42/365 - Dreary Day

Dove on a power-line against a dove grey sky. 

18/365 - Peek-a-Boo

 

We stopped by the duck pond at Fairhope Pier this afternoon.  There a a lot of birds there!  Ducks, geese, Canada geese-- and one heron (?) that decided to stay around, too.  (Next time, we'll have to bring the super-zoom lens.)

(There are quite a few more photos from the pond over on Flickr.  I had a hard time choosing one for Project 365.  I don't think this is my favorite, but it's probably the most "dramatic" of the group.)

More Dead Birds?

Ok, I'll admit that it seems a little weird that these groups of dead birds and things keep popping up, over a matter of days... But is this really happening any more often than it ever has in the past?  Don't these kinds of thing just happen, from time to time?  (I don't know-- maybe not quite this frequently...)

I searched Twitter for "birds" and got just what I deserved for doing so-- nonsense.  (Nonsense is what you get 99.9% of the time when you search Twitter or click on a trending subject.)

For example:

"What is GOING on?  Do birds know something WE, Humans, should??"

(Um... You mean you didn't get the message to die for no discernible reason and fall from the sky?  You might want to check your in-box more often.)

"omg why are all these fish and birds dieing.  Thinking 2012.  Wtf."

(Check the calendar.  It's only 2011.)

"I DNT EVN BELIEVE IN 2012 BUT THEY GOT ME F***D UP IF THEY THINK IMA BELIEVE FIREWORKS KILLD ALL THEM BIRDS.. & WUT ABT TH FISH?!"

(Again, calendars, people!  ...But yeah, I don't know if I buy the fireworks explanation, either.   (shrug))

[insert obligatory joke-tweet referencing Angry Birds here]

(Ugh.  You don't merit a response.)

"I wish birds of the human variety would drop dead too."

(...Huh?  Unless you mean "birds" as in slang for "women", and even then it still makes no sense, especially considering that the person RTing it is a woman...)

Anyway.
I suggest we carry on with our lives.  And spend less time on Twitter.

Something for Everyone

Well, there's something for everyone if everyone is interested in eyeglasses, dog grooming, nature trails, crochet scarves, "shoe benches", or any of the other fascinating subjects included in this entry.

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Last night, Donald and I finally got around to ordering some new glasses.

It's about time. I knew it had been a while-- maybe even over a year-- since we'd had our eye exams and got the prescriptions, but I had no idea (until I pulled out the papers and read the date) that it had been nearly two years.

Seriously, though-- this is ridiculous! I know times flies and all that, but nearly two years?! (Minus a couple of months. The exams took place early December 2007.) That's just. . . scary.

Life keeps slipping away, one day at a time. . .

Well, moving right along. . . (g)

We're trying Zenni Optical, an online source with exceptionally low prices and (as far as we can tell) a pretty good reputation for quality, too. You can get a pair of glasses (no extra frills, but perfectly good glasses) for a mere eight dollars (+ a flat rate shipping charge of $4.95). If you're in the mood to splurge ;o) there are other options (glasses for $15, $19, and so on-- tinted lenses-- anti-glare coatings-- etc.). Honestly, though, some of the $8 models were my favorites from the bunch.

Our new glasses should arrive within a couple of weeks. I'm excited! It's been more years than I care to admit since I had new glasses-- mostly because I rarely thought about it. (And when I did, I dreaded the hassle of the exam and picking out new frames and ended up putting it off.) These old ones are showing their age and are ready for retirement.

I'll probably take photos of the new glasses once they arrive. (Thought I'd give you all something to look forward to. (g))

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I think the hummingbirds (or at least "our" hummingbirds) have moved on to their next stop. We haven't seen them in two or three days (and I had already heard that they generally leave this area around the middle of October). The patio seems emptier without them. . . Time to dig out and fill our other bird feeders, I guess!

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The hummingbirds may have left us, but my sister and brother-in-law, who have been living in the Montgomery area, are planning to move back to the coast soon! I know my family will be happy to have them close by again, so that we can see more of one another.

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Over the weekend, we gave Molly another haircut. It's not 100% done (Is it ever?), but it is much better than it was before. Part of the time, she was fairly well-behaved. ("I don't really want to do this right now... *whine whine* Why do we have to do this? I really don't like this very-- Oh! Is that peanut butter you have there? Well, I don't mind if I do!") Part of the time, she was not. ("Mess with my feet, will you? I'll show you! I'll somehow manage to lie on top of all four feet at the same time so you can't reach them! Nanny-nanny boo-boo!" . . .Or even "Ohmygosh ohmygosh OHMYGOSH!! They're making me lie on my side!! NOOOO! NOOOO! I shall surely perish a most excrutiating death if I am made to lie on my side!! NOOOOOOO!!")

As we struggled to cut her hair (and nothing but her hair)-- sometimes against her very vehement wishes-- I renewed my vow to never have another dog of such a grooming-intensive breed. It simply doesn't work out well.

If I could go back in time, maybe I could familiarize her with the grooming process when she was still an impressionable puppy. Maybe then it wouldn't be such an agonizing ordeal to brush and cut her hair on her legs, feet, and underside. Maybe she would never get in such a state that I feel terrible, guilty helplessness over her mats and tangles. Then again, maybe there's nothing we could've done to make it easier. Either way, from here on out, I don't see myself ever owning a spaniel (or similarly haired breed) again.

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Also over the weekend, we took a quick trip to Meaher State Park (on the Baldwin County side of the Causeway). It was ok, but not as nice as the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail(s). There's simply not as much trail there, for one thing, but my opinion might also have been influenced by the hot, muggy weather. (We are still waiting for autumn to get here and stay for more than a couple days at a time.)

On the boardwalk, we saw lots of small crabs, some water fowl, and a raccoon. No turtles, snakes, or alligators, though. (I wouldn't have wanted to see them too close up, anyway.) I did a little filming there, so I'll try to edit and post that soon. In the meantime, here are a few photos that we took:

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Donald added a couple of doors to the "shoe bench" by our kitchen door. (He built the bench years ago using leftovers from the bookshelf he built.)

After years of having it just as it was-- always right next to the door we use most, to house a few pairs of our most-frequently-used shoes-- it suddenly seemed odd to have a bunch of shoes in close proximity and open view of the table where our guests sit and eat. Isn't that the way these things usually work? You go a long time without noticing something, but once you see it, you realize that Something Must Be Done. So Donald found a piece of wood that would work-- the kitchen-sink-shaped cutout the builders made in our counter-top-- and with a little sawing, sanding, spackling, and painting, the shoe bench had two doors. We filled the middle compartment with a basket, and the result looks much more "finished" than it did a few weeks ago!

Here's a "before" photo:

And a couple of "after":

That'll do nicely!

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I think the last time I mentioned crochet on this blog was back when I had decided to try a scarf that was basically a bunch of Solomon's knots (love knots, lover's knots). I gave it a try, and after the first or second row didn't know what to do next. It was night, and I was tired, so that may have accounted for it. Whatever the reason, I couldn't see where/how I was supposed to attach the next row into the previous one. I'm going to give it another try-- and maybe seek advice if I still can't figure it out on my own-- but in the meantime, I happened upon a different scarf pattern.

The Luna Lovegood Scarf (pattern by Melissa Helton) is so called because it's based on an accessory worn by a character of that name in a Harry Potter movie. I liked the looks of the scarf, and none of the stitches seemed too difficult for a beginner. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out. It is a little wider than I pictured it, but that's not really a problem with a scarf. I think my beginner status showed itself in a couple of spots, but I can definitely wear it without wrapping it up to my eyes to protect my identity. ;o)

(There are a few more photos on Flickr, if you'd like another look.)

Oh, and this was also my first attempt at blocking. I still don't know if I did it perfectly, but I do think it made a positive difference in the shaping and arrangement of the stiches, so that's good. At least I have a little blocking experience under my belt, now.

Scarf stats:

Yarn: Red Heart Sport, "Aran Fleck"
I used a little less than two 2.5 oz (70g) skeins.

Hook: G (I think...)
That's not what the pattern called for, but I knew it didn't really matter that much, seeing as it's a scarf, and I didn't have whatever hook the pattern did call for.

Time: I don't know. I don't really time my crafty pursuits. It's supposed to be fun, and I don't like timing things. Makes me feel like I'm in a race. . . It probably took longer than it "should" have, but I'm still a beginner.

Dimensions:
Approximately 5.5 inches (14cm) wide and 78 inches (198cm) long.

- - - - - - -

Last week I received a jury summons. (I mentioned it on Twitter, so if you read those updates, you already know about this. But in that case, you already knew about some of the other things I've written about, too. Let this be a lesson to you. . . or something. . .)

The last time I got a jury summons was my first time to get a summons-- the first time I'd ever been notified that I might potentially be selected to sit on a jury. (When was that, exactly? I probably ought to try to figure it out in case they ask. Seems like they did ask something about previous jury experience, last time. . .) So, seeing as it was my first time seeing The Law up close and personal, I was interested, nervous, and kind of excited, even though I knew it was my civic duty to be completely bored and annoyed by the prospect of sitting on a jury. Everyone is (or so you'd think, based on what you usually hear and see people saying).

I happened to see a (2nd? 3rd?) cousin on my first day there, and she seemed bored and nonchalant. Unfortunately (?) I don't find it so easy to be bored and nonchalant. ("A bundle of nerves" might be closer to it, actually. This makes certain aspects of life more difficult, no doubt, and I'll never be really "cool", but at least it's probably also more dramatic and interesting this way.) In any case, being interested/excited made the first part of the experience. . . well, interesting and exciting. As time passed, some of that wore off. By the time it was over, I was ready for it to be over.

This time around, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think I'd rather not have to go, but since I don't really have a choice, I'm trying to feel interested in it. It is interesting, when you're actually sitting on a jury and not just sitting or standing around waiting to be selected. I honestly feel a little sorry for people who don't feel even the least bit interested in the prospect of a brief period of jury duty. It must take a lot to keep them occupied and interested* in life in general. . .

*Note to self: Practice using synonymns for "interested" and "interesting". ;o)

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Well, that's more than enough blogging for one day! ;o)

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds from Michael on Vimeo. (You can watch it in HD over on Vimeo.)

This is just a little video of hummingbirds at (or around) the feeders hanging by our patio.

The occasional squeaking you hear is coming from the hummingbirds (but not necessarily the one in the frame).

From what I've read, the ruby-throated hummingbirds with white throats are either female or juvenile males. The juvenile males begin to show greyish streaks-- or even the occasional ruby feather, here and there-- on their throats, late in their first summer (or early fall). By the time they come back north, most of them should have the full throat of iridescent, ruby feathers.

The ones we've been seeing are mostly juvenile males, I think, with maybe one or two females in the mix. I've read that the adult males migrate first, followed by the females and juveniles, so that explains why I haven't seen a really ruby-throated bird lately.

Hummingbirds

There are about three to five hummingbirds still frequenting our feeders. . .



Hovering, flitting, squeaking, and feeding. . .



Providing me with another excuse to play around with layers. . .



And giving me something to put on my blog. ;o)

Random Topics du Jour

Here's this Monday's handful of random topics: porch patio swing, hummingbirds, & local trails.

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Donald finished and hung the swing last week-- well, finished except for one more slat across the top that's more for decoration than function. We were short one board (or at least one deemed straight enough to use on this project), so one of these days we'll get one, paint it, and attach it. It works just fine as it is, though, and we've been enjoying it. I find sitting outside so much more pleasant when I'm in a swing than in a plain chair-- or even a rocker or glider. Swinging is just better-- a more soothing motion.

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We recently noticed a hummingbird checking out our flowers, so we dug out our feeders, filled them, hung them from the patio arbor (or whatever the proper name for that structure is), and have been enjoying hours of entertainment. There are usually at least three of the birds in the area, hovering in mid-air, perching in a nearby cypress (or on the fence or a shepherd's hook), fighting fiercely for use of the feeders, weaving around obstacles at break-neck speeds, and making their funny squeaky noises. They definitely earn their sugar-water with the amusement and sense of wonder they provide! (We even saw one eating a mosquito the other day. Now that's the way to my heart-- rid our yard of those horrid mosquitoes!)

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Thursday, we had a little outing to a few local spots we'd never visited before.

First, we tried the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge-- particularly, the Jeff Friend Trail and the refuge's portion of beach on the Gulf. The trail was nice enough, but the mosquitoes were positively awful. We spotted them almost immediately and sprayed ourselves with repellent, but I guess that wasn't enough, because they were still landing on and biting us-- sometimes right through our clothes.

(I cannot express how much I hate mosquitoes. I mean, I know no-one likes them, but I have a special loathing for them, because I'm one of those unfortunate people who seem to have a special attraction for flying blood-suckers. I don't know why, and I probably don't want to know why-- as I suspect it's nothing good-- but the nasty little monsters find me every time.)

The mosquitoes cut down on the pleasure of the trail. Maybe it'd be nicer later in the year... Fortunately, the second half of the trail seemed less of a mosquito haunt than the first half had been. I managed to take a few photos, instead of giving (more of) my crazy lady impression (swatting at seemingly invisible assailants).

The beach was... the beach. We didn't stay long because it was hot and we hadn't planned (or packed) for a day on the beach. It might be a good spot to go if you want to avoid crowds at the more familiar (more popular) stretches of beach, but the trade-off is that there's no public restroom.

Later, we checked out the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, which is actually a whole system of trails through the wilderness just north of the busy beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. We only walked a small portion of the trails available, but I was very impressed. Apparently this is a fairly new project. I think the trails (at least one of which follows what was once an old, disused road-- Highway 182) were christened just a couple of years ago, and there is still more work planned. The trails we walked (Twin Bridges and part of Catman Road) were very nicely paved-- ideal for biking or rollerblading-- and of course for walking, too. I find that it's so much easier to not worry about stepping on snakes when you're on a wide, paved path. ;o)



The only possible complaint I can see is that some of the trails (or combinations of them) would be pretty long walks-- especially considering that they're not loops. That's probably not an issue for cyclists, but casual hikers might find some of them a bit much. I guess you just have to walk until you're approximately half-way exhausted, so that you'll have enough stamina to make it back to the car. ;o)

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised, and I'm glad to know of another local spot for hiking and photography.

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It seems like there were other things on my mental list of blog topics, but they've disappeared...

(For those interested, there are more photos of the trails and the new swing on my Flickr photostream.)

Squadron

(That's the proper name for a group of pelicans, or so Donald informed me. (g))

We spied a group of birds overhead, Sunday afternoon, and hurried for the camera and camcorder. The video's a little shaky, because I had to zoom in so much and, well, because I'm just not that steady-handed with the camcorder. . . Anyway, here's the video, such as it is:



As the title implies, we think they were pelicans-- American White Pelicans, specifically, some of which winter along the Gulf Coast. They can be fairly hefty-- up to 19 pounds with a wingspan of 95-120 inches (240-300 cm).

It's nice to see some large birds other than vultures. ;o) We occasionally see a hawk that must live in the area, but usually it's too skittish to hang around long enough to be photographed.

Edited to add:
It is possible to see a larger version of all these embedded videos. The last few I've uploaded are available in full size on my Flickr photostream. (Maybe my Flickr contacts all hate me now. (g) When Flickr first announced that they'd be hosting video as well as photos, many people were very upset. I'm still not sure what all the fuss was about. Guess they didn't want it to turn into another YouTube, but of course it hasn't. It's just convenient for those of us who have all our photos there and are familiar with the system. Anyway. . .)

Finches, Car Stuff, and a Molly-Dog

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The house finches on our porch grew and grew until they looked to be about the same size as their parents. There scarcely seemed to be enough room for them all in the nest!


Yesterday, I noticed that one of the four had hopped out of the nest and was sitting off to the side on the ledge:


Later in the day, I looked again and saw only three.

By this morning, there was just one lone bird sitting on the nest. I missed the big moment ;o), but Donald saw the last one hop-hop-hopping and finally hopping right out of the nest and flying away. :o)

I might add that they left their nasty nest behind. I guess they expect me to clean up after them!

So-- no birds left in that nest-- but while looking at that last, sad bird, I noticed that there's another nest being built on the opposite end of the porch. I don't know if it's the same bird, but I think it might be. Good grief, they're prolific!!

Ha! I was just looking up the species to see if the same bird could lay eggs again so quickly*, when I found this little tidbit, described on the site as a "cool fact":
(Those with weak stomachs may want to skip this part. (g))

When nestling House Finches defecate, the feces are contained in a membranous sac, as in most birds. The parents eat the fecal sacs of the nestlings for about the first five days. In most songbird species, when the parents stop eating the sacs, they carry the sacs away and dispose of them. But House Finch parents do not remove them, and the sacs accumulate around the rim of the nest.

Yes, that's so very "cool". Gross! Well, that explains the mess, I guess. I didn't think all nests were so nasty. . .

*It turns out they can lay up to six times in one breeding season, but usually no more than three of those "clutches" of eggs survive to hatch.

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We had a little car trouble, Monday. Donald found out that one of the engine mounts on the PT Cruiser had broken. It was one of those things that probably needed to be taken care of, so we went ahead and took it to the mechanic. That's never fun, but at least it wasn't a huge repair, and they had it ready for us to pick up this morning.

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Since I had to drive to town anyway, this morning (to take Donald to pick up the PT Cruiser), I decided to drive a little further and get some grocery shopping done.

So, I go to the nearest store. It's not the one I usually go to, and I'm slightly uncomfortable. (I don't know what it is about this store, exactly, but I don't like it as much.) It's early, but there are still quite a few people coming and going. I pull the lever to open the car door-- then pause at the sound of an alarm. It takes me a second or two to realize that it is my car alarm that is sounding. Loudly. (Well, when is a car alarm ever not loud?) I fumble around-- unzip my purse and find the keys-- and finally locate a button that shuts off the noise.

. . .The comparative silence is deafening. . .

How embarrassing!

The older I get, the more convinced I am that I might be just a tad bit ditsy. In fact, I think it's becoming worse. This makes me somewhat sad, but I'm coming to terms with it. So what if I'm slowly morphing into Lucy Ricardo? At least I know things will work out by the end of the half-hour. ;o)

I decide that I must've accidentally pressed the alarm button against the steering wheel while getting up. I notice that someone who had just parked nearby has pulled through to go to another part of the parking lot. Probably to get away from the crazy lady (i.e. me). ;o) However, there are no security guards coming up to call me "Ma'am" and ask if I need help, so I go to open the door again. (I guess I closed it when I was startled by the alarm.)

Again there is an irritating blaring of the car horn. At least this time I know which button to hit to shut the thing off, but not soon enough to keep everyone in the world (or just the parking lot, maybe) from hearing it. And worse yet, I'm now trapped in my own car. (Sort of.) If I open the door again, I risk setting off the alarm. I am not willing to do that. Not again-- not here. Yet with the price of gas, it is unthinkable to drive around in search of a private spot to get in touch with my inner Hyundai and figure out whether or not the Elantra's possessed by an evil spirit. ;o)

I pull out the owner's manual and eventually figure out that I must have accidentally "armed" the car's alarm system by pressing the lock button (on my key chain) while still in the car. (Or something.) All I have to do is press the unlock button, and I am no longer held hostage by the threat of humiliation. Mystery solved! I get out of the car and walk along just as though I'd never heard of such a thing as a car alarm. (g)

The moral of the story: Any time you break your regular routine, you run the risk of something going wrong. Locking your keys in the car, for instance, or setting off your own car alarm twice in the space of a few minutes. Or maybe that's just true for me. . .

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I got some of my favorite chicken burritos on the infamous shopping trip (see above), and I decided to have one for lunch when I got home.

They changed the recipe!!
(Shocking, isn't it?)

And they don't even warn you on the wrapper! No mention of "NEW!" or "IMPROVED!" The wrapper looks exactly the same, except that the small-print heating instructions have changed. Now they're very particular about how you heat them-- even insisting that you check the temperature with a thermometer in several places after microwaving it!

I have to admit that the new instructions make me look at the once-beloved food as more biohazard than burrito. Worse yet, the new recipe is slightly "jucky", as we say around here. ("J" and "Y" mix-ups are classic Swedish-to-English bloopers, but I don't remember exactly how this one got started. I suspect it was my invention. . .)

I think I may have eaten my last chicken burrito.
;o)

(Well, I have a few of the "good ones" left, but after they're gone, I doubt I'll buy more.)

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Ever since we began clearing out a flower bed to make way for the patio, Molly's been making it one of her favorite places to snooze. The soil there is very sandy, and I guess it's soft. I have a feeling she'd rather sleep on sand than the pavers we're eventually going to put there. Maybe the shade will make up for it. That and a doggie blanket/bed.

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Snippets

The baby house finches have been "out" for several days, now. :o)

These photos are very blurry (especially the first one), but they're the best I could get without going to great effort-- and we all know I'm too lazy for that. ;o) Anyway, once I took a closer look at the nest, I realized that it's gotten fairly gross, and I don't know if you'd particularly want to see a very clear, crisp macro of it. (Eww. . .)

** ** ** ** **

We gave Molly another round of haircutting, Sunday afternoon. We cleared most of the mats from her stomach and got a lot off her back legs. There's still some work to be done on those hind legs, but most of it's concentrated on the front legs and her chest.

If the crazy girl would just lie still and have a nap for an hour or so, we could have the job done in one session, instead of doing a little at a time.

She's looking a little ratty, right now, but she has to be more comfortable than she was before.

** ** ** ** **

Cleared a few more plants from the (future) patio area late Sunday afternoon/early evening. I need to transplant a few more while the weather's nice. The biggest thing we have to move is the banana shrub. I'm having a hard time deciding where to put it. . .

** ** ** ** **

After an uncomfortably warm and muggy Saturday, Sunday night and last night were blessedly cool and breezy. We opened the windows in our room, and I was actually chilly when I woke yesterday morning! This is noteworthy because I probably won't be chilly again until sometime in October. ;o)

** ** ** ** **

Something happened to one of our tomato plants. It was broken off at the base. Whether Molly ran too roughly over it or something purposely cut it, I'm not sure. We still have plenty, assuming that they'll make it. Donald thinks we need to add something to the soil to balance out the acidity. Maybe that'll help, along with the fertilizer we're adding. They're living, but they don't seem to be growing very much.

** ** ** ** **

Nothing else demands to be reported. Things are going along pretty much the same as usual, around here. We're peaceful, especially in contrast with the cyclone, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fires that have been filling the news, lately. I'm thankful that a broken tomato plant and the annoyance of increasing prices and heat are the worst we have to complain of. . .

Spilt Milk and Other Matters

Yes, it's more tidbits. Don't tell me you expected a cohesive entry with real substance! ;o)

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A few weeks ago, Donald and I found milk in a new type of package, at our local Sam's Club. It's cheaper, so we've been buying it, even though the jug looks a little odd:


I wouldn't hold its odd appearance against it if it weren't for the fact that it seems to be a very poor design for reasons other than aesthetics. You see, we find it difficult to pour from this jug without dripping a bit. (And no, it's not our faults. (g) We've both been pouring liquids without spilling for several years, now.) True, it's a very tiny bit-- but it's still annoying to have to wipe up every time you eat a bowl of cereal or have a glass to drink.

To add insult to injury, the last jug we bought had this label on one side:


"JUST TILT & POUR"!

Gee, thank you, Mr. Milk Jug! Thanks so much for the lesson in how to pour milk! I feel like such an idiot, now! I'd been trying to pour it by getting Donald to hold the cereal bowl a yard away and sloshing it at him. (Too much sarcasm? Sorry about that. In future, I'll try to hold back.)

Well, ok, I thought. I'm pretty sure I've tried that "just tilt and pour" method before, but I'll give it another go. . .

Nope. Still very nearly impossible to pour without a little dribble or drop of waste and annoying dairy mess! And the very fact that they have this informative little label suggests that it isn't just us-- that they may have actually been getting complaints about their defective design.

It's a little thing, but still I manage to make time to grumble about it. ;o)

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

We're still planning the patio. We've mapped it out-- sat on a "pretend patio" to get a feel for how much room it would actually give us-- Donald's made little cardboard models-- I've taken photos of things at different times of the day to calculate optimum shade potential-- etc.

Then, the last time we were discussing it, a totally new idea presented itself. Shade cloth. It's pretty fancy stuff. Depending on the type (and color), it can block as much as 90% of sunlight and harmful UV rays. It's supposed to be very durable. It's not cheap, but it could be cheaper than buying lots of wood to make a more traditional pergola roof. Plus we wouldn't have to paint (and repaint) so much wood. And it would provide more complete shade than the wood, most of the time. (Donald is fair-skinned; I don't want skin cancer, either = We luv shade. (g))

My main concern is how it would hold up against violent thunderstorms and, of course, hurricanes. I hope we won't have another major hurricane here for years to come, but you never know. . . Of course, even an all-wood structure could be completely destroyed, if we had bad luck.

As you can see, we still have some decisions to make. Unfortunately, I seem to be incapable of doing anything without considering all the possible resultant problems. ;o)

One thing has been absolutely decided-- When we buy supplies for the patio, we're also getting supplies to build for a pump house. (Still no concrete plans for how we'll build that, either. . . Maybe I'll ask for advice at the family get-together this Friday. Family, you have been warned. (g)) It has taken way, way too long for us to do that. Once it's done, there'll be one less reason for me to hang my head in shame (figuratively).

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The house finch with a nest in our back porch is still in residence. No sound of baby birds, yet, but I don't imagine it'll be too much longer.

There's another bird nesting in the decorative birdhouse Grandpa W. gave us a few years ago. Seems like there's a bird in that house every year. This time, it's right outside a window! Of course, it's almost always covered by a closed mini-blind, so I guess they don't feel they're being scrutinized too closely. (g)

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Donald has some vacation time stored up, and he has to use most of it by a particular date (in August, I think). We're still thinking about what we want to do. Maybe we can use a little of the time to work on the patio. That is, assuming that we've decided by then how we want to build it. . . ;o)

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I had one of my "I'm walking around outside and there are snakes all over the place" dreams. They come up from time to time.

I was walking a dog/puppy, and was worried the snakes would bite it. One of the snakes was very exotic-looking-- purple and dragonish and sort of "hinged" (like those plastic toy snakes that kids have-- the ones that seem to move on their own). I went inside to look it up and blog about it (g)-- but on the way, I discovered weird burned/singed spots on the floor-- and in an "it made sense at the time" flash of brilliance, immediately deduced that there was some bizarre geothermic phenomenon at work and that was what brought the snakes out in hordes. (Apparently, in my dream-world, there are lots of snakes living in holes in the ground around our house.) At that point, I think I forgot the snakes and began worrying that the house was about to erupt. ;o)

And I just realized where the burned floor bit came from! Last week's episode of CSI. On the one hand, I'm mildly disappointed that it wasn't my own concoction but something I recycled from TV. On the other, at least I can be fairly sure that this wasn't a vision from God warning me to vacate the premises because of impending destruction of hearth and home. (g)

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I have a feeling I'm forgetting something I wanted to mention. . . Oh well. It must not have been very important. Hope the week's off to a good start for you all!

Starlings

I saw something about this phenomenon on TV recently. It's almost hypnotic. . .