Bird's eye view

The Barn Swallows have come back to the front porch area every evening for several days.
Saturday evening, the babies were perched on a gutter which was just below the windows
in our bonus room over the garage. I grabbed my camera to head up there, and
when I looked down, was looking directly over them. I very gingerly opened
the window and only raised the blind enough for me to get a view from my
camera with me standing up, hence the blinds got in the way in some shots.
But, it was a sheer joy to be there, quietly and reverently watching them.

Looking down over them, you could really see the iridescent
blue in their feathers just really starting to pop over their backs.
(click to enlarge)

They would watch as mom and dad flew by, hoping to be
the recipient of a juicy insect.

And, occasionally, they would simply close their eyes and rest a bit...

only to be reawakened by the chirping of their siblings as
mom and dad came back for some more feeding.

Each evening, mom has corralled them under my porch and they roost there
during the night, all three nuzzled up together until the dawn.
What I wouldn't give for them to nest there next season!

Glistening in the sunrise

The other morning, the sunrise was peeking around the corner of
the side of the house towards the front yard, and the sprinkler was on.
I looked towards the sunrise and saw this lovely sight of a spider's evening
web constructed at the base of a cherry laurel illuminated by drops
of water and the sunrise...glistening beautifully.

Peanuts in the heat

I looked out to see this rather tired Downy clinging to the
peanut feeder. She'd eat a bit and then just hang there as
if she needed to gain the energy to grab a bit more.
It's been so hot and so dry... I don't blame her.
It's no fun to eat too much in the heat!

Feeeeed meeeeee!

The Barn Swallows hung around all evening long and even roosted
under the front porch during the night. One of the adults, seen above,
(mom?) was one busy swallow trying to keep three babies fed!

They moved perch to the gutter just above the front porch around 8PM which
afforded me a perfect view from the bonus room above our garage.
I gingerly opened the window up there, sat in the floor with
my camera, and watched with utter joy as they fed their young...

As soon as they'd see an adult approaching, all three would chitter
madly, lean forward, and open their mouths as widely as possible.
The parents were so fast when they would plunk an insect into the
waiting mouths, that I thought I'd never catch it on my camera.
Finally, after doing a burst of frames, I was thrilled to load
them to the computer and see the image below! Yippeeee!

Barnies!!

Yesterday morning, hubby turned on the sprinklers in the front
yard to try and revive the crunchy grass. I was on the computer
when I noticed birds flying. I looked closer and realized it was
swallows flying through the water as it was arcing over the yard!

A closer look revealed, not Tree Swallows, but Barn Swallows!!
They flew a while and then landed on the gutter by the porch.

When I walked outside, they began chittering and flying towards me
as I stood on the front porch! Hmmmm... were they looking for
a potential nesting place? I hurried back inside and watched from the window.

I finally had to leave as I was already late for work, but when I came home
and looked outside, there they were again! All lined up on the gutter just
outside the front porch! I was able to snap all these photos from the dining
room window when I got home in the afternoon and realized that three
of them look like babies.

As I continued to watch them, I did see one of them swoop out to get
an insect, and come back to feed one of the three seated together.
What an absolute treat after a long, hard day of work!

Heartache

I've written in the past about my "little sister" in Germany.
I made her beautiful British acquaintance in February of 2000 when
she emailed me about a book review I did on Amazon. Since that time,
we've been great, fast friends and have been there for one another in
ways I can't describe. She is 15 years younger than me, and I've fancied
her the little sister I never got to have. We've even been able to meet up
twice when she was in the states on business with the bank she worked
for in Munich at the time.

Over the years, our communications have been regular and irregular,
depending upon what each of us had going on in our lives. Lately,
we've not been in frequent email contact as she has been feverishly
working on getting her MBA. I was thrilled when several years ago,
she met someone who has been her steady supportive partner, and
someone that I felt she'd eventually decide she'd spend the rest of her life loving.

So, it was with great joy that I opened my email several weeks ago to
the news that she and her partner were expecting a little one!
My little Rosie... a mommy. Wow. She was so very thrilled and for her
birthday in May, I sent her What To Expect When You Are Expecting
along with a pregnancy journal. She was beaming and I was thrilled for them.

Then, came the email this week... in just the 12th week of her pregnancy....

"We have some very sad news - we are going to lose our baby
at just 13 weeks. The prenatal doctor found a bilateral cleft palate
on the NT scan last week. On Monday they took some blood from
the placenta and today they said the baby has Patau Syndrome (Trisomy 13).
This is such a severe abnormality, that most babies do not survive
long (even a month) after birth and we have decided to end the pregnancy."

Oh, my heart just sank. I can't even imagine the sadness and shock
they are enduring. Please send up some prayers for strength
and peace as they deal with this sad and unexpected loss of their little one.

It's hot in here!

So, I was driving to work yesterday, lamenting that it was already
in the high 70's at 7:30 in the morning. The humidity has been
miserable. As I drove along, I felt myself getting hotter and more
uncomfortable. Whew, I thought.... let me turn the air down a bit more.
I turned the AC down, and angled the vents directly on me to see if
I could cool off. As I kept driving, I continued to feel so miserably hot.
I could feel the sweat almost trickling down my back and even my behind
felt like it was in a roaster. Boy, if I was this hot this early, I was only
imagining how much hotter I'd feel by the time I headed home in the afternoon.

A few miles later, as I was truly contemplating arctic temps in my car
to cool off, I happened to glance down at my cell phone which I had placed
in the center console, and then fully burst out laughing at myself.

When I took my phone out of my purse and put it on the console, I had
apparently hit the seat heater button. Not only was it on, but it was on
HIGH. I quickly turned it off and laughed all the way to work as my
bottom finally started to cool off and recover from my seat heatwave!!!

Release your inner creativity

So, back in November, Ruthie of Nature Knitter posted about
how it was her turn to "Pay it Forward" when she received a
homemade gift from a blog friend in Sweden. KGMom responded
that she would love to participate, and so last week she, in turn,
received a beautiful handmade scarf from Ruthie. When I read
about her gift from Ruthie and how it was her turn to pay it
forward, I jumped in to participate as well! What a great idea!
Channel your inner creative soul, and just simply create something
with your own little hands to pass along to someone else to enjoy.

Here are the rules to the "Pay it Forward" exchange:

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment
on this post requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t
know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow
or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days; that is my promise!
The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the
same promise on your blog."

Since I am not a knitter, my creativity probably will include something
to do with my bird photography. So, who is ready to accept a handmade
gift and release their own inner creativity to pay it forward? :c)

Window with a view

(Click to see a better view)

They've not been nearly as plentiful this year, so when
I see a streak of yellow at the feeder outside the kitchen
window, it is always a treat to feast my eyes on his beauty.

To "dads" everywhere today

"Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad."
~~~Author Unknown

Baby come back

Finally!
I looked out to see one of the six fledged bluebirds was
visiting my feeders. This group left their nest mid-May.
Lord only knows how they are faring as it is 98 in the shade
here with high, high, high humidity. One can barely tolerate
even standing outside for a few minutes, let alone flying and
searching for food. I filled the birdbath up to the brim and hope they
can all find some relief from this Southern heatwave we are under.

And so we grow...

Don't we all strive to grow personally each day? I'd like to think that each and every day I have on this earth, I learn something, or a thought comes to mind which makes me richer or wiser as a human being. I've often said that I've learned along my journey that we can't control what circumstances life throws at us, but we can control how we respond to them and how we let them impact our lives. Yes. Really. That part is all in our control. Fully and totally.

Yet, even those of us who subscribe to this belief, can find ourselves overwhelmed and anxious. I've had just such a week. Circumstances at work led me to assume more responsibility than I really needed to, and the resultant stress was internalized. What did I do? I let it get to me. I let it wash over me in its overwhelming waves of hopelessness and angst. I let it dictate my mood with everyone. I allowed it to get bigger and bigger until I was sure there was no solution other than to retreat. In other words, I impacted more people than just myself.

Thankfully, I had a day off on Wednesday and with the time away, I came to realize that situations are only as overwhelming as we allow them to be. Uncertainty and fear made me wallow in anxiousness. That is not who I choose to be. I can choose to exude stress or calm. On Wednesday, I chose calm. I called one of the MD's who I sniped at on Tuesday and apologized. When I got to work yesterday, I gathered ALL my co-workers together and apologized for bringing my moodiness into their lives over the past week. I admitted that the stress got the best of me, and that from this day forward, I was choosing a different path. I humbled myself. I was vulnerable. I was human.

Once I apologized and looked at each of them, my spirit was lightened. The stress was gone, and no longer in control. And, I smiled. I smiled with the knowledge that by grace, I have a choice to relinquish feelings of chaos in my life. I smiled because I can own my part in things. I smiled because I grew yet again. And, in doing so, showed others that they can choose peace of mind as well... it's there for the taking. What is your choice?

Baby left behind?

My sister and her neighbor were fortunate to have a couple of Great-crested
Flycatchers find a gourd they had hanging on a shepherd's hook a nice place to call home.
As they constructed the nest, my sister said at one point, it looked as if, for all the world
it was full of snakes with all the snake skin they collected. The nest itself was so far under it
all that they never got a good look at it to see how many eggs were being incubated.

But they waited and watched, and sure enough, about day 14, they were going to the
gourd to feed their new brood. They were scheduled to leave this week sometime, and
sure enough, on Tuesday when my sister returned from a trip, they were gone. I had
gone by her house on Monday afternoon to let her dogs out, and saw the mom feeding
still, so it must have been Tuesday morning when they left the nest.

My sister was lamenting that they did not get to see any of the babies, when she spotted this
little one in the yard. As she approached it, something just seemed amiss. It flew a
little way towards a shrub, but allowed her to get close enough for some photos.
There was no sign at all of the adults or of the other fledgelings all day, and so she
went back out to find this little left behind guy still by the shrub. She caught some
flies and tried to offer them by some tweezers, but he would not eat.

I told her I suspect that the parents knew this one would not make it, and so they had to leave
it behind in order to adequately care for the strong healthy ones. Maybe it's a case
of nature taking its course? Still, it's a bit sad.

So what's in your box? Meme

Again, shamelessly stolen from Jane at I'm Downtown....

So, say you were meeting a new person, a new friend. And you wanted them to have some idea of what kind of person you are, and who you are. But you can’t actually tell them in so many words.

Instead, you have to give them a box, with 15 things in it for them to look at/read/listen to/taste/whatever. What would you put in the box?

In my box you would find:

1. Dunkin Donuts coffee
2. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
3. Blue Diamond Sea Salt Almonds
4. The Book of Common Prayer Book/Hymnal combo
5. 1984 Nursing pin from Tennessee Technological University
6. LLBean Wicked Good Clogs along with my favorite cashmere lap throw
7. Amazon's Kindle!
8. Sibley Guide to Birds and Vortex Viper 10 x 42 binocs
9. Canon 40D camera with a 100-400mm lens
10. A triple cross pendant on a chain
11. Photos of all those I love
12. Gardenias
13. Wailin' Jennys/Hem/Eva Cassidy CDs
14. My Life (1993) on DVD
15. Bath and Body Works Black Amethyst Body Cream/Spray

Blooming on Chickadee

Rose of Sharon

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Hosta

Dianthus

And, of course, I couldn't leave out the Gardenia...

Put your nose right here...

...and breathe in the heady scent.
Oh, I so wish you could. :c)

~~~~

Alexander Garden was born near Aberdeen and came to the American 'colonies' in the early 1750s. Settling in Charles Town, he was a physician and a planter, a plantation owner. His plantation, Yeshoe, grew indigo (Indigofera tinctoria and I. suffruticosa) and produced dye for export to England.

Besides his professions, Garden was a naturalist. He knew the countryside and collected plants and animals for scientific scrutiny. Anyone wishing to explore the Carolinas stopped by Yeshoe Plantation to confer with Garden. Over the years, he made friends with biologists William Bartram and John Ellis supplying them with directions, advice, and plants.

The cape jasmine or gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis) is native to China and a member of the Rubiaceae [rue' bee a see ee]. The bloom has an unforgettable fragrance: spicy, warm, soft, and sweet. Everyone remembers their first breath of gardenia. It was discovered by Westerners in the 18th century. Of course, the Chinese had long appreciated the gardenia; they have cultivated it for more than 1,000 years.

So in 1761, when John Ellis received a specimen of a remarkable new plant from China, he named it for his friend Dr. Garden.

The plant took Europe and the 'colonies' by storm. When performing, Billie Holiday wore gardenias in her hair. She followed an elegant fashion — the flowers graced the bodices of chic gowns and floated in exotic cocktails. Nestled in cellophane-windowed boxes, the ivory flowers were expensive gifts from hopeful suitors or penitent lovers.

However, about the same period, the colonists became dissatisfied with King George III. After the Revolutionary War, Alexander Garden left his family, his Gardenia plants and the Carolinas he loved so well. He died in London in 1791.

(from GardenWeb.com)

Pray on July 29th

(Not our panorex thankfully.)

Back in January at our regular dentist visit, we were told, among other thing, that our wisdom teeth needed to come out. Well, we finally had our visit with an oral surgeon, Dr. Jones, on June 2nd. The weekend before, I had explained to Sam about why wisdom teeth might have to come out, and he was hoping beyond hope that the good doctor would tell him his teeth were fine. Our panorex from the dentist's office was hanging there in the room, and I knew by looking at it, that we were in for a surgery. Sigh.

Dr. Jones was very kind and came in to shake mine and Sam's hand. He explained in simple terms that Sam's wisdom teeth are all coming straight down, but had no room to erupt. He told me he felt comfortable doing it there in their office and would probably only take around 45 minutes total. As he talked about the plans, I was trying to explain in a way not to alarm Sam about his horrid fear of needle sticks, and that he'd need to be fairly loopy for them to be able to get an IV in. He got out his prescription pad and wrote an Rx for Valium 10mg to give him an hour before we arrive, which hopefully will relax him enough that they can get a small butterfly in his hand and use some IV sedation during the procedure. He also said I could give him one the night before if he was really anxious and having problems resting.

It's not so much the procedure, but the aftermath I am stressed about. He is so sensory sensitive and the swelling, taste in his mouth, and inability to eat as he's used to will be a challenge. But, as with everything, we'll get through it I suppose. When I sat down with the scheduler, she said they are "fairly busy" and told me the first available day would be... July 29th. Seriously? School starts back August 6th! "Oh, he'll be fine by then," said the nice scheduler who won't have to come home with me. Sigh.

I got home and was telling husband about our visit. He picked up the Rx for the Valium and noted, "Oh look... he wrote it for 3 tablets... one for Sam, one for you, and one for me!" Not a bad plan actually.

OK, Liza... I'm hooked!

I love a good historical novel, and last month, Liza had posted to her blog
about a series of books by Deanna Raybourn. I had actually downloaded
a free copy of Silent in the Sanctuary to my Kindle back when I first got
it as a special promotion, but was quickly told to make sure I read
Silent in the Grave first so it would all make sense.

So, I found the Lady Julia Gray bundle (all three books in the series) for
my Kindle for $9.99 and started reading last week. Oh my.... I love them!
I love the Victorian period, the drama, the intrigue, the mystery, and the
genteel sensibilities of that time. I am so very hooked! I am now in
the middle of the second book and feel like a part of the March family.

If you love a good mystery, along with an undercurrent of romance,
these are the books for you! ENJOY!

Calico Cardinal

I looked out on the deck the other night after a nice shower
and saw three cardinal siblings on the rail in various shades
of red as they start to get their feathers and coloring.

Two flew away before I could grab the camera, and though
the light was low and I was shooting through the door, you
can see how calico red he truly was.

Purple beauty

Last spring when we had one of our beds redone to better soak up
and divert water from getting to the foundation wall of the house,
included in the mix were some variegated irises. I was not sure
what color they were, or even if they would come up and bloom this
season, and was pleasantly surprised when I went out to get the paper
yesterday morning, and saw this beautiful sight.

New music find

On Tuesday, I was in Barnes and Noble with Sam while he was perusing their DVD's and I heard the most beautiful voice coming from the speakers overhead. I walked up to the register, and saw their "Now Playing" display at the register and saw a CD called Water in the Ground by Catherine MacLellan. I was mesmerized by her sound, and quickly wrote down both her name and the name of the CD so I could find it and listen to more on iTunes. I downloaded it after listening to all the sample tracts, and can say with certainty that if you are a fan of folk, you'll love it. Her sound is so lovely and pure. Take a listen to her....

MENopause

Yesterday, one of my co-workers brought in a copy of a blog post about
a man... yes, a man, experiencing the joys of hormonal imbalance.

I applauded Dana Jennings as I enjoyed reading his honest
assessment about his Brief Life as a Woman!

One day we'll....

(Borrowed from an Ireland travel site)

Years ago, my mom and I shared a trilogy series by Nora Roberts about the Gallaghers of Ardmore. We were both so swept away by the setting in Ireland and the setting around a charming pub. My mom would often say, "I'd like to go to Ireland" and of course, I'd agree wholeheartedly. But, as with everything, life trumped that wishful thinking.

Over the years, she's mentioned it several more times, and I'd always smile and say, "One day we'll go." My dad has no real desire to travel to Europe, and so I have always had it in the back of my mind that once Sam was older and it would be feasible, I'd go with her on a dream vacation. Recently, she brought it up again, and this time, added, "I hope I'm able to do it once we decide to go." That really got me to thinking. She is 72 and in good health, but with a right hip and knee replacement behind her, and the advancement of her Fuchs' corneal dystrophy, the coming years might make it more difficult. As husband and I were traveling to Nashville last month, I brought it up, and to my utter surprise he said, "You need to take her. Go. Go now. If you don't, you never will." Then, conversation ensued about how he'd take a week or so off work in the summer and be home with Sam, and we could do this. It was as if someone put their hands on my shoulders and said, "Now, it's settled. Go!"

I called my mom and told her, "We are going to Ireland next summer." She uttered some surprise and reiterated all the reasons why I had said we'd have to wait until all the stars and planets aligned, to which I said, "If we don't plan it now and go, we never will." I could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "Well, OK then, we'll go."

While in Nashville, I picked up a Fodor's guide to Ireland and gave it to her on our return. So, we will plan, and we will anticipate, and we'll get our passports updated, and we'll go, maybe in early June. A year to plan, to smile, and to realize that life is indeed short. Don't wait. Just go.

All in the family

The first nest of bluebirds fledged while we were in Nashville, and
I've only caught glimpses of the six babies that mom and dad are
finally starting to send on their own to find sustenance.
But, this past weekend, I looked towards the neighbor's house
and saw several of them on the mailbox and watched as mom and dad
taught them how to find some morsels in the grass below.
The photo is a bit blurry as it was taken through my window, but
I wanted to catch at least one of them before they all flew away.
Mom was on the finial, while dad was below and one of the youngsters
was to his left watching and learning. Sweet!

Sweet girl in the Crepe Myrtle

The activity at the hummingbird feeder has not been that great
in the past weeks. Every now and again, I see a male or two, but
I've not seen any females in a while. Last Sunday, this sweet girl
was coming by to sip and then rest in the Crepe Myrtle. I hope she
has a nest by now, and some eggs to incubate, or better yet, babies to feed.

A Life so Appreciated

Some of you may remember my posts last month about Ellie,
who is a very beautiful and brave princess?
Well, her mom, Colleen, is just as beautiful and brave.
She has taken the greater joy, strength, and appreciation she has for life
since starting this journey with Ellie and created her own little spot in cyberland.

And, not only is she full of faith and joy, she's talented too!
Check out her very own stationery company, Tickle Bellies!

Join me in welcoming Colleen to the Blogger fold as she shares her Life Appreciated.

Uh, so how do you spell that?

Left-brained (adj.)

1. Having the left brain dominant.

2. Of or relating to the thought processes,
such as logic and calculation, generally
associated with the left brain.

3. Of or relating to a person whose behavior is
dominated by logic, analytical thinking,
and verbal communication, rather than
emotion and creativity.

Husband got a phone call from the gastroenterologist's office reminding him
it was time for a colonoscopy. The nice office person told him they tried to
send a reminder in the mail, but it was returned to them undeliverable.

He explained that we 'd moved and proceeded to give her our correct
mailing address as she wanted to send him a card.

I brought it in from the mailbox a couple of days later and guffawed.
"Did you give the girl at Dr. S's office our new address?" I asked him.
"Yeah, she wanted to send me a reminder card about making an appointment."
"Did you have to spell out our street name?"
When I showed him the card, we both got another good laugh.
Definitely a left-brained receptionist!

Pool visitor

We were down in the pool area trying to get the plugs out and the pump
working in preparation for draining the water, when I saw this visitor along the back
retaining wall. I ran to get the camera so I could show him to you, of course!
He patiently sat while I snapped away and waited for that beautifully forked
tongue to come out as he tried figure out what the heck I was doing.

Though the Black Rat Snake is common in Georgia, I've never seen one here at
our house until this guy. Once I got all the photos I needed, I helped him over the
wall and into the tree line using the pool net on a pole. He happily went on his merry way.

Gliding along

Saturday was a gloriously beautiful day with sunny blue skies.
I was changing bed linens when I heard husband say, "Come look!"
He was standing in the laundry room looking out the window
at this Ultralight which was circling around our neighborhood.
Since he yelled for me to "come look," I grabbed the camera along
the way (ever the diligent bird opportunist) as I thought he saw
something interesting with wings. And he did!

I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to crawl inside one of these and
glide away at such low altitude. But this pilot seemed to be having a ball
and took several loops around the house before heading off into the blue skies.

Loving the Bark Butter

The Summer Tanager comes almost every day to get a bite
of the Bark Butter off the feeder. I hear his "pit-i-tuck"
before I ever see him fly into the yard.

Interestingly, there are now two males coming together
sometimes. I figure they must be related? I've yet to
see a female, so maybe these two are siblings? Would
a male allow another male to come to the feeder at the
same time? They both appear to be adult males.
It's always a joy to see them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since everyone was asking about the Bark Butter, I got it at Wild Birds Unlimited.

You can use one of the feeders like I got, or just simply smear it on some tree bark and still attract the birds.

It's apparently non-melt too which is nice in warmer temps. So far, I find that the woodpeckers, pine warblers, bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, and tanagers seem to like it the most.