Its Just About THAT Time of Year Again.

The hens have been looking at me askew lately. Guess they're heard the blue jays and mocking birds talking about the mulberries!!! Can't convince them that they aren't ripe yet. And that the other birds eat them while they're still pink!  Oh well, my girls are a little bit spoiled.  Since I wanted to clean under the trees before my grandchildren start picking, I figured I'd find them some that had blown off in the wind. Keep them satisfied for a little bit at least!

 



Found quite a few berries! In all stages of ripening. Oh, the girls will be pleased with a big handful of these.

Then I found a ripe one!! And another! And the hens didn't get those.... I did!
Found plenty of others on the ground, even found a big fat grubworm.
That means I'll have some happy chickens!

Maynard came all the way out to the corner lot to help me with my work. He is turning out to be quite the garden cat!

What A Beautiful Afternoon.

   The morning started out quite cool. Not like yesterday! We actually had frost! The cats weren't happy with any of it. They bundle up together, and this empty box was a perfect spot. Thats Trashbag Travis in the bottom there.

   By afternoon the temperatures were up and the sun was shining brightly. It certainly cast its hypnotic spell on Blossom! Ahulee was enjoying it too, but I think the pollen was getting to him. He started itching!

    Jacob was thrilled!! Warmth and sunshine. Nothing like living in Florida in the Winter! Its been a very mild season. Will have mulberries pretty soon! The hens and grandchildren will be thrilled!! And so will I.

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today!

   

 

    Well, today is the first day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. I had decided I was going to get up and go to the nesting colony. (You don't HAVE to stay in your backyard for this) Counted well over 60 wood storks, several snowy egrets, great herons and some anhingas!  Its not as crowded as I've seen it in years past. But maybe they're just getting started.  
     Lots of activity! Flying in and out, feeding and gathering nest building materials.  Nothing like a low flying stork heading my way to really wake me up!!! It was close enough I could feel the air being pushed off its wings! Very great start to my day!

    Go to   http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/   and check it out! You can report from all over the world!    Happy bird counting everyone!

A Little Help With The Yard Work.

Couldn't resist trying to do a little yard work, its just too perfect a day not to. So I set my sights at bagging up a bunch of the plumbago branches I had cut the other week. Not allowed to burn right now. So they have to go out this way. No, I'm not happy about it! Would prefer to compost somehow.
Oh well, with all thats going on, this is the best I can do at present. So anyway, Mr. Maynard B. Mouth decided to help me pack the branches down! Did a pretty thorough job of it too. Kept going back to it after I'd put in more brush.



Until finally, he was satisfied! Or perhaps he was just plain tired! Either way, I'll take all the help I can get.

They Grow So Fast!

Just a little glimpse of how much Jacob is growing!!!!
We'll get back to work on the blogs pretty soon, been a lot of sickness with us humans around here. HAVE to get better, its almost time to start the garden!

 

2013! Its Going To Be A Good Year!

   As I gaze into the future... I see adventure and exploits heretofore unknown.

Cats Keep Getting Into Trouble!

   Well, it seems I still have that issue of the computer not letting me post photos. I know I don't understand these machines very well....... ok, not well at all!! But that doesn't make any sense to me.
    Anyway, its been a little tough around here lately, but the last week has been heck on the outdoor cats! Poor Cleatus! He showed up the other day wearing a new fashion accessory. Somehow he had managed to get a piece of accordian pleated tubing stuck around his neck! Don't know what he was after when he stuck his head in there..... but it got away and he wound up wearing that piece of plastic like a scarlet letter!!!
    The biggest problem with that is Cleatus is not a very touchy, feely kind of tomcat! Not the least bit happy with me trying to hold him. And hes a pretty large cat!!!  After a lot of hissing and some really TENSE moments, I came up with a better plan. One that I felt would keep me reasonably safe! So with scissors in one hand and a bag of Temptations treats in the other, I proceeded to distract him with said treats. I'd quickly snip a little on the "necklace". He'd quickly jump back and hiss and growl at me! We repeated this procedure till most of the treats were gone and I had managed to cut completely through the plastic. Then I tried to pull it off of his neck....... then I immediately went back to offering him the rest of the treats!!!! Finally got a good hold on it and held on as he jumped and twisted away!  Patience pays off again. No blood was shed!!
    Then this last Saturday morning as I was out at the clothesline, Buckshot Charlie came up to be petted. He'd been hanging back for a few days, so I was happy to see him back to his old friendly self...... until I ran my hand down the back of his head and neck and my fingers slipped INSIDE the hole in the side of his neck! Yeah, I was a little shocked by that turn of events. Luckily my vet is open on Saturday mornings. Getting Buckshot into the carrier didn't go very smoothly, but I finally managed! He HATES being closed up in any kind of cage!!! And lets you know it too. This from one of the friendliest and laidback cats we've ever had around here. Oh my!  
    The vet said it looked pretty good considering. It was a bite wound that had festered (that explains the withdrawn behavior) and burst. Its a pretty big hole, but since he had all ready eaten that morning they couldn't give him any anesthesia in order to sew it up. So, they cleaned the site up, gave him a shot, wrote me a script for antibiotics, told me to clean it several times a day and apply Neosporin. Watch to see if it heals on its own.   So now I'm worrying myself silly about this old cat who loves to lay in the dirt!! ha ha ha  And of course, hes rubbing his neck on everything!      WHY do they DO that?  Oh goodness... all this and Yule is on its way!!!  At least I have a big treat for all the dogs. Wrapped and ready.    My hope is that everyone stays safe and sound from here on out.