Sylvia and the Fledgling

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While sitting at the breakfast table, I finished this morning’s Bible reading.  Sylvia had turned on the sprinkler, but when the timer sounded I went out and shut it off.  Returning to the table, I looked out at the garden and saw a chipmunk playing there.  Nearer motion caught my eye as I watched a robin chase a chipmunk up a scarlet maple.  I chuckled.

Turning my head, I saw a robin and a fledgling.  Soon the robin flew, but the fledgling remained with the bewildered look that must be common to youngsters facing a new and very large world.  He looked so precious, I went for the camera to capture a picture.

When I returned with the camera, the fledgling had moved some distance away.  Evidently frightened by Sylvia as she moved the sprinkler to water the rest of the garden.

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I turned my attention to the fledgling, framed my shot and . . .  Sylvia walked by.

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The little guy took this all in.  My camera didn’t know where to focus.  I just smiled.

Life is good.

New to the Flower Garden

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With a gift card from Mother’s Day, Sylvia bought a deep red bearded iris.  Unfortunately, I was not able to capture an image of it for a few days after she brought it home.  I’m posting this to keep a promise to those whose gift of love made it possible for Sylvia to bring home this amazing example of beauty.  Most of the iris around here look like this.

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I’m still recovering from the latest foot surgery.  That makes it difficult to spend much time in this office chair, and it is even more difficult to walk any distance.  Sylvia and I are in good condition and even better spirits.  Life is good.

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I Never Did like It That Much.

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I’ve written about my foot problems before.  The problems began when heavy-duty pain sent me to a podiatrist.  After consultation and consideration, he did a bunionectomy on my right foot.

Two years later, I still had heavy-duty pain.  Again we consulted.  I considered that a fused joint will not result in pain.  He did a joint fusion.

The pain did not get better.  More consultation.  This time my podiatrist removed the hardware that held my foot in place after the joint fusion.

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While it is still early to make a definitive statement, early indications point to a happy outcome on this long path.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve tried to keep my foot elevated and that is something I can’t do here in the office.

More Spring Beauty

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Mild temperatures and plenty of rain has made this season a spring to remember.

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Lots of daffodils and tulips add plenty of color to the flower gardens.

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I particularly like the tulips.

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This red, yellow and black may be my favorite.  Looks almost like an insect there in the middle, doesn’t it?

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Lots more yellow out on the lawn where dandelions blossom.  Cherry and apple trees are also blooming.

I have tilled the vegetable garden and Sylvia has planted peas, parsnips and radishes.  We have the first picking of asparagus.  It is very tasty and went well with our evening meal.

Love Those Spring Flowers

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I love spring flowers.  Don’t you?  I recently saw these growing on the lawn.

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Not too far away (just a few steps) I also saw these.

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While I was looking for signs of life a pair turkey vultures were searching for something else.

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Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me yesterday as I carried the trash down to the side of the road.  I actually saw a pileated woodpecker for the first time in my life.

More Sightings

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During a cleanup session, Sylvia and I noticed that the crocus was more open.  I grabbed this shot and then went back to trimming branches and picking up sticks.  Heavy spring winds have brought down a lot of smaller branches.

About a week ago, in the evening dusk, I saw eight deer in the small field beyond the lawn.  (The neighbor uses this area for a hay field.  I don’t have to mow, and he gets feed for his cattle.)  Those deer were enjoying spring.  The young ones would run as fast as the wind and turn quickly and do it some more.  Soon they disappeared into the thicket and disappeared from sight.

Last Thursday, Sylvia was at the wheel as we exited the expressway at 36th St in Kentwood.  As we approached Kraft, I looked and on the slope beside this busy street (five lanes) I saw a number of large lumps.  It took a moment for me to realize it was a group of wild turkeys.  They had their heads tucked under their wings to protect them from the wind-driven near-freezing rain.

Spring Flowers — A Beautiful sight

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The snow drops are looking great.  Appropriate for today.  Starting last night, we had snow.  Fortunately it wasn’t the three to five inches indicated in the forecast.  With above freezing temperatures, the snow is not lasting long.

Earlier, I managed to capture these images.

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Daffodils have begun to blossom.  These are miniatures–very nice.

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I can’t remember the name of these beauties that grow on the lawn near the barn.  Can you help me with that?  Later, the center will develop more yellow.  They bring joy to those who view them.

April — Do You Love Her?

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It was April 1 and coming out of the barn, I decided to check on spring flowers.  The snow drops looked great.  Then I saw a splash of rich color.  Was it possible?  The previous two years the crocus had not appeared.  I had feared it was dead.

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As you can clearly see in the photo, the crocus lives on.  It seems even more alive being surrounded by dead leaves and stalks.

That “find” made my day.  And to top it all off, the sunset that evening was gorgeous.

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I slept well that night.

Ah, Spring and You Know What Happens

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We had sustained heavy winds.  Gusts topped 62 MPH here in the county.  Large portions of the state lost power.  Reinforcements arrived to help local crews restore electricity.

Locals theorize that it was an out-of-state crew that drove onto the shoulder to let another vehicle pass and that’s what caused the furrow beside our road.  I’m not sure, but it did leave a large scar.

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In another sign of spring, the turkey buzzards are back since last week.  I enjoy watching them soar around the neighborhood.

While you might see them around here anytime of year, I was also glad to see a flock of 14 adult turkeys this morning.  I was in the car and had no camera.  Oh well, life frequently works out like that.

Let me tell you about the one that got away

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In the lovely morning light, I saw him.  He was showing off his beautiful red tail atop a utility pole.  I scurried to office to retrieve my camera as excitement filled my entire being.  This would be the image to grace this blog and I was overdue for the next post.

I returned to the window with camera hanging around my neck.  I carefully raised the blinds for an unimpeded view, turned on the camera and removed the lens cap.  My hands were shaking.  So bad I had to fight to brace the camera as I zoomed in on the subject.  Beautiful!

My hands shook with excitement and I lost my subject.  Zoom out.  There he is.  Carefully . . . very carefully . . . zoom in.  Relax and control those tremors.  Control the breathing.  Gently brace the hands hold the framing and click.

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Before I could finish my business, the hawk went about his.  Perhaps there was a mouse that needed companionship or something.  I don’t know.  Life seems to work that way some days.

No chance to get a pic of the pair of eagles recently spotted.  There are times when all you can do is enjoy the views.  That’s okay by me.

They don’t all elude the camera.  This shy guy didn’t.  I had to ask Sylvia to refrain from cleaning around the window while I got the camera for this one.

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After posing for this portrait, the wee one scampered away before Sylvia got there with a damp dust cloth in hand.

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