What The Heck

I thought I had uploaded/downloaded a video before, but tried everything thrice to get it to work.  Seems like 1 minute and 6 seconds is too long to add to blogger.  

Anyway.... I watched this second hatch of sparrows leave the nest yesterday.  Mom and Dad both joined in to coax them out.  Kind of like potty training - exasperating for them.

This was the last one.  So much cheeping and calling from the family, it finally decided to fly.

Nests and Eggs

Don't know why I am thinking about nests and eggs this morning.  Must be those darn goose babies from last year. They are out on my porch, quite large now and crapping on the sidewalk and patio and honking.  The minute the drapes go open, they swim over and climb the steps.  They actually peck on the windows and look through them. I put a little fencing across the back yard next to the lake, but there are a few spaces they can still get in.  Worse, I saw them picking at my tiger lily shoots coming up.  They also like the seeds from the bird feeders that are dropped.  It's always something.  

By the way, during the move, I dropped and broke this sculpture of my hand.

This is a study of mockingbirds I did.  If you remember, I used to climb the tallest trees to look into nests and see the babies and eggs.

I do miss my chickens, especially the ones that were like pets.  But, I really miss the eggs.

I know I've told you this before so humor me.  Indians learned to make baskets from watching the birds' build their nests.  I love that.  Here is one I made.

Little hummingbird nest.  They'll return the first of April, so have your feeders ready.

The mallard eggs in my bush last spring.  As you can see I am thinking about spring.  On the back porch yesterday, I watched a starling going into the birdhouse the sparrows use.  The sparrows have been making trips for stuff to build their nest and the starling was going in and removing it all and flying away with it.  Mother Nature doesn't like that.  Me and my weenies are getting ready to go chase the geese away.  Better put my pants on first.  This ain't the farm.

Have a wonderful weekend.

MOTHER NATURE

Whether on the farm or the beach, I always look down; forever searching for treasures. Some of the things I gather are nests, many different kinds of bones and rock, leaves, shells, insects, eggs and feathers, jewelry and coins, arrowheads, driftwood and other flotsam and jetsam. Too many things to list.
 I picked up this large wasps' nest and left it sitting around, then came upon this piece of coral. I was surprised and awed by the similarities of the two. One made by an insect on land and the other made in the sea by a totally different marine creature. Pretty cool, huh?

I do use my treasured finds from time to time as inspiration.  I did a pencil drawing of this large wasps' nest when it was still attached to the limb and the larger paper part of the nest.  

NEST

Perhaps a cuckoo's nest?  Supposedly, Native Americans learned basketry from watching birds make their nests.  It was interesting to make while waiting for my crops to bear and reading GONE GIRL.  Summer fun.

Oh Spring, Wherefore Art Thou?

It has been raining and cold all week.  We need the rain, but please, enough.  My apple, plum and peach trees are in bloom and trying to produce this years' fruit.  I read this week that there is a study out that says researchers are trying to figure out how peach trees count the days till spring.  My turkeys are laying and now have twelve eggs in their nest.  Come on spring! I need some sunshine.