All the little birdies....

It's amazing to me how nature is so trusting. Outside our front door... about thigh high is this evergreen bush - and inside it's prickly branches we happened to see....

such delicate beauty and so within reach of the crazy - murderous cat that lives next door and stalks the wildlife in my yard! (no bad feelings there on my part... remind me to tell you the story about me... that darn cat... and the chipmunk) Anyway.... I've been keeping an eye on the bush - sneaking a peak to make sure everything is ok...

and two of the eggs have hatched

aren't they... um..... cute?

I think they look just like their mother

Little Fur Man

I was out on the porch today - and this little brave soul came right up to me

He was trying to tell me that the branch that had fallen earlier had knocked down the corn cob holder....

and there was no corn on his branch..... I was so surprised to see his cute little furry face, however, that I just kept snapping pictures of him - while he flipped his tail in agitation - and flapped his arms around and got closer and closer to me....

Til he looked me straight in the eye in disgust... and then I realized... No corn! What was I thinking!

Yes - I have a problem... I love squirrels!! There's just something about those funny furry feet that make me smile!

Puppy sitting Casualty

So last weekend we puppysat my sister in laws adorable... energetic corgi puppies so she could attend the UT football game....

They absolutely LOVE to play with our dogs and the four fluffer-butts run in and out of the house ALL DAY LONG!!  Which is great for them.... and works to keep the activity in the house down while they race around the back yard then come into the house to cool off for a bit - then do it all over again.

The next day, however, when I was outside feeding the squirrels - I happened to look back over my shoulder and saw THIS backing itself down our tree.....right off of our deck...

 My guess is that with all the wild furball activity the night before... our nightly masked visitor (who comes to finish off whatever the squirrels don't eat during the day) probably got treed and never had the opportunity to leave... then fell asleep in the tree when it got too late.... He was trying to sneak away when I caught sight of him.....

When I started talking to him, however... he quickly reversed direction - going back up the tree and started circling towards the back of  the tree to try to get out of sight.... but - it was bright out and he was tired... so I think he thought he was invisible... when really - - - I could see him quite clearly!

Even the branches really didn't really help hide him since I knew where he was - but after taking a few pictures - I left him to exit gracefully and just enjoyed the moment I'd had with this furry visitor!

Feathered Friends

Shy and elusive - this ladderback, red bellied wood pecker took quite a few tries to capture clearly on film. 

His voice - however, is anything but shy - loud and raucious you can hear him coming a mile away!  But whip out the camera and he vanishes in an instant!

But what a beauty! - He was definitely worth the wait don't you think? 

Beautiful Visitors

I love this time of year  when the birds come fat and happy to eat on my porch - I've seen them all winter - but for some reason with the coming spring they come with ATTITUDE 

 and I love to see it! 

Even the girls look spectacular - their fluffyness giving them a soft beauty that makes the boys squabble in wild red abandon.

Then there's the visitors from out of town - the ones I  haven't seen before - that stop by to catch a bite to eat on their trips from one place to another.  I always feel honored to catch a glimpse of these feathered friends - I had to pull out my husbands bird books to find out what kind of bird this was - we decided it was a bluebird (of some sort) - never would have guessed.... : )

An Unexpected Snowfall

Somebody in my house has been doing the "I don't want to go to school" - snow dance... because  - yesterday - even though the weather man didn't say it was going to snow.... I looked outside the window and saw a few big flakes lazily making

 their way to the ground.

Napoleon was shivering on his branch, but the ground was clear - so my husband and I prepared to go to the other house to get some major construction done... it was going to be a very

productive afternoon!

Winters Chill

Winter ice clothes the branches outside my window in delicate lacy webs of white.  I peek outside and watch the little birds hop from foot to foot and wish I could gather them together inside my nice warm home.   They look at me from their perches in the crisp fresh air and wonder why I'm locked away behind the glass.

Sorry Did you Want this?

Busy Bee

I sat in my garden the other day and watched

this little guy go about his work.

He was so busy he didn't even see me

 sitting right there in the middle of his world.

He looked so important, so together, so organized

Perhaps he even knew the secrets of the universe...

I wanted to ask him a question -

but if he saw me - he gave no indication.

Am I that busy bee?  Who did I ignore today

sitting in the middle of my world... who's

universe of questions could I have answered

 if I'd only stopped long enough to see them?

Finding my Serenity

Every day its the same, rise at 5 - shower, pack lunches, ready backpacks and briefcases, feed dogs, kids (squirrels and rats) make coffee, clean up last nights remnants (if I didn't do it the night before) and then out the door to another hectic day of classes, appointments, proposals, phone calls meetings, housework errands, laundry, picking up kids from school to do homework (theirs and mine) and dinner preparation for the next day - time with hubby (if I'm lucky) then to bed in the wee morning hours to get ready for it to start all over again.  It's easy to lose sight of the beauty around us when we race through the day. I took this picture between appointments once day.  It had just rained and the air was misty and damp.  Everything was fresh and clean - I had to walk through wet grass and mud to get this shot - but the picture was worth it! Every time I see it I remember  to stop and appreciate the beauty around me.  It's not just about the tasks I do every day - it's about living - enjoying life and having a thankful heart!