Bathing Birds

Sometimes the only way to beat the heat is with a good soaking!

Summer Backyard Birds

My backyard bird posts usually generate a lot of interest, so here are some pictures of the birds frequenting my feeders this summer. Many are return visitors - like the woodpeckers, the towhees, and the cardinals. Others have new plumage - like the goldfinches. Still others are seasonal travelers - like the Indigo bunting and the hummingbirds.

The heat is affecting the birds, too. They tend to remain still and in the shade during the hottest parts of the day, so capturing them with a camera is tough due to the low light in the late afternoons. Also, the frequency of feeder visits is lower these days because they're nesting. But I have a few good photos to share. So enjoy!


A hairy woodpecker enjoys peanut nuggets.











A good shot of why this gal's called a 'red-bellied' woodpecker. You can tell she is a female because her red headpiece doesn't come all the way to her forehead.













An indigo bunting made a rare appearance for only one day.











The birds love to splash and bathe in our birdbaths.
This is a towhee.










and here he is, lounging in the tub.












The female of a pair of ruby throated hummingbirds living in our yard.









The male would have a bright red throat where hers is white.










Mr. and Mrs. Goldfinch out for a drink at the local pub.










Don't you wonder what that cardinal might be thinking?










Can you see the tiny yellow beak?
It's a baby Carolina Wren whose parents built a nest in one of my hanging fuschia plants.

My Favorite Things

Stop the treadmill for a few minutes and think about things that make you feel good. Here are some of mine:

Watching the male cardinal place a morsel of food in the female's beak during mating season.

Rocking a sleeping child in my arms.

Seeing my better half get really tickled at something.

Smelling the gardenias or tea olive blossoms from my back deck.

Watching and feeling the approach of a thunderstorm on a summer afternoon.

-Then taking a nap while it rains.

Seeing my children laugh together.

Giving a 'winner' of a Christmas gift.

Having all my pets asleep in my lap.

My mother-in-law's fried okra.

Getting a package in the mail.

Reading the Sunday paper.

Wedding music.

Key lime pie.

Fresh peaches.

The baby-like call of the goldfinch.

Winning an auction on Ebay.

Any Toby Keith song.

Having all of my family at my house at Thanksgiving.

Kittens and puppies.

Getting a new Madame Alexander doll.

The smell of fresh baked cookies.

Cornbread & buttermilk.

Autumn trees in all their brilliance.

The quiet of falling snow.

Hummingbirds.

The Christmas song, "O Holy Night."

Sitting on the front porch after supper with my better half, watching the world go by.

When someone leaves a comment on my blog.

Remembering someone's name from long ago.

Dancing to beach music.

Laughter.

Sleeping late.

Coffee in the morning.

Reconnecting with an old friend.

A clean car.

I guess this is enough for now. There are many more. What makes you feel good?

In Praise of Pets

Now I ask you: does this photo not make you smile? Can't you imagine how good this must feel - a sunny day, freshly mowed grass, some ancient nasty smell that demands to be rolled on? Indeed, life is good. When I die, I want to come back as one of my pets.

We have four babies: two dogs and two cats. We love animals. All animals.


I firmly believe that, if one is going to have a pet, one must go to great lengths to care for and spoil it. Nothing makes me angrier than to see a neglected pet. I have to be careful here lest I go on a tirade about the subject. Dogs should NOT be chained up all day and night without attention and companionship. It makes them territorial and increases the risk of their becoming vicious and harmful. All young children should be supervised when handling pets - little people don't realize when they might be hurting the animal. Caged animals need attention as well. How would you like to spend your life alone, in a small defined space, with no interaction? If you aren't going to be attentive to your pet - DON'T HAVE ONE!

No animal deserves to be teased or abused. People who do so should be locked up and treated in a like manner. Ditto for the heartless idiots who use dogs and birds for fighting. Don't even get me started.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in seeing some of my favorite pet photos:

These are Belle and QE, our old lady cats. Belle was born 12 years ago to a wild mother cat who lived behind the liquor store. The owners rescued the litter, and my husband brought her home to me when my beloved 17 yr. old cat had to be put to sleep.

QE adopted us. She showed up, pregnant, one day when our neighborhood was under construction. No one claimed her. We thought we'd found a home for her with our neighbors. QE had a different idea, however, and proceeded to birth her babies underneath our house. She's been our baby ever since. We think she's about 13 years old now. She pretty much rules our roost.

These are Scooter, our Coonbeagle, and Bailey, our Border Collie/Pekingese mix. We got Scooter from 'the first trailer on the left down the second dirt road off the highway' in Foley, AL about 5 years ago. He was bred to hunt, but there ain't no shooting in him. He retreats under the table whenever he hears fireworks or thunder.

Our college student daughter decided that she, too, needed a puppy when we brought Scooter home. It only took a couple of months, however, before she realized that an apartment was no place for a puppy who needed housebreaking. Nor was it easy for a student with classes all through the day to be consistently available to potty train a pup. We were asked to "baby sit" while she searched for a home. Of course the two puppies bonded (and so did I). My better half PUT HIS FOOT DOWN and adamantly refused to have a 4th animal in our house. Five years later, our daughter still hasn't found a home for Bailey. And we're now a big happy family of four beloved pets.

Chipmunks are Scooties' nemises. He goes to great lengths to dig them up when they retreat into their tunnels. Guess he doesn't realize that they're watching him from another entrance as he digs to China. Note that Bailey lets him do all the work.






QE is regally sitting atop my sports car. She is our lap cat. She actually follows me around the house, waiting for me to sit down. As I type my blogs, I often have to dust off the cat hair from the keyboard! Not that it matters to Q!



Baby Belle is our upstairs cat and our bedfellow. She's never taken to the dogs, as has QE, so she stays in our bedroom most of the time. While the pups sleep downstairs in the den, and QE sleeps wherever she wants, Baby Belle has staked her claim in our bed. She snuggles up to my better half while he reads before turning out the light. Then she nests next to my legs. Sometimes she waits on the balcony for the 11:00 news to end, so she can come downstairs for her nightly 'treat' before bedtime. If we're taking too long, we'll hear a 'meow' from above.

With the energy and intelligence of the Border Collie, Bay is our diligent 'squirrel dog.' The rodents in our yard know that, when they climb the birdfeeder pole, a little black Tasmanian Devil will soon bolt out of the back door to rectify the situation. Pictured here with her summer haircut, Bay is her mama's baby. What you can't see clearly is the Pekingese underbite that makes her look even cuter!


Scootie is our mellow fellow. He definitely defers to our Alpha Male, aka: my better half. They have long conversations whenever Dad comes home from work or travel. In fact, the only thing that really gets Scoot Man into trouble is his nose. Tasty smells get the best of his better judgment. Many a contractor has had his breakfast stolen from the cab of his truck while it was parked in our driveway. A renegade coonbeagle jumped in, stole the McDonald's bag, and was off before anyone could say "sausage biscuit."

We do love our animals. They are so much a part of our daily routine. No matter how stressful life may get, the unconditional love offered by these four-legged creatures can lift our spirits every time. How on earth can anyone not appreciate all that a pet has to offer? God's love is infused in the spirits of the animals. We only need to pay attention to reap its benefits.