Wild Bird Wednesday - Duck, Duck, Goose!

It's Wednesday (well not really since I'm posting this on Tuesday) but you get the picture as I'm posting for Wild Bird Wednesday  and by the time you see this it will most likely be Wednesday.

Be sure to pop over to Stewart's blog, Paying Ready Attention to check out the other wild bird entries.



Coleen and I periodically take trips up to Pioneer Park here in town.  There is a lovely Aviary there filled with all kinds of ducks & other birds.  Mind you these shots were taken through the links of a chain link fence but I think they turned out just find.

I don't have a clue what kind of ducks these are because I forgot to look at the ID tags on the Aviary.  Anyway I like this one because it has that really cool blue beak.

This one has lots of really cool colors and don't you love the "ruffled" look of it's feathers.

Finally we spotted something really adorable...

Duck, Duck.......

GOOSE! - Or in this case a Gosling.

Actually there were 3 little Goslings...aren't they adorable?

Songography - All You Need Is Love

Hi! -  I've been gone a couple of weeks from Songography but I'm back today. 

Kathy (You'll Shoot Your Eye Out) hosts,
SONGOGRAPHY and this weeks song,
All You Need Is Love - Beatles.

 

This is pretty simple (A Fence Gate) with a Heart - I added the text.  But I really like how it turned out.  I hope you do too.

 

Don't forget to stop by Kathy's blog and check out the other participants.

 

Have a great day & thanks for stopping by.

It's all about "Critters"

Joining in today on 2 Memes featuring....Critters.

Camera Critters hosted by Misty Dawn (Camera Critters)

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Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen (Viewing Nature With Eileen.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First up some happy but wet ducks sitting in our parking strip yesterday during a rain shower.  (Yes I know we need to mow).

 





 

Next a very sleepy and relaxed kitty.  This is our Spooky-boo taking a siesta in his favorite chair.

 

 

How about a funny little squirrel enjoying a peanut.  Be sure to check out the last photo today for a BIG surprise!

 

 

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While out and about yesterday taking some photos I spotted this sweet little kitty in someone's yard and stopped to take it's picture.

 

 

 

Finally I was driving by on my way to the grocery store and I spotted the biggest Squirrel I've ever seen in my life.  I pulled over right away and quickly grabbed my camera and got out being extra careful not to scare this squirrel but it was busy eating a nut so it didn't pay much attention to me.  Whew because seriously with a squirrel this huge you wouldn't want to make it angry!

 

Wait for it......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gottcha!"  -  A woodcarving in someone's yard.  They made good use of an old tree that they cut down.

Six Word Fridays - Flowers & Random Thoughts

Happy Friday -  Today I thought I would join in with Adrienne (My Memory Art) for Six Word Fridays and also post 5 Random Thoughts.

This is my first time participating in Six Word Fridays  so I hope that I've done it correctly.  The word for this week was Flowers.


Click to Enlarge All Photos

                                         ENCHANTED DANCERS

                                         GRACEFUL MOVEMENT

                                             JOYOUS GIVING

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                                                  5  Random Thoughts

1.  This was harder then I thought it would be.  I'm not a poet by any means and being a "talker" it was hard to condense into just 6 words but I think I did okay.

2. Rain, Rain, Go Away....Come again some other day.  Preferably in the middle of summer when it's blazing hot outside.  I'm tired of being wet & soggy this week.

3.  Coleen's funny saying this week.  While watching, Dancing With The Stars this week she saw the guest judge,  Redfoo and out of no where she says,   "The 80's called,  They want their hair back!" 
He did have one wild hairdo.

4. Thank goodness there are no more holidays until Halloween in which (Candy) is a prominent part of the holiday.  My dentist said I need to stop eating so much sugar.

5.  We had a close scare this week with Coleen's Gerbils.  Spooky-boo, the cat got inside the cage & played with Walnut (one of the Gerbils).  Thankfully we caught him before it was too late.  That was one traumatized Gerbil.   (Not to mention one upset little girl) I thought he was a goner for sure but he pulled out of it.  A trip to the Vet yesterday and some Antibiotics for the superficial cuts and he should be good to go.  Whew!

Take care & have a wonderful week.

Good Fences #5 - The Grape Fence

Hello & Welcome.  -  Today is one of those days where you realize it's better to just stay inside.  Why?  Well once I bought a card (which I still have) that said,

"When it's raining "cats & dogs" outside .....Duck!

It's been a very soggy week here in "Wally World" aka (Walla Walla).  Yesterday it rain but it cleared off enough that I was able to get out and take some pictures for Theresa's (The Run "A" Round Ranch Report) Thursday Meme:  GOOD FENCES.

I'd seen and photographed this fence last year but didn't really like the pictures I took of it then so I wanted to go back and take better ones.

This particular fence is across the driveway heading into a Bed & Breakfast place (Vines and Roses) here in town.  It's a gorgeous restored Victorian home and after look at their website I am wanting to stay there even though I live in the same town!

 

Walla Walla is starting to become famous now for more then just our Sweet Onions and Wheat.  It's fast becoming "Wine Country" so I found the grape vine decorative fence very appropriate for are area.

 

The fence lines both sides of a driveway/bridge over a lovely little stream.

 



On the right side of the bridge some leaves from a neighboring tree were growing through the fence.  I thought they looked really cool and sort of reminded me of (grape leaves) even though they aren't.

 



 Another view showing some of the detail on the fence.

This is on the left side of the fence.  They have beautiful landscaping here.  The dogwoods are blooming now.  Don't they look pretty behind that fence.

 



Another close-up of the fence.  If you look closely you can see that behind this fence is a lovely little waterfall cascading into the stream that runs through the property.

 

I think this would be a wonderful place to stay at and relax and take in the beauty around you.

 

Have a great day & thanks for stopping by.

Wild Bird Wednesday - Ducklings

Hello! - I'm a bit late getting this up but it's been a (crazy busy) morning around here.  Anyway I am joining Stewart (Paying Ready Attention) for Wild Bird Wednesday.

Last week I happened to look out the window just in time to see Mama Duck and her babies crossing the street heading back over to the creek that runs through a neighbors yard.  I grabbed up my camera and headed over to snap some shots of mama and her adorable babies.

Here some of the baby ducklings are getting ready to head down into the creek where mama was.

Here's mama with some of the babies in the water.  They proceed back up out of the creek and into the grass of the neighbors lawn.

Mama seems to be talking to her little one's here and in the next photo as well.

At this point she's scurrying around the yard quaking at the baby ducklings.  I can still hear a duck peeping behind me though and so I went back to the water and in the reeds I discovered one little duckling couldn't figure out how to get out from the reeds and onto the land.  So I scooped him up (oh was he soft) and set him down on the grass he made a mad dash for mama and his siblings.  You can see in the photo below how fast his little web feet were going so he could catch up with the others.

 

 

 

 Mama and all 7 of her babies were reunited and happily wandered off together. 

I'm just hoping none of the neighborhood cats made a meal out of these sweet little ducklings.  They are just so cute!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday - April 20, 2014

HAPPY EASTER!


It's been another "busy" week here but I managed to squeeze in some time for photo taking and am able to join Ashley (Ramblings and Photos) for
SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

This weeks prompts:  Trick, Selective Color, Close-Up,
Mirror & Bright Colors.

TRICK:  I was outside the other night taking pictures of vapor trails from planes/jets when I happened to spot this coming across the sky.  I'm sorry that I didn't get any clear/sharper of pictures but it was getting late and I didn't have time to fiddle with camera adjustments. 

One of these two planes was apparently refueling the other plane while both were in the air.  If you (Enlarge) and look very closely you'll see the fuel like between the two planes.  I'd say this is a bit of a "trick" to pull off.

SELECTIVE COLOR:  I actually had to look this up to understand what it mean in photography terms.  I've seen it done before and I went on Pic Monkey and learned how to do this procedure. 

Some tulips growing in the over grown and neglected yard from the house I featured last week for the neglected prompt.

CLOSE-UP:

A close-up of some mini Iris plants that I found blooming in someone's garden this week.  (More photos of these gorgeous Iris will show up later next week.)

MIRROR:

My mom has had this mirror and macramé hanger in her house since the 1970's. 

BRIGHT COLORS:

 Greta bought these little solar Chinese Lantern lights and strung them across the back of our storage shed where her & Coleen have a little Patio Garden.  There bright colors are pretty both day & night.

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter. 

Random 5 Friday

Good Morning! - Well yesterday's rain showers are over and today the sun is shining.  Hooray! 

Last week Nancy (A Rural Journal) made the sad announcement that she was closing her blog up.  It was a hard thing to hear and I know she will be missed in the blogging world.  She gave so much joy with her wonderful photos and writings and hosted some awesome Memes.  One of which was Random 5 Friday.  Like others I've heard we are carrying on the tradition even though there is no "linky" thing for people to join in on the fun.

Click to Enlarge photos.

Here are my Random thoughts and photos for this week.

1.Today is hubby and my Wedding Anniversary.  Hubby & I met for coffee at Starbucks this morning & later we'll go out for dinner.  It's been a wonderful 22 years so far.  Times have been hard and times have been good and through it all our love has remained steady and solid. 

Sharing a couple more photos from the "Egg Tree" that I shared earlier here:

 

2.  This week I've had some "klutzy" moments.  While setting a ladder up by our shed I managed to knock one of Greta's hanging basket planters off and spilled the plant and dirt everywhere. The next day while trying to get Eric the cat off the back fence I hit the wheelbarrow and knocked it into the flower bed spilling the squirrels peanuts all over the ground.  Needless to say cleaning up these messes was not fun.

 



Eric enjoying an afternoon snooze on the sidewalk in front of our house.

3.  I bought more flowers this week to plant.  They are still waiting to be planted because it rained the day after we bought them.  Perhaps next week I'll get them in the ground.

Tulips from a garden I spotted while driving around town.

4.  I've been thinking about becoming a "Vegetarian".  Well not really but it seems it would be much cheaper since the cost of meat these days is outrageous.  Even hamburger is over $3.00 a pound now and chicken isn't much cheaper.

Horses and Sheep grazing on a farm.  Shot this while at the school last week where hubby was doing some work.

5. Went shopping (in the rain) yesterday for Easter gifts & candy.  Every year I say I'm not going to buy a big bunch of candy but in the end that's exactly what I do.  See anything you like?

Good Fences and Little Things Thursday

 

                 Hello,  It's a Rainy day outside today.  I miss the sunshine.

So what do you say we create some of our own.  Let's join in on the fun of Good Fences and Little Things Thursday.

 

GOOD FENCES  is Hosted by TexWisGirl (aka Theresa) from The Run "A" Round Ranch.

This Decorative Fence Top sets off the delicate Lilac Blooms perfectly and don't you just love the Bokeh in this shot. 

LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY is hosted by Kim Cunningham  from Little by Little.

 10 Little Things I'm thankful for today:

1.  Soft Rain to nourish the earth and keep me from having to water the flower beds and the lawn.

2.  My Drizzle Boots that I inherited from my Grandma.  Mine are old but you can still buy them. They work great and my feet didn't get wet while I walked Coleen to school.

3.  A Nice cup of Hot Coffee after I got back from taking Coleen to school.

4.  Pic Monkey for editing photos.  Oh & Pixlr-o-Matic too.

5. That the store finally got the Yoplait Blackberry Yogurt back in stock, it's my favorite.

6. I don't have a headache this morning, my nose isn't running, my knee doesn't hurt and my back feels pretty decent.  Yeah!

7. All my sweet cats & the ones that I take care of outside too.  They make me happy.

8.  It's quiet in the house.

9.  Call from hubby just to say hello and how's your day going.

10.  Spending time with all of you and visiting your wonderful blogs.

Outdoor Wednesday

Hi,  I'm joining in for the 1st time with Susan (A Southern Daydreamer) for Outdoor Wednesday.

The flowers have been so pretty here this spring.  I wanted to share a few of them with you.

                   I just love the soft "peachy pink" shade of this Tulip.

                               Some of my new double daffodils.

                

              Always a favorite from my garden are the Bleeding Hearts

                                  Look at all that gorgeous color

 Finally the blooms on my mom's French Lilac Tree are just starting to open.

 

Also the flowers in my header are from a house across the street from us.