The tormented hawk

This is the best I could do. (I am so ashamed.) Really. I was tracking a big commotion in the trees and watched the crows, cardinals, and who knows what else divebombing "something". Quite brave of them actually or even maybe stupid considering who they were divebombing. It was a red tailed hawk and if my first movie ever had turned out better, you would have seen the birds trying to chase it away with their divebombing skills. Some of them would actually "whack" it. The hawk just ignored them.

When I got home, the goldfinches were bathing in the stream. "Geez lady, would ya just go AWAY." We're bathing here.....sheesh!


Look at me now Goldie, you've got me all wet!

We left the hill for a while Sunday afternoon to go down by the river where you can find lots of kayakers on warm, sunny days. Giz made friends with a pretty little Shi Tzu who was walking her dad. Gizzy's mom wanted to take some pictures that would test the zoom on her new camera. Both pictures are of the launch ramp for the kayaks and were taken from the same spot. No zoom used for the picture above..(who woulda guessed that?)


Oh, there it is! The ramp where the kayakers and canoers can launch their boats. Pawpa said the people in the canoe on the right were not sitting in the right place. They must have been new at it; they were going in circles.

Giz has asked me to pass along an important message. As much as he would like to respond to Tank's "all paws bulletin" by volunteering for the Whack-A-Squirrel mission, he will be unable to join the ever expanding army (also known as "tankskapades" in the Huckleberry Hill household). He worries that Pawpa would be unable to sleep at night without warm Lhasa fur to keep him warm. After all, Giz stated that he has heard Pawpa say that Mrs. Pawpa steals the covers and leaves his flanks out in the cold. (Let it be noted that Mrs. Pawpa loudly proclaimed her innocence.)

Furthermore, he (Gizzy, not Pawpa) is NOT allowed out of the yard unescorted. Windows are firmly closed as insurance against unsanctioned walk-abouts since 2004 when a previously pristine window screen was found gnawed in the carport and the offender was returned by a friendly neighbor . (How dumb is a box of rocks anyhow?)

The red fox is keeping those pesky squirrels pretty much on the run here in the back yard and Giz has told him to keep up the good work.

The new camera is here! It arrived yesterday and I'm very excited. OK, for those of you who are way more advanced in photography skills than I....I know its "ONLY" a point and shoot but "it's my point and shoot" and I'm in love. I managed to catch the raindrops on the iris with one of my first shots.

I took a picture of a bug on the wild roses that grow next to the walking trail.


I even took a picture of the fish swimming in the reservoir which is stocked with trout every year for the children's fishing derby on opening day in April.


When I returned home, the Giz had found a comfortable spot to rest in the shade. Can you find him?

It's rainy and chilly here today. The birds that like to take a bath in this stream out back are probably sitting on a branch somewhere all puffed up trying to keep warm.

My little garden cart sits wet and lonely by the front steps.

I walked down the driveway today to see if the mountain laurel had started to bloom yet.

I passed my tomato plants on the way. It has flowers. I can hardly wait for ripe tomatoes.

Here are the mountain laurel. When I was young, we always knew summer was here when the laurel bloomed.

I've been trying to take a picture of a regular visitor to the back yard. Sunday, I missed my opportunity because I didn't think to bring my camera when I walked out to the street to grab the Sunday newspaper. I heard the crows harassing "something" and walked back to look. The red fox that comes looking for squirrels in the back was just coming up the path towards me. I held my breath. He (or she) ran.

Today I was outside taking a picture when the racket began. I turned my head and there it was again...the fox... no more than 3 - 4 feet away. The fox was quicker than I was although I think we were equally surprised. I took a picture but my camera is old and lacks "zoom". There is a tiny reddish spot on the picture and that would be "the fox".

My new camera has been ordered and will be delivered on Friday.