huntersville. It's not that close to my house and I used zoom to get this photo. If the wind is blowing in the right direction, I can hear the heaters running on cold winter nights.

Metrolina Greenhouses is a family owned and operated company that employs more than six hundred people. The company opened in 1972 with a half-acre greenhouse and since then, has expanded to a modern facility covering 112 acres. Seventy company-owned trucks leave the greenhouses daily to deliver hanging baskets, annuals, and perennials to Lowe’s home stores, Walmarts, grocery stores, Home Depot stores, and others, as far north to Atlantic City, New Jersey and as far south to Georgia. The volume of flowers they produce from cuttings shipped overnight from Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Africa is incredible. Each year, nearly three million poinsettias and four million mums leave Huntersville for delivery at your favorite store. Click on the link above and view one of the news station video clips located on the left side of the page to see how this fascinating operation works.

It’s cool to know that the flat of impatiens you’ll purchase might have come from the view from my front porch.

A garden party. "Pass the seeds, please."

The Goldfinches have discovered the thistle. They’re obsessed with it!

They don’t seem to mind my presence but I do want to add a few feeders closer to the house. I’m using full zoom to get the action at my feeders. Those Carolina Chickadees do mind my presence. I saw one fly to the feeder at lightning speed and make a u-turn in mid-flight. When they arrive at the feeders, they don’t stay long, either. It’s a “steal and run” operation, all day long.

This is the result of my sighting on the way back from the nail salon this morning. I punched the gas to make a quick turnaround into a parking lot to get this shot. After three photos, I realized that if I could get back on the road and pull over, I’d be much closer. So I did that. Slid the car onto a grassy shoulder, got out, and ran across the road. Before I could raise my camera, he was gone. I know it's a hawk but I can't name it.

Not the usual rambling, just pics

This week I’ve blabbered enough. I've decided to focus on and appreciate what I see today, instead of what I wanted to see or what I missed seeing. (Just had to post something. I love using Flickr.)

Using full zoom, this is possibly my best photo of the GBH under low lights. The clouds rolled in on my way home from work and enhanced its colors. And I'll add that it's below freezing again.

This black dot caught my attention at the heron’s pond.

They are plentiful, indeed! I've been ignoring the Juncos. This is the first time I tried to get close, early this morning in the sunlight. I'm glad I did.

This construction site is a one minute walk from my trail. It’s loud and distracts me when I’m listening… It's a mental health institution. Lucky me!

They greet me every day at work and at home. I’m glad this photo was taken outside, instead of inside a building!

My final offer of the day. The YaYa Sisters agree:

Same Old, Same Old

When you wake up to the alarm clock in the morning and groan out loud, then, spend an extra five minutes in the shower, that’s a good indication that your day might be a humdrum one because of your poor attitude. Nothing excited me today. If you are reading this, go ahead and click on your back button. I would! I didn’t even want to post on this journal today, but because I can’t keep my mouth shut, I’m going to post this meaningless drivel anyway. But if you care to stay, I’ll keep it as brief as possible.

I noticed the Great Blue Heron, formally referred to by me as the “Stinker”, is back in his same old, same old place today. Today I viewed this majestic bird as a motionless, ceramic statue. This sighting compares to the same old, same old dinner I made tonight.

Why is it that Mockingbirds are always perched and staring at me for an eternity, only a few feet from my face? Why couldn’t it be a Titmouse or a Pink Flamingo? I could upload at least twenty of these egotistical birds in the past thirty days because they are everywhere! I'm just sick and tired of potential "lifers" flying by my face and playing "hide and seek" with me.

Jan, my good friend from Maryland posted a comment on my blog today telling me she had just taken a photo of an owl in her back yard. She doesn’t even like birds or nature! I get the same old, same old birds and she gets an OWL… She had better send me the photo. This is the first white throated sparrow I found in a tree instead of foraging on the ground.

The most interesting piece of news I’ll share is that my Beta has a growth next to its eye. Is our water contaminated? I don't think so, but Chloe has a growth on her shoulder, too. How interesting…

What is wrong with this picture? One of our female cadets did something wrong this morning and was forced to wear “the bucket” on her head all day. I didn’t ask the reason. All of the cadets sign a release to allow them to be photographed throughout their training but I had mercy on her and chose to photo from behind.

There have been only a few times in my life that I can remember being punished in view of my peers. First grade, around 1961 (ahem), I was caught with a pea shooter in the classroom. Several other children had them, too, so my humiliation was shared. My teacher threw the peas across the old wooden floors of the school house and demanded that we get on our hands and knees to pick them up.

In the second grade, I was caught by Sister Marie Timothy in the girls’ restroom (they were called "lavs") standing on toilets and throwing notes to my friend in the next stall. We were having a blast, but Sister didn’t think it was funny… My only punishment was her firm grip on my upper arm.

Years later, when I was a senior in high school, I broke into the school auditorium with several friends and found chairs with wheels. We had a roller party on the slope downwards and broke something near the orchestra pit. Exciting, huh? It was enough for a detention that day.
When I look back on what I’ve done wrong in the past that deserved punishment, it pales in comparison to what mischief I’d get into today…(wink). I was a good kid. Does anyone have memories of mischief and/or punishment to share?

I forgot something...I sat in the corner of the fifth grade classroom with bubblegum stuck on top of my nose with my friend Debbie. We giggled all afternoon about it.

Things that Fly, and Spring!

Yahoo’s Flickr might be my photo source of choice. I joined the ranks today and I’m hoping for the best by the time I click "publish". It’s quick and easy, unlike uploading photos with Blogger, while my palms sweat and I hold my breath, waiting and waiting, hoping to get that one last photo in place. My fingers are crossed for a fast post. After loading my pictures and outlining them, the writing is a breeze, in Word. It’s the uploading of photos that makes my blood pressure rise.

It’s typical for me to go through an entire day without an idea for a post. But somehow, on the drive home or cleaning up the kitchen in preparation for dinner, the light bulb casts a glow. Strange. Here are the events of my day which was a hurried one at work and very tiring.

I’ve been asked to photograph the cadets during their training towards providing a slide show at the graduation ceremonies. The group has dwindled from twenty five to eighteen, nearly half-way through their training. The male in the forefront looks as if he is thinking, “Sir, you want me to do what, Sir?” I’m honored to do this. Also, I’ve been encouraged to submit an article to the college “Communicator” news about the Bluebird rescue we accomplished last week. This tickles me pink.

After my walk on the trail this afternoon, this is the only photo worth showing. Well, it’s not really worth showing since I didn't have time to zoom, but it’s the best I could do. I saw two potential lifers out there and missed the shots. A tiny, very yellow bird teased me. And a warbler, too. I know they were laughing at me behind my back as I didn’t have binocs… I’ll get them sooner or later!

Back at home this evening, here is a beginning of a Daytona 500 race in the house. Chloe is doing great after a week of drugs for her knee. Gotta love the action around here!

For my best photo of the day, this is the best I can offer. How can the temperatures here climb from 15 degrees to 61 degrees in 36 hours??? The bugs were out. If anyone who reads this feels liking throwing rocks at me, I’m sorry, but today was a t-shirt day later in the afternoon. I worked on the pond tonight, adding bacteria and clay, and taking advantage of unfrozen garden hoses. The temps will be below freezing again soon…

Before I took this shot, I missed two very small birds (potential lifers) sitting in a pansy basket on my front porch. Arrrrgh.

Good night. American Idol is on the horizon! (By the way, Flickr was a breeze!) I love sunsets and this one I saw tonight is GRAND!

Tall Trees, Batmobiles...

Blogger is angering me and I have cabin fever.

The outdoors called me to take a little hike in biting cold wind. A short walk did me and my lower back good. The wind blurred my vision but I kept listening... I heard chipping noises high in a tree and it took a while for me to see what I think was a little Chickadee busy at work on top of a pine cone.

See the little butt straight up? I wonder what this little bird was getting from this pine cone. Other than seeing several Cardinals and Juncos (hardy birds), it was quiet. Gosh, I can't wait for the warm weather to return.

This is the tree where I saw a red-bellied woodpecker a week or two ago. I rolled down my window and listened…no woodpecker today, but I thought the tree looked like a picture with the sun beaming behind it.

Chloe and Bella were with me in the yard, trembling in the cold, while I scooped frozen poopsicles. Here’s a shot of the birds waiting for me to “leave the premises”. Don’t they realize I’m a harmless paparazzi and the one who feeds them? Come eat out of my hand, will ya?

In Memoriam of the Mourning Dove who met its fate in my backyard yesterday, he's gone, with only a pile of feathers left behind.

Now on to more serious but silly matters. If I had to make my commute to work in cities like Boston, New York, or Los Angeles, I’d slit my throat. I’ll bet most people driving in those cities are on medication. In my little town of Huntersville, I shouldn’t complain, but we really need more roads to accommodate the influx of residents and business around here. Today I met up with the worst – all in one day. Risk takers, aggressive drivers, slow-pokes, drivers on my rear end, and an accident involving two women driving soccer vans while holding a cell phone to their ears. Serves them right! On days like this I dream of owning a vehicle similar to a Batmobile.

If I had a Batmobile, it would have helicopter capability. Tired of sitting in a back-up on a one-lane road, I’d press the “copter” button and finish my commute in the air. How cool would that be? I'm glad I'm not driving a 5-speed. For those idiots pushing my back bumper, I’d press the warning button that would blink red from my rear window, “Back off, Jack!” If the idiot continued to squirm in his seat and annoy me, I’d hit the “spike” button and blow out his tires from the rear of my car. Those people who continue to drive ten miles below the speed limit would really get it! I’d have sirens and lights that would scare the living daylights out of a cop or firefighter… “PULL OVER, BUD! If you can’t drive it, PARK IT!”

That’s what I want. My dream car. Batmobile. A black helmet would look silly on my little blonde head but at least I’d get from A to B in record time! A black cape is not my style, though.

Good News and Not So Great News

On my way to work this morning, I was dreading the possibility of finding that darn Bluebird still flying around the lobby. After dropping my stuff in the office, I didn't waste time to take a tour of the building and found there were no birds flying in the lobby or elsewhere. Hurray! I went to a local pet store early and bought a small container of mealworms that I put in the frig at the office in case I would need them later. This is good news but I think it may happen again...

I learned from a lady janitor who works on weekends that there were two birds flying inside on Saturday morning, and one of them led the other outside. That was probably Millie rescuing Johnny. You can always count on a woman to lead the way! In response to Laura in NJ’s comment yesterday, asking if I look for Bluebirds, the answer is, "No, I don't look for them. They fly in front of my face!"

Until I arrived at work this morning, I was feeling great but very soon I noticed my backside felt like I had gone bowling for the first time in twenty years and I commented to a co-worker about it. Soon after that, I got up from my desk chair and nearly fell over in response to an intense pain below the bottom of my spine - very lower back. The only way I felt less pain was to walk around. How can you do damage that quickly? So I spent the rest of the day walking around every thirty minutes, looking like I had a loaded diaper. Trail walking was out of the question today.

This afternoon, I had business to take care of in uptown Charlotte and I left the office a tad early to do it. On my way home, I stopped at a community park near home that I had never seen and passed thoroughbred horses, beautiful ponds, and cows. On these small, country, winding roads, there is nowhere to pull over unless you want to park your car in a ditch. Driveways were blocked with trash bins. Sighing, I drove by these beautiful places, intent on chasing hawks, with no luck at all. The day was becoming quite a drag. I rarely have time to explore different places of beauty and I was bummed out.

Well, look what I found when I opened the sunroom door to let Chloe & Bella out after arriving home! The finch sock I hung two days ago was crawling with gold finches! Because of my beloved dogs being in the yard and who love to make noise with toys, I was only able to get one decent photograph. Oh, I am so happy. See? There is beauty in your own back yard, if you are willing to wait and look for it.


Then I noticed my pond was fishless! The fish weren’t in the deep end where they normally sleep during severe cold! My heart pounded until I saw them nuzzled behind rock. Cursing that Stinker, I saw no signs of heron tracks on the ledge of the pond…but I’ll be watching!





There is something about a female Cardinal I love. She is subtle in color, yet so majestic.

It’s so cold. Expecting teens in the morning and single digits nearby in the mountains. This kind of cold is hard to handle for us southern folk.






The feeders needed topping off tonight. On my way, this is what I found. What happened while I wasn't looking??? Sigh...

I've been wanting to write a very thoughtful post. It's been a while since I have done that but it will have to wait. Right now, I'm going to hug Chloe and Bella, play with them, while drawing a hot bath for my sore butt.

Bluebirds at the Spa

There’s nothing much on my mind except that sometime today I need to wipe the dust off the furniture. The winds outside will knock you over if you aren’t careful. It’s cold but only because of the wind chill factor.

The series of photos that follow were taken from my bathroom window that overlooks the pond. I stood in the garden tub to get these photos, my elbows leaning on the window sill and my body contorted to get a view between the window panes, and you can knock that mental picture from your mind because I was fully clothed! I have said this before and I’ll say it again…there’s nothing better than seeing birds on my pond.

“I think I could use a nice, ice cold bath. And I’m thirsty.”

“Anyone looking?”

“I guess this rock is my shower curtain. Ooooo…this feels good.”

“I’ll dry off quickly in this wind. Do I smell pretty now?”

“I feeeeel good…

da-da da-da da-da DA!

So good! So good!”

“A little privacy, please?” This was taken after I ran around the back and sneaked very quietly…

This sparrow was thinking, “I want a drink, too!”

A finch was able to hang on for an afternoon snack.

Holding on to the tube feeder wasn’t easy today. But the bewds had a grand time.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. I’m not a real football fan but if any of my teams were playing today, I’d be ready to party. Unfortunately, the Eagles, Ravens, and Panthers were knocked out. Soooo, since the only Colts team should belong to Baltimore, I’ll toot my horn for DA BEARS.

Go, DA BEARS!

A New Eye Shadow Makes It Better

Bella had a pedicure today at the vet. Since last April, she’s gained 1.7 pounds! What will I do with our big-boned girl?

Michael and I ran errands with her this morning and our day continued to be very busy. I’m so longing to be outdoors without the wind chill numbing my fingers and making it difficult to use my camera.

Whenever I complain about feeling bored and having the winter doldrums, my dear friend Jan always says to me, in her Pittsburgh accent, “Aaah, get aaat of the haase and buy new eye shadow.” She was my neighbor and good friend for many years in Bel Air, Maryland. We are still good friends, despite our moves around the eastern half of the country during the past few years. While I moved from Maryland to Delaware, she moved from Maryland to West Virginia. During the same week I moved from Delaware to North Carolina, she was moving back to Maryland. Whenever I hear her voice on the phone, I feel as though I talked to her an hour ago. I always made fun of her accent and she was graceful about it, thank goodness, but she took a lot of shots at mine, too! During our lives in Bel Air together, we’d hang over the fence and chat every day while I loved her two labs – Mandy, a black lab, who lived to be a ripe old age of near sixteen and left us last year, and Ginny, a yellow lab, who is still kicking at thirteen. We love our dogs and would walk them together, regularly. Those were the days, when our kids were little! We often complained about our kids' tedious problems and the monotony of the days, but we now realize that life was very simple back then and that our worries were insignificant in comparison to what we worried about when they grew from teens to adults. Her two adult sons and my adult daughter have grown to be wonderful “grown up” kids. We are blessed.

There was not much time for watching birds today and my photos aren’t worth clapping about (some are terrible) but I’ll include what I was able to catch. Of course, I missed at least a dozen opportunities of birds I have been longing to see. I can’t count the number of times I said, “Darn!” today…

While heading out for some shopping with Gina this morning, both of us saw a great shot of a hawk flying low overhead. I gasped, then she said, “Don’t you dare! We’ll wind up in that ditch up ahead or take out that biker.” She was right. I always gasp and curse when there is no room to pull over on our country roads that lead to the interstates.

Bad photo of a song sparrow. It's in the bottom right corner! Those sparrows confuse me, still.

We visited some of our favorite stores today and I’ll mention most importantly, Ulta, a store loaded with what you need to be a beautiful woman! I indulged in a new Ulta eye shadow, and an Exuviance day cream and cleanser. I just love coming home and opening those boxes, sampling them, and smelling the fragrance. It’s like Christmas Day. I’ve been a Lancome woman for many years but have switched to a much less expensive product that is equally as good - Exuviance. And, of course, I enjoyed treating Gina to a few of her favorite things. I’ll continue to treat her for the rest of my life, I guess. Maybe it’s like buying her a new toy? It’s a Mother’s destiny.

We hit Target, of course, and I bought a few toys for Mr. Biggins – a large braided rawhide and a goofy, pink, long-legged animal he loves. Target had a great sale on Kaytee black oil sunflower, too, so I was happy to take advantage of that. The Finch niger seed socks caught my attention, so I thought I’d give them a try, too.

Julie might like this mourning dove.

After stopping at the Lowe’s home store, I found the best bargain on “oilers”, as Lynne calls them. We were both happy and headed home. It was a good day with daughter Gina. It would have been a lot better if she would allow me to take her picture! I’ll be working on that…

It hurts to care so much.

Two ladies I work with came to get me at my office and led me into the college lobby with my eyes closed. They were excited with wide smiles on their faces, then turned me around and said, “Open your eyes and look up!” My heart sunk. There he was again, possibly the same Bluebird we set free earlier this week and the one I named Johnny. Why were those ladies smiling? Because I’d be happy to see a bluebird? Of course. But I’m not happy about this at all. There must be a hole in the building, or something. Bluebirds just don’t follow people through a safety door.

A clump of dust balls from the dirty sills attached to his foot and later fell off. There were only a few people around to help me but many people just don’t care. Comments like, "That stupid robin is back again?" made me cringe. A commandant made the mistake of saying to me, “Do you want me to get Sgt. Moore’s 12-gauge? We’ll only need to take out one window with it.” I thought, “Hardy-har-har, you ASS!” He read my face and instantly left the scene of his crime. The Dean, who helped us earlier this week to free a bluebird, was too busy to help today. Our Associate Dean has a bird phobia since childhood, escapes around corners and pretty much stays locked in her office while a bird is nearby.

A lady janitor helped me prop open doors with the live trees I used before. The bluebird was flying very high today and refused to turn down the hallway with lower ceilings. So we waited with our coats draped over our arms in hopes to use them for shooing.

During the afternoon a few of us checked on Johnny from time to time but we weren’t able to help him. An hour before I left, the traffic in and out of the building settled down and I set out a dish of seed and water on a chair next to the open doorway. The security people agreed to watch for him over the weekend and to prop some doors open when possible.

Just before leaving, I was happy to see he had scattered the seed and pooped on the chair. So I moved the chair to the center of the doorway in hopes the quiet of the afternoon and early evening would relax him enough to investigate the food and water again, then fly out before the doors would be closed.

I don’t know how long his little stressed out body can live, flying from one end of the lobby to the other, resting on a windowsill, desperate for freedom. For reasons I don’t understand, this little bird perched closer to me than anyone else. If he should die in that building, I’ll feel horribly responsible for perhaps not trying hard enough.

My heart is breaking over this one little bird.

A Snow Day!

It began at 5:55 a.m. and I was ready. The morning news “snow show” began which seems quite funny to me since we were only blanketed by about two inches of the white stuff before it turned to sleet and rain. The coverage was a seven-hour TV event. Back in Baltimore, the snow show continued all day whenever there was at least six inches or a blizzard, but not for a dusting. This is the lamppost across the street and the photo turned out completely different than I thought it would. Geezzzz.

All schools and colleges closed as well as some businesses. Roads were closed due to ice and at least one hundred accidents. If Charlotte had more than ten salt trucks, we’d be in better shape. The real threat comes tonight because freezing rain is predicted and that always warrants staying indoors. Even this Yankee won’t brave the ice. Before the sleet started coming down, the view was so nice! It’s been two years since my last snowfall.

Michael left for work at his usual time and I just shook my head. He was back at 11am, though. I’m reminded of one of the several times he left for work in blizzard conditions. In January 1982, I was four months pregnant with Gina. We were having quite a snow storm that morning but he left for work anyway to make his daily commute from the Annapolis, MD area to Rosslyn, VA. This was the day the Air Florida Flight 90 crashed on the Potomac River Bridge in Washington, D.C. Four hours after he left, he stopped at a pay phone (no cell phones then) to tell me he was turning around for home, as he never made it to work. I watched the news coverage of the crash on TV and paced the floors. A few hours later, he called from a Gino’s restaurant telling me he should be home in about an hour or two. So I waited, sick with worry. Five hours later, past dark, he came through the front door and put his lunch box on the dining room table. My hormones took over and I threw that lunch box against the dining room wall where it broke into pieces. Yea, I was wild and dangerous alright. He never bothered to ask his standard question, “What’s for dinner?” He turned around and went outside to shovel the driveway.

Bella obviously did not remember what snow is like and flipped out. She flew through the yard without a care and begged me to throw the hula hoop.

After Chloe slid off the back steps and did a little tumble, she decided stay close to the sofa today. Bless her heart.

The feeder birds were sparring today. There was a lot of tension out there! A mockingbird took a break from the action and perched on a tree next to my front porch. My neighbor’s American flag background is kind of cute, I think.

So, after a few months of pining for snow, I got it, albeit short-lived. Within a few hours, it began to melt and turn sloppy and ugly. That’s when I decided I’m ready for Spring! Got my fix.