Showing posts with label dove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dove. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 09, 2025

Flora and fauna

Two years ago we had a mourning dove we named Heather decide that the gutter outside the boys. bedroom would be a perfect nesting spot. She and her mate, Hrothgar or Herbert or something, raised one chick. We didn't see or hear anybody return last year, but this year Heather is back or maybe the chick wanted to raise a family in the same spot:



We hope they survive whatever weather is thrown our way. It IS a more sheltered corner of the house and it's to the side of the drainspout, so in theory all should be well!

These goofball dogs keep pulling stuffing out of their bed despite me spraying it all with that bitter tasting deterrent. Then she sticks her head right up against it. She was sound asleep and kicking with her tongue out.




The first of the Virginia Springbeauty flowers, above, and one of the more unfortunate crayfish mentioned in the next post. Found this... skeleton? Exoskeleton? Whoever it was got smashed in the driveway and just looked like a clump of dead leaves in the predawn dark at the bus stop until I leaned closer and realized, "well, someone had an unhappy end when someone else turned around in our driveway or we left home..."



There are two types of creatures, I think- those who are solar powered like Bos and myself, and my Welsh husband. We "sun" very differently...


 

Wednesday, June 08, 2022

Yet another dump o’random


This is Precious, Pap's dog. This is not her bed, it's Bosley's. He barely fits into it and she is larger than him, so it's especially funny to see her curled up like a rolypoly in it. She doesn't seem to mind and he knows better than to complain. 


Damon, waiting his turn at the eye doctor's office. It used to be a play area but thanks to Covid there are no toys or games in there anymore. So he just bounced around and flopped until they called him. Such a nut. Look how big those not-quite-12-year-old feet are. Sheesh. 


I especially love the light green of this tree against all the darker green surrounding it. I'm normally not a yellow-green fan, never have been, but this little tree makes it look glorious in the morning light or right after a rain. 

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Found a new recipe that Dada and I enjoyed which the kids wouldn't touch- chicken breasts with tasty cherry tomatoes, baked garlic and chickpeas. It was easy and reheated pretty well too, wins in my book.


Bos loves being outside in the sunshine. He doesn't care how hot it is. If he finds a sunny spot, he stretches out and turns into a sun dog. I think he must be related to me. Of course there's the added benefit of chasing any squirrels stupid enough to come into his reach, and we have an amazing  number of stupid squirrels. I don't know if he knows what he'd do with one if he did actually catch one...


Speaking of dumb, we had a mourning dove I named Heather make a nest in the gutter outside the boys' bedroom. The father, Herbert, would come check on her. I think that's him on the edge and you may be able to see the top of Heather's head in the gutter if you click on the picture. The screen makes it hard to see. Sure enough, they had a chick that the boys couldn't agree on a name for. Damon voted Hershey and Liam wanted Hogarth, I think? Hrothgar? Hmmm... at any rate, Heather was smart enough to build her nest on the far side of the downspout, but she did look pretty silly sitting there in the rain with a waterfall coming down on her head at times. Good thing the baby didn't get washed down the drain!


And the robins also had a little one, who is out of the nest and was perched all alone, beak agape, in the middle of our front landscaping. I'd sit on the porch swing, hear rustlerustlerustle and a robin would hop up into the landscaping from lower down in the yard, wrestle through the bushes, feed the baby and take off again. I suppose that's one way to try to be stealthy and not draw attention to the sitting duck...?


Goofing off with the firstborn


Marvin the Martian goofing off on my oven controls


The firstborn and I went to see the senior art studio downtown and discovered there was also elementary art in a separate venue down the street. I'm ashamed to say I didn't get the artist's name in this photo to give proper credit, but we both giggled over the adorably smiling bug. Such cuteness! Well done, artists.