Love/Hate Relationship

Obviously you know I love the birds, an endless source of fascination for both of us. On the other hand, if I weren't feeding the birds, I'm doubtful that I'd have so many squirrels. So, what's a girl to do but give in? But then there is the matter of the kayak which is increasingly being gnawed. Don't believe me? How's this for proof?

Note all the leavings please. I'm wondering if the vaseline might do the trick here. The bleach, as is plain to see, is no deterrent. Hate, hate, hate the squirrels.

Love, love, love the birds. When I went out last evening, following a puny amount of rain, there were several doves, a red winged black bird, momma cardinal, several finches AND a little Carolina Wren in the back yard. So darn cute.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Earlier in the day I saw the cardinal siblings on the front walk,

Well now, look who is changing colors? I'm thinking the beak is also just beginning to turn orange around the edges. How fun is this to watch nature in action?

To date it now appears to be a boy and a girl, but I wouldn't bet on it just yet. Come to think of it though, when they were still in the nest, one of the chicks seemed so much more aggressive than the other. Hmmmm....

I went in the pool yesterday afternoon following some serious trimming and such. I convinced Baxter to join me if only for a few moments. He is a dog who has no fondness for water; merely a tolerator. I mentioned that I'd taken the Panasonic zoom to the park and when that lens works, it works like magic.

You can almost see his wet little nose. You may also notice he is seriously due for a haircut as well. I changed this one to black and white because the grass was mostly brown and ugly. You can get away with a lot when the photo is black and white.

One of the things I did before my dip in the pool was put together a little bird feeder townhouse. Although the package described it as easy to assemble, I had my challenges, including most of the seed falling on the ground when it all came apart. Eventually, I managed. As I look out my office window right now I can see a bird feeding.  I know this looks like an insanely easy target for the squirrels but I did coat the pole with petroleum jelly hoping it would be too slippery! Momma managed to find it this morning.

Rain has been in the forecast for days; the amount yesterday afternoon was pretty minuscule. Apparently, as I mentioned, it has been raining in London for weeks. Furthermore, Austin has been having a bunch too which is a good thing after the terrible drought last year. Send some our way! So, after the rain stopped, the sun came out for a bit shining with the most beautiful glow. Earlier, I'd watered the caladiums by hand with the rain adding to it.

We affectionately call this part of the yard--the jungle and for good reason! When the light is good it is hard for me to not take photographs. I can't help myself. Let's take a closer look at the awning, shall we?

Last evening I began reading a new novel suggested by my friend Carol Razmann, The Family Fang. Quite a sight seeing me laughing so hard my eyes were watering while reading in bed. Except no one saw me. Do I ever hope it continues to delight me! When Bruce called I insisted on relating an anecdote from the book which I'm thinking did not translate well over the phone. I couldn't resist!

Every few days I check on my Etsy stat page. Zero views. Zero! This is not good but really nothing more than I expected. How I got so lucky as to have a sale in my first week is beyond me. While roaming the web to learn a bit more about who owns Etsy, I came across this blog entitled,
Etsy or Regretsy? Way too funny!

Bruce's birthday is only two days away and am I ever glad he isn't expecting much. After all these years it is so darn hard to buy him gifts. Somehow Matt manages, but darn if I don't struggle. After seeing Trish and Roger's fountain in their yard, he was dying to have one. So I bought one, but that was several weeks ago. We were hoping to use the fountain in the sunroom to provide a little background happiness while Bruce was working at home, however, it was way too loud, so outside it went!

What does one get for a 59 year old man who has most everything? Don't know. He'll arrive home tonight around 11 and we'll see what he has to say for himself on this matter. Can't wait actually; it's been a long week without him. And, it's going to get worse before it gets better, but we'll save the whining for another post!

I managed to knock out 7 continuing education points this afternoon and can I just say I'm very proud of myself? I wonder if I'll ever take x-rays again? From what I'm hearing, jobs are scarce and when you combine that with my six year absence from the work force, it does not seem likely. Time will tell now won't it?

An early dinner and a marathon reading session are coming up next!!

Love my birds/hate the squirrels!