Aggravations and Magnificence

Okay, I'm going to try one more time.  I wanted to tell you about my birdwatching trip this week.  I saw my first great horned owl in the wild.  He was magnificent.  I didn't have my camera with me when I found him, but since they are nocturnal birds, I figured he'd still be there later.  We went on our way and came back with the camera.  He was so patient with us for the longest time but finally got tired of us and flew off to a perch in a tall pine tree where, hopefully, he got some rest.

Okay, I got the picture in here.  Let's see if the rest of the post works like it ought to.  I had to switch to Internet Explorer to get it to work.  Been using Google Chrome and until today have had absolutely no problems with it.

We also saw a huge flock of white pelicans.  They were amazingly beautiful against that blue sky.  My friends were estimating it at less than 100 birds, but after I got it on the computer, I could count them pretty well and came up with about 150.  What a great sight that was.  You'll need to click on the picture to see the pelicans.

While I am getting pictures into the blog, I'm having to do lots of extra steps and this just won't work.  I have to get this clarified by somebody.

I know, whine, whine, whine....and yes, I do like cheese with it.

So, for now, goodnight.  

And if any of you who have blogs have a fix for this problem, I'd love to hear it.  You can contact me at the address shown in my profile.  Thanks.

Y'all take care.

Blogger Problems

I'm going to comment again about these changing fonts. Sometimes the size font I see while composing is definitely not the size font that gets published. Having reached a certain age myself, I want a font that is easy to read and big enough to read without a magnifying glass!! At the same time, I don't want one that pushes me away from the computer because its so big. What to do, what to do?

Now, I'm having another problem. Whenever I go to post a photo, blogger cannot access all the photos in My Pictures. It shows only part of them. What a hassle. Been fussing with this all afternoon, so its time for a break.

Y'all take care.

Busy-ness of All Kinds

 Our fabulous fall weather is continuing.  We have clear blue skies and sunshine, steady breezes, temps in high 70's and humidity levels around 35%.  That's perfection for us Floridians! 


For several days, I've had just 2 or 3 hummingbirds.  Today, however, and particularly this afternoon, there's a flock of them!!!   They are constantly skirmishing over the feeders.  Several times today, one has crashed into the window or the eave overhang while facing off.  There is absolutely no way for me to capture that kind of activity, but I wish I  could share it with you.  Their little high-pitched chirping and that unmistakable sound of wings whirring keep me company. 


The steady north wind today would likely have made for good birdwatching at the local migrant traps, but I had other projects I really need to devote time to, so I stayed home.  If the wind continues, it might be worth a drive over to Ft. Pickens tomorrow morning.  It takes me nearly an hour to get over there, what with having to cross the bridge and then head out the peninsula.    I saw a grey headed catbird at the birdbath today, and two Carolina wrens were flitting around.  


There has been a number of hawks in and around our house recently.  I know that there has to have been a nest close by, because the young ones are seen too often.  On Thursday, I saw two red-tailed hawks sitting in the top of a pine tree across the way.   The hawks on the top of a dark green pine tree against a deep blue sky made for a wonderful sight.  They were too far away for my camera, so all I could do was keep looking and drink it in.   I think they were juveniles from their behavior.  And on Friday, I saw a red shouldered hawk sitting in an oak tree not 30 feet from my back door.  I think that one was also a youngster.   Unfortunately, he didn't cooperate and stay long enough for me to get the camera.  


My bird ID class has turned out to be really just a birdwatching outing.  I'm disappointed.  I was hoping to learn some of the basics concerning classifications, behaviors, etc.  Some of the field locations are further than I want to drive, so I don't plan to attend those.  The photography class is interesting.  I already know a good bit of what is discussed, but there's enough new material to keep me coming.  

My brother and his fiance will have a very small wedding next weekend, but they have asked me to take pictures for them.  I'm flattered, but told them "you get what you get".   They are just asking for snapshots, not professional style photos.  We'll see how it goes. 


And the other "don't know how to describe it" class is turning out to be very interesting.  The best thing is the stimulation and incentive to think about those things in your life that are normally left tucked away.  I'm finding that some of the untouchable subject from my younger years have new meaning when I look at them now.  This new understanding would have made dealing with them much easier had I known then!!  But its also letting me accept some of those past events for what they are and move on.  


I've finished squaring the block for the quilt.  We had a family gathering yesterday and I took a picture of my brother and his fiance.  I decided that since they are getting married next weekend, I ought to include it also.  I spent the entire afternoon struggling to get the picture sized correctly and printed onto the fabric!  What a bout.  Then I took apart one of the other picture blocks and inserted that picture into it.    A while back I used a 50% off coupon and bought a rotating cutting mat.  What a wonderful thing!!  Squaring is always an odious, tedious task but a rotating mat makes it so much easier.  

If you quilters don't have one, run to get one as soon as you can, and get the biggest one you can afford!!  Mine is 14 inches, so can do blocks up to 12 inches.  


My 82 year old aunt also asked me to make a quilt for her, and I was flattered and honored to say yes.  Then she added a little tidbit -- she wants it king size!!!!!  I think I blanched at that comment.  However, I stuck by my word and told her I'd do it.  She has a new 4-poster and wants a new quilt for it.  She'll let me know the basic colors and then I'm on my own.  


This aunt had no children until she adopted her son when I was about 12 years old.  Up until then, she treated me like a substitute child.  Her older sister did the same, until she also adopted a daughter a couple of years later.  Both those ladies are very dear to me and they are the only ones left of my mother's siblings.  At 82 and 88 years old, I don't want to ever take them for granted. 


Y'all take care.  

Birds and Beautiful Fall Weather

Oh, what glorious weather we are having these days!!!   I sat in the swing on the garden house porch this morning with my coffee and actually wore a long sleeved denim shirt.   It was fabulous!!!   And looks like the next 10 days will be more of the same.     I am so happy  that it has cooled off some.  It has been a very hot summer. 


While out there this morning, I saw some neat birds in the trees.  I studied one for over a half hour and I'm still not positive what it was.  The problem is that first year juveniles have such different colorations from adults sometimes, and the guide books don't  always show the juveniles. And the adults change appearances, too.  Makes it very hard for amateurs like me to know what I'm looking at.  Bird Lady friend says from my description she thinks it was probably a Tennessee warbler, but I'm not convinced.  At any rate, he was a busy little thing, obviously eating lots of bugs from the trees. 


The brown thrashers are back, too.  I hadn't seen them in two or three months.  They are usually here most of the year.  


Bird Lady and I spent yesterday birdwatching at  Ft. Morgan, Alabama.  The fall migration is underway and Ft. Morgan is a migrant trap.  In a nutshell, it means that as the birds head south,  they will stop on the last bits of land along the coast to rest and feed before starting that long flight over the Gulf.   Sometimes they just stay overnight.  Other times they'll hang out for two or three days before leaving.   Weather plays a role, too.  There were lots of birds there.  In some places so many that you couldn't decide where to look first!! And of course, being the amateur that I am, I didn't know what most of them were without Bird Lady telling me.  Now, during this time we were wandering along paths in the woods and crawling through brambles like you wouldn't believe sometimes.    We truly thought we had lost our minds at one point, but had crawled through so much stuff  there was no way we were going to quit.  Turns out, we had only about 30 feet more to go before we got to an open path again. 


Also got a few more blocks squared up on my brother's quilt today, but the phone kept ringing and I was distracted more than I wanted.


Y'all take care. 


(Still having that problem with the font I want to use.  If anybody has any ideas on what the problem is, I'd love to hear them.)

Golden Sunlight and Knarled Live Oaks

At a certain time in the afternoon, the sunlight turns golden and simply spills over the earth like molten gold.  I think that's just about my favorite time of day.  It makes colors richer, and creates deep shadows around otherwise ordinary things.  I've been seeing the wild sage (at least that's what I think it is) in my back yard for some time now and when the sunlight reaches this point, the blossoms seem to be on fire.  The butterflies loves these flowers.  You'd think the hummers would, but I don't see them out there. 

When we built this house, we left a portion of the back in its natural state for the critters.  We've never regretted it.  Not only do the critters love it, the growth also blocks the lights from the vehicles coming up the street toward our house.  That side street has gotten far busier than we ever imagined and I cannot fathom having all those lights shining into our windows every evening.  

My primary demand on selecting a lot was that it have oak trees.  I didn't mind if it had pine trees, but it absolutely had to have oak trees.    We've lost most of the pines in the hurricanes, and the oaks have taken a beating but they are still here and glorious.  The trunks are twisted and knarled but, oh, so beautiful.   These are some of the ones in the back yard.

I get to look at this one directly out my window while in my work room.    Well, I was going to put it here but somehow it keeps getting laid on its side, rather than rotated properly.  Hmmmmmm........
Well, hells bells, folks.  I can't get that picture to load correctly for love or money.  Something to do with my turning the camera to take a portrait style photo instead of landscape.  When I try to upload it, blogger turns it to landscape.  Not an attractive thing to see lovely oaks lying sideways.


There are still three or four hummers around every day.  And they still squabble over the 3 feeders that are hanging out there.  One of these days real soon, they will all be gone.  It has been such a joy to watch them zooming around and hear them chattering at each other. 


Hubby is improving steadily as the days go by.  Hopefully, he'll be able to drive again in a few days and he can go play bridge with his friends.  Of course, he also knows that his days of being waited on are coming to a screeching halt!!!!!!   He actually did dishes today for the first time.  Not many, but at least he handled it.


The air outside has a definite twinge of autumn in it, but is still very warm.  When I was out earlier, it was still about 85 degrees, even though it has been cloudy a good part of the day.  Rain is forecast over the weekend and we surely do need it. 


Y'all take care.

Thanks for Comments and Following

Thanks to all of you who left comments and/or are following along.  I look forward to the company along the way.

Y'all take care.

From Boring to Bustling

Remember the adage about being careful what you wish for because you might get it?  It sure holds true around this house.  For the longest time I was bored.  Now, I'm busy and sometimes wish for a boring day.  But all in all, it is a good thing for me to be out and about more. 


Hubby is slowly improving.  He did well on Friday but the following few days were doozies.  We go tomorrow for followup with the surgeon.   He wasn't able to take the prescribed pain medication.  Made him weird, shallow breathing, nervous and other things, so he stopped it after a couple of days.  Since then, the pain level has been up there.  I've tried several times to get him to ask for a different pain medication.  Finally, today, he made the call and I went out and got it for him.  Now, I just hope it will work so that he can be up and about more.


I've signed up for three classes.  One is a bird ID class, one is a photography class and there's one that I don't quite know how to describe.  The course name is Participate in Your Life.  I signed up for it totally on a whim at registration, not knowing exactly what I was getting into.  The first session really took its toll on me.  I had determined beforehand that I would be open and willing to participate fully, which I did.  To my utter amazement, one of the bits of info and comments made by the psychologist instructor hit me like a ton of bricks.  I sputtered my response with tears filling my eyes.  It concerned an issue I was first confronted with nearly 40 years ago and thought I had dealt with as well as I could.  I think the hidden lingering  hurt from that issue and the considerable stress I've been under with my husband's surgery really put me in a vulnerable place.  Whatever the cause, I was emotionally devastated for most of the day.   I had really wavered about even attending the classes on Friday, since the surgery had just been the day before.  But he really wanted me to go and, truthfully, I really wanted to go, since I had already missed a  first class for Thursday.   So, I left him at home with phone at hand, pain meds close by and strict instructions to call me immediately if he needed me.   


So, I admit that I'm approaching this Friday's class with some trepidation.  Undoubtedly, folks survive it just fine as there are some there who are in their tenth (yes, 10th) series of this same class with this same instructor.  


Today is the first day of fall, or so they tell us.  I'd really like to see a fall day right now.  I went birding with my Bird Lady friend yesterday and we both just wilted in the heat and humidity.  We cut the outing short and headed home to the air conditioning.  Didn't see many birds at all.  I think they had better sense than to be out and about!!   We did get to see a merlin which was a treat this early.  I also saw my first female American redstarts.  They are such pretty birds.  Not as colorful as the males, but beautiful nonetheless.  You can see pictures of them here.


We did get to see some wonderful tracks in the sand dunes, though.  In a place that seems deserted, it shows that there are numerous kinds of occupants.  

The sea oats are blooming gloriously with huge seed pods all over.  I'm so glad to see them getting re-established on the dunes.  It has been 5 years since the last hurricane came through, and it has been a long, hard struggle since then.  And, of course, there have been a few tropical storms that brought lots of surge with them as well.  


And the cleanup crews are still working on the beaches in places.  A lot of workers have been let go, but truthfully I think there's lots of work still to be done.  The tides shift sand in and out daily and it buries the oil, so just because its not on the surface doesn't mean it isn't there.   We're having some rough surf now, thanks to stiff east winds.  


The hummingbirds seem to have departed.  After having three days of total chaos, today I've seen only 3 or 4.  I took a good number of pictures while they were here, all through the window from inside the house.   Otherwise, I don't think I would ever have gotten close enough.   And I finally got some with two hummers sitting at the same feeder.  

For the most part, these were juvenile ruby throated hummingbirds, but I did have at least one adult male.  He was beautiful and he guarded his feeder diligently.  See that lovely red throat?  It was glorious.

I hope this was just the first wave of migrants and that more will be arriving daily.  


I've finished the 35 blocks for my brother's quilt and am squaring them up, a tedious but necessary task.  Its at this point you see very clearly that all quarter inch seams are not created equal, at least by me!!  I try so hard to be consistent so that when the pieces are put together the pattern will join nicely and the block will be the right size.  Most of the time it goes okay, but sometimes you have to do a lot of frog sewing.  For non-quilters, that means "rippit, rippit", as in "rip it out" and start over!!!  


And its going to be a lot larger than I thought.  I had intended for it to be something he could snuggle under to watch TV during the winter, but this one is gonna be big enough for two or three people to snuggle under.  I guess that's a good thing since he's getting married again in a few weeks.  


Y'all take care. 


(A little Post Script here.  I'm very annoyed with the font sizing for this post.  It appears during composition as Normal, but when I post it, it goes to small.   If I choose Large, it posts as huge.  Grrrrrrr...computers!!!!!)  Please be patient.   I'll try to figure it out.  Meanwhile, a change to a font that is readable but not huge.