And Then There Were Three

It is an age old question, isn't it? Do animals, and in this case, birds, have feelings? What must this mama duck be feeling?

It must have been on Monday afternoon that as I was sitting at my "desk" I noticed the Cormorants were back; naturally I went out back to investigate. What to my wondering eyes should appear but ducklings! And not just a few, but what seemed to be a bunch, as reported in my last post that, according to my statistics page, largely went unread. That often happens because when I have time to write and post, others are busy, and so on. But I digress--- yesterday, after heavy rain storms, the sun came out briefly allowing me to check on the ducklings. Who knew how painful it would be to see them all but disappear in just a few days?

Although the lighting is not the best, when I first discovered them, there were, get this--13!!

Tuesday morning while taking my shower, I saw them through the window, immediately hopping out, throwing on my dress and flip flops, out I went only to discover there were but seven.

What will today reveal? Will any survive? After dinner Tuesday, David came for a visit because Nancy is in town, and when I asked him to guess how many were left, he did so correctly because he's seen it time and time again having lived her a long while now. Apparently, large turtles in the lake make a meal of them. Boo hoo!! To be continued......

I also wrote about getting a small kayak of my very own. Bruce can be a man on a mission when he wants to be, thus we went to two sporting goods stores, choosing a Pelican brand from Dick's.

Bruce also has lots of practice with kayaks and ropes, so because this one is light he was able to hoist in on the car and off we went. Before long it was in the water, which is pretty warm at the shoreline, btw, because I too stepped in it to get into the boat for my first solo experience.

 Bruce did take a photo of me in said kayak, however, it was too small for my liking, so as soon as I get a good one, I'll let you know. It was hot, sunny and fun. I brought my camera but took only a few photos of the water lilies that are blooming in many areas of the lake.

At first we stayed fairly close to one another, allowing me to get this shot of Bruce catching a fish right in front of someone's lakeside home.

The angle isn't the best for showing how large it was before he slid it back into the water. So, you can't really see how big this Large Mouth Bass is, but the woman who lives in the house did, coming right outside to remark on the size. That was fun.  Sunday afternoon we went out again, and I did so on Tuesday afternoon by myself while B was working at the church. Nice! Good exercise too. If this 65 year old woman can learn to paddle, I suspect anyone can.

Something else exciting occurred on Sunday afternoon. Ready? The cardinals have arrived!! I'd come in from the lake to make a tomato tart for our usual Sunday get together, using tomatoes and basil from Pam's garden. When Bruce got back, joining me in the kitchen, before long, I spotted them through the kitchen window. Again, a lousy photo, but at least something to back up my statement!

The female hung around longer..

Now that they have found the feeders, they've been back with Nancy seeing them too. One day I saw the male feeding the female along the top of the wall, but they did not hang around long enough for a photo. Let's just say I am delighted with this turn of events.

A lovely sunrise on Lake Willisara,

not as dramatic as some, however, that rosy glow attracted me, as did the notion that the sun had risen again with possibilities for anything on the horizon.

Oh my word, have I been blessed with sympathy cards and for those who took the time, I thank you for your kindness. You will be happy to learn that I spoke at length with Hank on Tuesday and he is doing fairly well. Crying times, but he, like the rest of us, console ourselves with the fact that Carol is now at peace. Their dogs are adjusting too. Maureen is showing some slight improvement, with the stitches finally removed, the wound is healing. Now the debate is whether to take the chance of yet another infection from a third surgery, or to learn to live in a wheelchair. My vote is the wheelchair, but we shall see.

Bruce skipped lunch while working at the church, and with Nancy hungry after her long drive, we had an early dinner at home, then walked down to the lake for sunset.

Isn't it downright remarkable that no two are alike? Sometimes, the reflection, or refraction, of the sun on the clouds is the best, don't you think? While I could look that kind of fact up, I think it will remain a mystery to me. With Google at our fingertips, there are very few mysteries in modern life, don't you think?

That would be Nancy and Bruce under the rooftop.

Look at sweet Grace Kelly, wearing a cone to help that scab heal! Dog play is the culprit.

Because we see David walking her most days, I'm happy to report that it looks even better now.

Lots of celebrations in the next few days. It is amazing to think that Matt and Tom have been happily married for five years and I've got a blog post to prove it! Seriously, if you missed it when we went to London for the wedding, click on that link for some heart warming photos. Plus, Bill and Dave turn 40!!!

Life can be so good, can't it? Make every day count dear ones.

your friend,

Gail