Sunday Miscellany

 

I've listened to this little one or its partner all morning.  

The bird puts out a sweet and succinct little tweet every so often.  

It's known as a Western flycatcher, and we've been aware of their visits for the past few years. 

Very social:  when company shows up on the deck, so do the birds which seem to love our tiki torches as their personal pedestals. 

They return to the same nest every year, hang around long enough for their youngsters to fly off with them. 

And, then it's quiet again for another year. 

I absolutely love these birds with the big eyes. 

This is the three "P's" patch behind the barn:  pumpkin, potatoes and petunias. 

The pumpkin has displayed dramatic growth in recent days.  Eventually, it may cover the entire manure pile. 

And, the potatoes have blossoms.  

I've already brought two potatoes to the house from the other garden, and I'm guessing I could dig some more for a tasty dinner treat. 

Our service berry bushes are loaded this year, and many have already ripened. 

While I was watering the garden the other morning, I heard a louder than usual rustle in the service berry bushes. 

No wonder.  A pileated woodpecker had landed to sample some berries. 

I'm not sure that the bouncing on the bushes limbs was exactly what the big bird wanted to do, so it flew off and headed for the woods. 

I have now eaten the first blueberry of 2023.  

The bushes are loaded and the berries often ripen overnight.  So, I'll be picking and grinning in the next couple of days.

 

The horses are in total horse heaven.  

They moved from their picked-over pastures to the hay field yesterday after Bill fortified the north border with the solar-powered electric fence. 

The pasture should last them for the summer, and, with luck, those nearer the house could rebound enough to take them through the fall. 

It's a beautiful sight each morning after leading the last of the three through the gate and watching them show off for a while before settling down to eat. 

Photo by Tuyen Huynh Vanderford

I met an aspiring and prolific author yesterday. Evelyn has already penned several books, binding them and providing their artwork.

 She is 9. 

Evelyn's great-grandfather Richard "Dick" Sodorff was my high school principal, while her great-grandma Claire was my English teacher and counselor. 

Later, I worked with both Dick and Claire.  

I also student taught Evelyn's grandmother Marcia, who with her husband Tom owns a book store.  

Later, I taught Marcia and Tom's son Greg, who is Evelyn's dad. 

A long line of intersecting education stories there, and kinda fun to meet a young author who, when she decides her books are "for sale," may some day write a bestseller. 

It was a fun meeting.

Good luck with your writing, Evelyn.   

After a fairly leisurely but fun Saturday, today marks a return to the yard and garden work and some planning. 

We'll be hosting the Fourth of July barbecue, so I'll be mowing lawn, gleaning from the garden and engaging in whatever preparations are necessary for the big holiday. 

It's a lovely day outside, and the flycatcher just tweeted to have a Happy Sunday.