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.