We're Home

After a successful surgery, Ward is home now. 

Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts and messages. As you know, they really do make a difference.

After I rest up a bit, I'll talk with you again.

Yet another blogging interruption

Today Ward is going to have surgery. It's a necessary thing that we are eager to be on the other side of. So once again, I may not be posting for a few days while he's in the hospital. Not sure how it's all going to play out. We'll see.

Yesterday, I woke up with a fever and a bit of a panic. Luckily, my doctor said that I'm not contagious so there is no problem being with Ward. And after a couple of days of antibiotic, I should feel better. The next few days are going to be difficult, but "The only way through it, is through it." 

A Second Look--June 13, 2016

My posting schedule has been off for a while with trips to see my mother and internet outages. During this time, the yard continued to evolve. More of the summer flowers are peeking out while a few spring flowers still remain.

The birds are in the middle of their second laying. At this rate, there may be three broods this year for some of them.

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

There are a lot of honey bees out. This one on the purple sage moved around quickly because the flowers are not very big. Do you see its proboscis?

The pansies from last fall are still blooming. However, the weather is starting to get too hot for them.

Ladybug. It's been a long time since I've see our native ladybugs. Since the introduction of
Asian ladybugs, our native ladybugs have decreased substantially in numbers. While the Asian lady bugs have helped with the aphid population, they have also become a pest as they overwinter in people's houses.

Squirrels are amazing (and frustrating). Notice how this one is holding on by only one toe. It stayed quite a while in that position.

While we see humming birds, they are not frequent visitors to our feeders. Notice how the image of this one is refracted through the glass.

House sparrow eggs. House sparrows are another non-native species that have made things hard for the native song birds. So it is recommended that you remove their nests when they start to build. Well, I did that and hoped that the bluebirds would comeback and nest again in the box. However, from one day to the next, another nest was built and four eggs were laid in it. The nest is not a very good one as the eggs are sitting on the bottom of the box but the parents are doing a good job of sitting and defending. Whether or not I should have gotten rid of them, I don't know, but once the eggs are there, I let them stay.

Day lilies, Stella Dora. These day lilies are a favorite of landscapers since they are supposed to bloom in both shade and sun and bloom all summer. Well, that hasn't been our experience up until this point. However, this year they are getting a good start and have more blooms than ever before. We'll see how they do as time goes on.

Astilbe

The calves have grown a lot in the last few months.

Thankful Sunday--June 12, 2016

I am thankful for choices.

After a week with no phone, internet, or TV, it all got fixed yesterday. Now I have a choices. I can watch the birds or TV. I can read a paper book or blogs. I can use a full size phone or little flip phone from my pocket. And for these renewed choices, I am thankful.

Triple Play = Out

or my very poor attempt at baseball analogy.

What I am trying to say is that we have been without tv, phone, or internet for a few days now and we can't get someone to look at it until Saturday. While I can certainly live without these things, I'm finding it difficult. Like it or not, my life revolves around electronics. Bill paying-online. Letters-email. Questions-phone.

No smart phone, no iPad, no N etflix either.

Oh, woes me! These third word problems.