BIRDS, BEES, BUGS AND BLOSSOMS AND BEARS

BIRDS ON A WIRE - IT'S A MELODY!

2009-10-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

I posted this at two my blogs but thought, well it has to go here, because it's about birds.

Very short video of a guy who noticed the arrangements of birds on wires and wondered what would happen or what would it sound like if he put it to music.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ AND

2009-10-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

5 seconds to vote for this talented well deserving blogger.

Here is the link right here to Suzanne's site "Chickens in the Road."

Her blog is filled with great things, beautiful photos of her farm animals, recipes with photos step by step, tales of every day living as a single woman raising kids on a farm. She so deserves this job (six months writing job is the prize) and if you read her post you will understand why I want to help her get votes by posting this here. You will LOVE her blog.

SOMETHING A LITTLE PRETTIER THAN THE MANTIS

2009-10-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

THERE, I'VE GONE AND DONE IT, WAY TOO MANY MANTIS PHOTOS

2009-10-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

COULDN'T STOP TAKING PHOTOS, I WAS MESMERIZED

2009-10-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

2009-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

POSING MANTIS

2009-10-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason I love these bugs!

I have no idea what that bubble is under his face. Does anybody know. I guess I could google this and find out.

WANNA SEE SOMETHING ADORABLE

2009-10-28T10:30:00.001-07:00

HERE IS LINK

HEY, HI, WILL POST MORE TOMORROW

2009-10-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Doing yard work today, this guy showed up and hung out awhile. Last time it was a dead leaf preying mantis and today a green one.

VERY VERY BUSY LATELY

2009-10-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

and I miss having time to visit blogs. We are having a "party" here at the house in a few weeks and with grandkids here off and on, lots of yard work getting ready for it, seems like the days are flying by.

I hope to get a post up soon and catch up with everybody. I don't even have time for my favorite activities which is watching birds and getting in some sketching time.

I hope you are all doing well and not dealing with "flu" or anything.

I'm hoping to get through a few blogs here and there as the week progresses.

HAWK BATHING

2009-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

The other morning I went out on the front porch with my coffee when my husband told me to be quiet as I walked toward the chair. We sat and watched this hawk for about 10 minutes before I decided to see if I could sneak in the house and get my camera. When I came out he was still there and then decided to bathe.

It was fun watching him and he stayed for about 20 plus minutes.

SOME BIRD SHOTS THIS MORNING

2009-10-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today we are driving about an hour away to go to a well known area where there are a lot of apple farms and little cafes and restaurants to get fresh apple pie. There is also a huge farm shed where all kinds of seasonings and spices are sold, plus my favorite of all, a small farm that has fresh apple donuts upon request. They cook them while you wait. At that same farm for those who wish to pick their own rasperries that experience awaits.

What a glorious day it is today, the weather couldn't be more perfect!

This part of the yard is an area I've ignored for ages. I've been working cleaning out old brush, trimming back natural plants that I've purposely let grow in this area, plants that you find indigenous to our area. I found the little raccoon under some bushes that I was trimming, put seed again in this red pot and the birds are flocking to this area now for their seed.

I've mentioned before that we have an acre, which is really great except when it comes time to catch up on all the different areas where I either have outside sitting areas or grass but also the areas that nature tries to reclaim in its' wildness. I pretty much let it go wild but sometimes it has to be trimmed back. I've been working outside for about a week and have totally got back into the outside labor stuff. If only someone would pay me.

Just a pretty bird in flight

2009-10-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

Heading out to go have breakfast for dinner.

I SEE YOU

2009-10-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

I CALL HIM A FRIEND

2009-10-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know his name, but I know his "Nature." Every visit we make to the horse ranch, he comes up and spends as much time as I spend talking to him. He never gets irritated or in a hurry to shove off. He loves to have his face petted and he and I share several minutes just communing.

There are several horses up there, many more beautiful than he is, but none more beautiful to me.

His eyes are a result of, according to a man I talked to, just what he was born like. I have no idea because I don't know too much or rather I don't know anything at all about horse breeds. I thought maybe he had cataracts or something else going on. But, no, the man said he's always had these eyes.

But they are wonderfully intelligent eyes. I hope to see him again soon.

SOME ADORABLE FACES

2009-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

From one of our many trips this summer.

There was a barn nearby to where my sister lives in Arroyo Grande, and besides a great country store, there are animals for the kids to look at and pet.

I'm finally going to get around to posting photos from as far back as June. This one and the ones below were taken the day we took our granddaughters out to see the animals. It was a first for my sister and I. To both have a granddaughter with us, in the car, the girls (ages almost 3 and 3 1/2) in the backseat, was a memorable experience. We kind of felt old that day, yeah, we kind of still do today, ha.

2009-10-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

YESTERDAY'S TRIP OUT

2009-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had a couple grandkids here and decided to go up north about 20 minutes, across those mountains (we live on the other side) and visit some horses at a horse ranch where they have Tenneesee walkers. I never knew before yesterday, that the majority of horses there are "walkers". This nice man in the photo invited us to come onto the property beyond the front gates and we talked for awhile.

I learned a lot of what they do there and how they just got back from Tenneesee where they took 13 or more horses with them for a huge show in that area.

The grandkids (Kenzie and my grandson Cayden) had a great time petting the horses and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them up close.

This horse was one of many beauties they had up there. I'll post more later. I asked him if he was "hiring" and he said a lot of people come up and volunteer around the place. Maybe I've found something to do that would satisfy my desire to be out among horses and cleaning up poop or something. Truthfully though, I'd rather ride them, ha. I forget how many he said they have up there but I'm guessing 30 to 40 maybe.

ARTI IS SO TALENTED AND YOU GOT TO SEE WHAT SHE PAINTED

2009-10-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Arti painted a portrait of Kenzie from the photograph below.

I would love to have you go take a look and while you are there, check out her other art, what a talent she has.

Thank you Arti!!!!!

Link is HERE ....

The link to the actual painting is right HERE

MY GRANDDAUGHTER "THE BOSS"

2009-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Actually pointed the bug below this photo, out to me. She was playing near a cement bench under the trees in the front yard and said, "Gramma Sandy"...there's a "bee"...haha.

BEING PLAYFUL

2009-09-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

AND playing hide and seek. Other pics of him are below this group.

MORE SHOTS OF THE CUTIE

2009-09-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

PRAYING MANTIS "DEAD LEAF"

2009-09-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

My husband has been waiting for two weeks to see these pics. This guy was in the front yard and after some research we found out it was a "dead leaf" praying mantis. I think he's adorable!

I'VE BEEN MISSING IN ACTION

2009-09-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

MIA - meaning although I haven't been blogging or visiting blogs, I've been very active this past summer and not too much into sitting at the computer.

We've taken a total of five trips up the coast in a few months to visit family. When I get home, I am so out of the habit of being on the computer that I need to ease into it again somewhat.

I had a big green pot the other day sitting out on a table and noticed how pretty the birds looked when they would land in front of it. I had no problem getting photos of the house finch but this pretty yellow one took awhile. He wouldn't stop long enough to pose. The sun was hitting just the center of the pot and I would wait until he would walk into it, but at some point the light shifted so it was a little easier to get him against the green background.

For awhile there was just a little illumination of light hitting the green of the pot and I was waiting for the birds to step right to that area.

2009-09-27T09:30:00.000-07:00