It's a Coming Out Party!

My favorite time of year has been and for the rest of my days will be, spring.  Here is why:

Blossoms from our pear tree.

These will be leaves on our purple ash tree.

The ground cover is coming alive... Hello, Creeping Jenny.

A little new with the old.  Spring on the left side of the pot and winter is still holding on to the right side.  Creeping phlox coming alive.

Our weeping mulberry tree is a tangle of limbs.  The leaves are just starting to emerge.

The "lip-lips" are short lived but oh so beautiful.  If someone could create a strain that lasted into summer they would become very rich, very fast.

Vivid!

Blooming flowers are a work in process.  A bottoms up approach.  These guys smell wonderful.  Purple hyacinth I think I love you.

Our apple tree is singing SPRING loud and clear!

Apple blossoms.  So many colors.

Apple blossoms with dainty shadows on the flower petal.

More bottoms up maturing.  Pink hyacinth, I love you too!











And that my friends is just a quick peek at why I love spring....

Spring Carol by Robert Louis Stevenson

WHEN loud by landside streamlets gush,
And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush,
With sun on the meadows
And songs in the shadows
Comes again to me
The gift of the tongues of the lea,
The gift of the tongues of meadows.

Straightway my olden heart returns
And dances with the dancing burns;
It sings with the sparrows;
To the rain and the (grimy) barrows
Sings my heart aloud -
To the silver-bellied cloud,
To the silver rainy arrows.

It bears the song of the skylark down,
And it hears the singing of the town;
And youth on the highways
And lovers in byways
Follows and sees:
And hearkens the song of the leas
And sings the songs of the highways.

So when the earth is alive with gods,
And the lusty ploughman breaks the sod,
And the grass sings in the meadows,
And the flowers smile in the shadows,
Sits my heart at ease,
Hearing the song of the leas,
Singing the songs of the meadows.

Future Lily Pads

Last year we planted lily pads (click here to go there).  I'll be darned if those pads aren't growing and will probably reach the surface of the pond in early May. 

Whoohoo.

More Mating and Fish Facts

Yesterday the female and male nearest the top of this picture were
mating.  Today it's the same male and the white/orange female
centered in this picture. Tomorrow?  We'll see.

I say he's simply promiscuous.  But if he were a human he would be labeled a womanizer, playboy, stud, player, ladies' man, lady killer, and/or rake. Some would call the male fish that was contributing milt to yesterdays mating all those names or more as today he is, again, contributing to the mating of another female ripe with eggs.  Some say Gigolo, I say, WOW, what stamina!

Here are some fish facts I found on the internet:

I read that one of the things spurring goldfish to mate is the warming after the winter cold.  They are very quiet when the water temperature is down into the 30's.  When the water warms into the 60's if they are going to mate it will probably be then.  Some breeders will artificially mimic a short winter to spur the fish to mate. If there are no male fish the female may still lay eggs.

Goldfish need to be about 2 years old to mate and some won't mate until about 4 years old.

The fertile eggs are translucent.  Eggs that are opaque are not fertile and will soon spoil.  The eggs are heavier than water so will sink to the bottom.  In the case of my pond, most will filter down into the rocks.

The amount of time for the eggs to mature and hatch is dependent on the water temperature.  One estimate I read was about 7 days to hatch if the water temperature was around 65 degrees.  A temperature difference of just a few degrees has a big impact on the speed of maturity.

The eggs are less than 1/8th inch in diameter.  When they hatch the fry are described as a translucent body with 2 eyes.  I have seen references stating; "they grow fast."  So far I have no idea if that means they will be 3 inches long by June or 1 inch long in October.  Guess I'll find out.

The fry will stay hidden in the rocks and out of the way of the bigger fish or they may become breakfast (so much for motherly love).  They will eat algae and microscopic (to humans anyway) creatures.  I have no plans on feeding any of the fish.

A mature female goldfish can lay thousands of eggs.  If only half were to get fertilized I foresee a whole lot of little gold/white creatures in the pond.  I imagine the mature fish, birds, frogs and toads will keep the population manageable... I sure don't want to have to do anything like "cull the school" ... ugh!  Hopefully it will be a self balancing population.

Whoohoo!

Big Fish Make'n Little Fish

It can't be denied!  Spring is to what I'm referring.  The fish in the pond have come out of hiding and one pair is obviously doing that procreation thing.

The pair swims around with the male brushing up against the female.  She will slow or even stop someplace and quiver then he quivers and they move on.  In my ever so humble opinion she is depositing eggs and he is offering milt to seal the deal.

It's afternoon as I write this and they have been doing this "dance" since the sun rose over the yardarm right after dark-thirty.  Surely they will sleep well tonight.

The female is orange, the male is white/orange.  He is in position to encourage her to lay eggs and also positioned to contribute his part in this mating dance.

From time to time the pair would swim right out the the water onto rocks.  My thought was they were trying to lay eggs in locations that were not readily accessible to other fish.  Note the pair of voyeurs watching.  One excursion to the shallows resulted in them frightening the resident leopard frog who was able to leap out of what he though was harms way.

I expect we will have little orange and white fish (fry) in a couple of weeks.

Of course you'll be able to read about it in this very blog!

Whoohoo!!

Bird Pad

Not all birds like all bird seed.  Ya just can't make all the birds happy all the time. 

What the picky eaters do is shovel aside the seed they only eat when starving to get to the seed that is tasty to their pallet (do birds have a pallet?).  This selective eating causes a big mess under the feeder.  To exacerbate the mess my feeder was over rocks.  To further exacerbate the mess, the birds would add copious amounts of poop.  As you may imagine after a few years this gets to be pretty disgusting.

I decided it was time to do something about it and the pictures below are my first attempt to remedy this messy situation short of just stop feeding the birds.

Yes ladies and gents, behold the "Bird Pad."  It seemed to me that I had to get rid of the rocks and provide an area for the seed to fall that was cleanable.  To accomplish this I shoveled out numerous wheelbarrow loads of clay soil, discarded bird seed, poop and rocks.  The hole that was left was filled with some stuff called road base.  I packed that down using a 6 X 6 timber and then put down a layer of sand followed by the rectangle concrete blocks.  I made a small retaining wall to the back to make it look nice.

You may have noticed the bird feeder isn't over the bird pad.  I haven't decided, yet, if I'm going to put the feeder there... or anywhere actually.  I'm considering making a few feeders that are similar to tables only the table will be a screen.  Pour the food on top of the screen and the birds can eat off the table.  Any water in the form of rain won't accumulate and the mess will be easily controlled.  It's just another to-do. 

Check back to this very blog for an update in the near future.

Whoohoo...

I'll Huff & I'll Puff & I'll BLOW...

When I was knee high to a grasshopper my dad used to say, "March winds and April showers."  Here it is 50 to 60 years later and it's March and the wind has been whistling along like ugly on an ape, like white on rice, like... well, the wind has been blowing a pretty good lick just like my daddy said, so many years ago.

Blowing enough to take down one of the stained glass windows I had hanging from my pergola.  The frame just came from together.  The frame broke.  The glass broke.  I now have another todo for my list.

The remains of the frame are still swing'n in the wind.

I guess these pictures pretty much tell the story. 

Whoohoo...

Spring... Ahhhh Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year.

It's early for it to be spring but it's got to happen sometime.  The calendar still shows it to be winter but my aches and pains say spring has sprung. 

Why do I think it's spring... let me count the ways:

• I had to put on shorts today as my sweat pants made me... yep, sweat.
• I used 2 as in two sweat towels today.
• I started a project that requires a wheelbarrow and shovel.
• I killed my first mosquito of 2011.
• The lily pads we planted last year are sending up... are you ready... lily pads.
• Leo the leo-pard frog has appeared again.  This time with better color.
• Broke out my wide brimmed sun hat.
• Put the snow shovel away for the season.
• Turned on the irrigation system so Alejandro F. can and does do his/her job.
• Cleaned algae out of the V-pan which is part of the detention area next to my house... someone has to do it.
• I had to spray the honeysuckles with dormant oil.
• Daylight saving time starts this weekend.

There are probably other reasons it's spring but that's all that comes to mind at the moment. 
So Happy SPRING!

Whoohoo

First Frog 2011

We're not talking about some French guy here, we're referring to the amphibian kinda creature that hops and stays wet... versus the toad.

Do you know why the French are referred to as frogs?  I do.  I looked it up.  Do you really want to know?  OK, here it is... kind of a let down methinks...

Unconfirmed story #1: In the 18th century, Paris was surrounded by swamps and the visiting French nobles called the people of Paris, frogs in mockery. The name became national later when all French became popular as frogs irrespective of their environmental surroundings.

Unconfirmed story #2: One popular story regarding the origin of the name states that there were frogs on the French flag at one time, before the adoption of the Fleurs de Lis. If at one time, the French indeed had frogs on their national flag then that could certainly be counted as a reason as to why they are called frogs at times.

Unconfirmed story #3: A more logical theory regarding the weird nickname is related to a French delicacy called cuisses de grenouille, which is a dish consisting of a kind of frog’s leg. The habit of eating frogs can actually give French people the nickname frog indeed.  They ate snails too but we don't call them snails.

Unconfirmed story #4: American soldiers are also rumored to have given the French the nickname frog during the second world war because the French soldiers excelled in camouflage quite like frogs in the wild that are perfect ambush predators adept in concealing themselves... perfectly.

Unconfirmed story but I believe it: This story is related to the Second World War.  It states that the nickname was given to French army officers because they wore coats that were closed with special buttons made up of wood and ribbon. These buttons were called “frogs,” and thus the name spread.

There you have it... but French frogs (not to be confused with fries) isn't what I wanted to tell you about.  What I wanted to say was the leopard frog that I told you about last fall (story here) made an appearance this afternoon.  His skin was really dark and I had to look close to see his leopard markings but it was him.  Don't know if he will stay out or go back to sleep... heck, it's just the 3rd of March.  That's pretty early for the frogs to come out.

A spring teaser of the breathing and hopping kind.  Cool huh?

Whoohoo

Spitter's Sure Keep Me Busy...

Y'all are probably tired of hearing about my spitter's and the ups and downs of having spitter's as pets.  I feel for you and don't blame you one bit if you just quit reading this post 'cuz it's about spitter's.  The good.  The bad. The ugly, what used to be pretty, spitter's.

The good:  This has to do with Frick and Frack.  Do you remember them?  They are the latest addition in the spitter arena... not counting makeovers and head reattachments.  That would be them just to the right of these words. 

I was standing by the dining table looking at the pond... maybe just daydreaming... and got to thinking about Frick and Frack.  I was asking myself when the water suppy to these guys would deice enough for the water to start flowing.  So I moved over to where I could see them and would you believe I see water squirting in the air?  Here's a hearty WELCOME BACK to Frick and Frack.

The bad:  Well, there really isn't anything bad.  I just put that in the first paragraph because it felt necessary when talking about The Good and The Ugly.  Just how I am... just how I am.

The Ugly:  This is really bad... er, I mean ugly.  It's about Alejandro our gay spitter.  Remember the makeover s/he got back in December?  No?  Look here.  I thought she was beautiful... once the makeover was complete.  Well not so fast there four eyes... it would appear Alejandro has developed some kind of dandruff or peeling disease. 

As you can see, the dandruff or peeling disease is upon us and it seems to have progressed to a point where treatment such as touch-up or similar band-aids are beyond consideration.  About the only thing that is still looking good are the eye lashes... I really like them.

It's very sad to see her looking so -- well, so used -- so abused.  She reminds me of an old hooker down on B Street that hasn't figured out that time has passed her by.  Of course Alejandro is functional and will fill the pond as required once the freezing weather is over and I turn on the sprinklers.  But she is ugggggly.

I had purchased the finest quality outdoor latex paint that money could buy.  I'll be I spent $5.00 or maybe even $6.00 on this paint job and just look at it.  I'm thinking that I'll have to blast all the newly added paint and start anew.  So we will have to have a re-makeover... I guess we've all been there at one time or another.

Maybe this next time I should start with a sealer?  An oil based sealer maybe?  Would that give the exterior paint a better grip so it won't peel?  Maybe I need to seal the outside with some kind of clear coat?  I have to confess I just don't know what I need to do to make the paint job last.  BUT... I'm open to suggestions.  So if you know about this stuff or know someone who knows about this stuff I sure would appreciate a "heads up" on the painting process for yard art... er, I mean spitter makeover applications.

Stay tuned y'all.

whoohoo

Hector Update #3 ~ The Cure

After receiving the "second opinion" noted in the previous post we thought long and hard about what our next step should be in this arduous decision.  We narrowed our options to these:

1. Pound him to dust and spread his "ashes" along the path.
2. Just toss him into the trash can.
3. Attempt an epoxy repair, despite expert recommendations... what's to lose?

We selected option 3 with option 1 as plan "B."

I decided to use a paste epoxy with a 24 hour cure time.  I had some 5 minute curing epoxy but thought I wasn't fast enough with that to have it turn out OK.  Maybe afraid of the pressure of time constraints.  The paste epoxy is easy to use.  It comes in 2 small containers; 1 being black and the other being gray.  You mix it in a 1:1 ratio. 

I kept saying to myself, relax, it's just the opposite of a headectomy... no reason to stress.  Breath in... breath out.  In through the nose and out through the mouth.  Then I closed my eyes and began my Mantra.... Uummmmmmm, Uummmmmmm, Uummmmmm while trying to breath properly.  After about 30 seconds of this I opened my eyes and laughed my ass off... what a silly thing to do before playing with epoxy.

I mixed the epoxy, spread it as even as I could over where Hectors head used to be attached to his body, and then slapped on the top of his head... like an anti-Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland... "On with his head!!!" The Mad Hatter is relieved to hear.  Anyway.....

I placed Hectors skull cap on the curing epoxy and squeezed it into place.  The epoxy oozed out the sides some.  His skull cap didn't fit as smoothly as one might wish as the thickness of the epoxy would not allow the skull cap all the way down to it's original position. I felt it necessary to smear the epoxy over the seams in an effort to seal the wound from future water penetration... if he lives that long.

I then set him aside to dry and become cured.

Three days later I placed him aside the pond and hooked him to the water supply.  He spit.

 

He Spits!

I considered painting him so he didn't look like Al Jolson getting ready to sing "Mammy."  I decided not to do that as the "battle scars" appeal to me.  How many folks can say they undid what the Queen of Hearts wanted done?  None that I know of... How many folks have any idea what I'm talking about... probably not to many (but if you do I like you... your my kinda folk)!

Second Opinion Re: Hector

This is the email response I got from Hector's creators.  I guess it is good that it was quick and painless... for Hector that is...

I attached the same photos that are in my blog post (below) of February 14.

Jim,
I think that it is time to say goodbye to Hector. We no longer manufacture that piece and he looks broken beyond an epoxy repair. You have our condolences.
-Henri Customer Service


On Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 12:09 PM, Jim Watson wrote:
From: Jim Watson
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 10:12 AM

To: feedback@henristudio.com

Subject: Broken Spitter
 The photos are of my spitter, Hector. Hector, as you can see in the pictures, has lost his head. I’m not sure Hector is one of your products so I took a picture of the inscription.

I’m writing for advise on how to get hector (like Humpty Dumpty) put back together again. I was thinking I would use epoxy and then paint him but also consider that repairs may not last and I might as well bury my dead spitter.

I would appreciate your opinion.

Regards,


Now I'll have to figure out if we will have a wake.  Maybe a funeral.  Or just cremate him (would need to use a sledge hammer I think to make dust).  I could put him in a gourd and blow him up I suppose.  Anyone with any ideas?
 
Boohoo

Hector Lost His Head

Like the little egg head named Humpty Dumpty, Hector also is in need of being put back together.  I'm thinking it will take more than all the Kings horses and all the Kings men to put Hector back together again.  Hector's place in the pond was very close to Humpty Dumpty Falls... maybe some of the bad karma was radiating over to Hector.

On the other hand, some might assume he lost his head due to a bad temper and others jump to conclusions that it's drugs and yet others might just think it's immaturity.  Me... I think it's ice.  No, no not meth, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (do you need a green card for a Spanish Spitter?), not diamonds.  I'm talking about water in the frozen state... uno, ice.

Take a look at this picture and you will get an idea about what I'm talking about.

My theory or educated guess based on the preliminary autopsy is water got trapped in the major hose artery, that clear thing right down the middle of the bottom picture, and froze.  As ice freezes it expands and easily can crack spitters right down their hose artery.  The second possibilty is the water seeped into a crack and over time enlarged the crack and through numerous freeze thaw cycles finally popped his head off.

I'm ready to move forward with the delicate "head early reattachment procedure," HELP," which will require copious amounts of epoxy and a delicate hand.  I have the epoxy. 

I've also written to the manufacturer/importer with a plea for help and/or advise on the HEL-Procedure.  I suspect their suggestion will be to put Hector out of his misery but how much misery can a spitter be in with his head detached from his body. 

This whole thing just cracks me up... Hector too I guess.

Stay tuned and I'll advise what happened when I administer HELP.

Whoohoo

Pumps Must Hate Winter

I suppose a rational person would just shut down the pond during the winter versus go through all the trials and tribulations necessary to keep things working in sub-zero temperatures.  I suppose I just defined myself as irrational as I keep plugging away each winter to keep things working.

I have my giant iron persuader to discourage ice but the pond will still freeze over and the waterfalls will become ice dams.  The water level will drop as the ice builds.  The pump will suck air thus risking burn out.  Less water flow means more ice buildup.  I will have frozen extremities from doing battle with the ice.  I have backup garden hoses in case I don't drain a hose properly during the cold mornings.  So far I've been able to rationalize my way past these obstacles.

On Saturday I hit a new challenge that just about put me over the edge.  It's the pump... one winter in a row I had no problems with the pump and now I'm back at it again. 

The pump must have joined some organized work slowdown as less and less water was coming over the falls.  I noticed this earlier in the week and tried just unplugging the pump, let it back wash a little and then replug it and found the flow returned fairly well... maybe 70 to 80 percent.  After a day or two the slowdown would return.  I dreaded removing the pump as that requires someone, me, to actually stick both hands in the water and try and loosen the coupling that connects the pump to the pipes. 

Saturday the weather warmed to above freezing for the first time in quite a while.  I decided I should go for it with the sun out versus having a complete shutdown during a storm (remember the quote from Murphy Jr.,  "My father was an optimist!"). 

I wanted to try and drain the skimmer by covering the hole in front with a shower curtain.  I messed with it and actually got the water to go down past the coupling.  The problem was it leaked.  I would unplug the pump and try to turn the coupling nut but it was not cooperating and the water quickly refilled the skimmer.  I messed with it for a while and finally got the nut loose... the coupling nut that is... and reached down into the icy water and removed the pump.

To my chagrin I found nothing obstructing the pump and the skimmer quickly filled to the top with water.

I took a deep breath as I plunged my hand and arm as well as the pump into the water, setting the pump on the bottom of the skimmer.  Then I needed to reconnect the coupling nut.  Damn that water is cold.  My hands didn't want to hold onto the nut.  My hands didn't want to work at all.  I decided to try and just align the pipes and then turn on the pump with the hope that enough water would be forced up the pipe to get the water level low enough to secure the coupling without my hands having to be in the water.

That was a mistake.  If, in the future, I ever try this again I will stand back as a pump that outputs around 7000 gallons per hour will put up quite a spray of water... cold, icy water... to the tune of 4 or 5 feet through any crack (or unsecured coupling). 

Once dried off and after taking a "get warm" break I just plunged my hands into the icy depths, with resolve, and after a couple of tries was able to get the coupling nut tight.  I then turned on the pump and magically it was working at 100%. 

I can't explain what the problem was but surmise it could have been something in the pipe that was jiggled loose by the on/off action with the pump or possibly there is something laying in the bottom of the skimmer just waiting to replug the intake on the pump.

A couple of hours later I was talking with my son and telling him about the trials and tribulations of pond maintenance and he asked me why I didn't just use a syphon to keep the water in the skimmer at bay.  Hmmmm... good question.  Maybe my brain was as frozen as my hands.

Whoohoo!

Gourd Trellis

I had not seen a gourd trellis until late spring, 2010.  Yep, just last year.  How could I live so long on God's green earth and not see one of these cool inventions?

We went to a local farm to purchase some veggies and off in a field was a small structure covered in leaves.  I couldn't resist check'n it out.  When I arrived at the structure I found it was open in the front and back (or side to side if you prefer) and inside were gourds hanging down like bells in the belfry.  I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.  I had no idea that gourds could hang like that.  I thought their weight would cause them to break away from the mother vine, falling to the ground.  That obviously was not the case.

Since this is the first year of the gourd trellis I don't have any pictures to show but here is one I found on the internet to illustrate the gourd trellis:

There are all kinds of ways to make a gourd trellis.  You can make them, as I did, out of re-bar and 4x4 fence wire.  The picture on the left is obviously made with wood.  They can be shaped in rectangles or circles or Quonset hut shape.  All you really need is something the vine can climb and a little imagination.  Oh, maybe a small amount of sweat would help.

So my gourd trellis is finished except for the all important gourds.  That's Ginger's department and since it's still winter and I had to use a pick to break the icy soil to create the planter I be think'n it's going to be 4 months or more before we even see the beginnings of a leaf covered structure yet alone the fruits of my labor (pun intended). 

I might add that I do have a "plan B" in mind in case the gourd plant takes off and the trellis starts to sag under the weight of all the swollen ovaries we call gourds.  I'll resist implementing "plan B" until I see how our growing season develops.

Here are a few pictures of my gourd trellis:

The planting area is 3.5 ft. by 2 ft and the span is about 6 ft.
The fencing material is 4 ft. wide with 4x4 inch openings.
The re-bar is 1/2 inch for the vertical members and
5/8 inch for the horizontal members.  The re-bar comes
pre-rusted and they don't charge extra for that. 

I guess this can be called a "coming attraction!"  Kinda get's you excited about spring... well, it gets me excited! 

Whoohoo!

There's One in Every Crowd

One picture | Thousand words.

(You can click the picture to see it full size)

A non-conformist Whoohoo to ya.

Ghost!

I could only see it with the dark tree in the background. 

It's kind of spooky in that the poor whowho birdie that crashed into my window on January 2nd (story here) would leave a trace of himself on the window. 

I hope the pictures are clear enough for everyone to see.  The photo looks a little abstract but in reality the trace is quite clear.  If you study the first photo you will, hopefully, see the "ghost" of the whowho birdie.

Here are the pictures for your consideration. 

  The wings are spread, the head appears to be looking
to it's left (photo right) and tail feathers spread wide.

In place of Whoohoo, for this post I give a memorable Whowho.

Alfred Hitchcock ~ The Birds

Just 7 days ago the Sharp-shinned Hawk was making backyard history and today we relive the epic Hitchcock movie "The Birds."

It snowed overnight and when I opened the blinds I was rewarded with a picture perfect winter scene.



 About 10 AM Ginger said there was a "herd" of birds in the backyard.  I asked her if she meant flock and she said no, it seemed more like a herd to her.  So I went to check it out.

The following pictures are of Starlings.  They are known for their large flocks but I have to say that I've never seen anything like the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds... of birds that stopped by for a bath.  Maybe not rare for Starlings but rare for me to witness.  They were on every waterfall en masse.  Some, that were apparently too low in the heirarchy, had to make due with snow baths.  It surely was a "bathing frenzy."  For those relegated to snow baths, some looked like they were making snow angels. 

If you wish to see the original sized picture just double click the picture and by magic the original will appear.

And here is a video taken with my tiny camera and held in my shakey hands:

If you watch closely you will see that every now and then a Starling will get washed over the falls or pushed over, not sure which.  You would think these creatures had never seen a waterfall before.

They were here in force for about 25-30 minutes and then the crowd stated to thin and now they are all gone with nothing left except tracks and crap in the snow.

Whoohoo!!

Boink! The Hawk is Here...

Today was the third straight day I've seen the Sharp-shinned Hawk in the backyard.  Today was a bit different ~ here is the story.

It's a Sunday and I'm reading while comfortable in my chair.  Ginger is making pizza dough and the TV is making noise but I can't tell you what noise it was.  Then came a LOUD CRACK and I thought the window that looks into the backyard must surely be shattered.  I jumped up, my book falling to the floor, saying "What the hell was that?" 

The window was intact.  There were feathers stuck in the screen.  I rushed to the window and looked out to see a whowho birdie (mourning dove if you haven't been reading the blog) laying on the cold concrete.  Dead?  No, it was moving a bit.  The bird rolled onto it's belly but was obviously dazed. 

Not at all dazed was the Sharp-shinned Hawk sitting about 10 feet away from the whowho birdie!

The dove rose to it's feet and was twitching it's head like it was trying to get focused.  It wasn't completely recovered.  The hawk just sat on the birdbath. 

It was obvious to me that when the hawk had came to the yard this caused the birds that were feeding under the bird feeder to flee.  This poor whowho birdie in it's flight for life had forgotten to watch were it was going and ran into the window knocking itself senseless.

What surprised me was the hawk didn't pounce on the easy meal. 

The whowho birdie finally seemed to regain it's senses.  I decided I would try and get a picture of the hawk and whowho birdie in the same frame.  As I reached for my camera the whowho birdie decided to make an exit.  The hawk immediately took off with the whowho birdie in it's sights.  The whowho birdie made it about 20 feet when the hawk intercepted it and down to the ground they went.  It seemed to me the whowho birdie was dead by the time they reached terra firma.

I stepped outside with the hopes of getting a picture but as soon as I stepped out the hawk took flight with the prey firmly gripped in it's talons.

Whew!

Makeover for Alejandro F.

Frogs have a tough life. They are challenged in the brain department. They get bad press about warts (it isn't true). They are picked on by herons.  People raise them so they can to eat their legs.   Finally and aptly, I might add, they carry the reputation that it ain't easy being green and I can vouch for that as everytime I've been green it wasn't easy either.

With the above in mind it's time to give this selfless pond watering icon a little pazazz. Spice up his life a little. Update the look to be more 21st century. Make GREEN be SEEN! Now is the time for frog lovers everywhere to cast your eyes on the he/she of frogs! Can you spell M.A.K.E.O.V.E.R. boys and girls? I just knew you could.  Alejandro F. is changing from a mousy wall-flower into a pimp looking, cross dressing, s/he frog. We're make'n this spitter the most brassy, bawdy and lecherous look'n frog for miles and miles around. When you see her makeover pics you will wonder how this colorless creature turned into such a gewgaw.

For inspiration we used the cheerful loving frog icon doing the dance in the upper left corner of this very blog. Add a little inspiration, some paint... well a lot of paint, a little time and you get the new and improved Alejandro F. like you never thought s/he could be or would be.

This is a radical deviation from the usual conservative, creature loving blog both of you fans have become accustomed to seeing.  Grab a large rock so you don't get blown away!!!

NOW a dopey poem and pictures introducing:

The NEW Alejandro F.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Hobos and tramps,

Crosseyed mosquitos,

Bowlegged ants.

I've come to present a miracle indeed,

This story is crazy ~ hard to believe,

Pull up a chair get some coffee or tea,

It’s about Alejandro when he was naïve.

 

His sexuality was in question at first,

The name calling is what hurt him the worst,

When he discovered his feminine side,

He wouldn’t admit it ~ he wanted to hide.

Day in and day out his water did flow,

To fill the pond when the level was low,

But all the time his mind was perplexed,
Am I boy am I girl ~ just what is my sex.

Then came opportunity to aver sexual attraction,

He remembered a picture of Bourbon Street action,

Boys looked like girls she thought that was neat,

Being woman is better as they are so sweet.

It’s time for the makeover we’ve heard all about,

Color and style this frog will soon sprout,

Be boy or be girl we still can not say,

I think it’s for sure that this frog is gay.

Some color was needed from lip to tail,
And color she got using putty knife and pail,
Red lips ~ painted nails she does now sport,
Gems across her back of the unusual sort.

Now she looks like this blogs icon painted,
Surprising to me that no one has fainted,
She’s a bit of the gaudy but now true to herself,
An icon she is and I was happy to help.

From pink nails and fancy eye lashes to those sensuous lips and
of course the rubies, diamonds and unusual gems down her back.
Oh what a change... dahling!

Whoohoo!!!