love of nature

yesterday as i was out in the yard watering my hydrangeas, i heard the cutest little chirp and of course i had to find out where it was coming from. i ran inside and grabbed my binoculars and camera. scanning the back yard i heard the chirp again and located the source high up (about 30feet) in my big oak tree. it was a little fledgling robin. i figured maybe baby was resting from flying. i noticed it kept hopping about on the massive tree limb and then i realized baby was waiting for momma to come back with some food. it was difficult to crane my neck and try to get photos at the same time, so i had the bright idea of climbing up on the shed which was close to the tree. i figured the height would be better to watch and photograph my new friend. i grabbed the old bunk bed ladder from dillon's fort/hangout area and leaned it up against the shed. then i climbed up but had to hoist myself up on the shed (not a pretty site as i'm not exactly Miss Nimble anymore!) but it was the perfect view to watch.

baby would sit patiently and wait for mom. before mom even came into range of my sight, i noticed baby would start squawking. then mom would land with some food, feed baby and fly off again. it was fun to watch. i couldn't figure out how the baby would know mom was close, because she didn't make any noise and had food in her mouth. but baby always knew when she was getting close.

after i got the pictures i wanted, i realized that i was not going to be able to climb down the ladder (easier going up then down!) so i decided my only option was to jump off the shed and onto the trampoline, which is what the kids do (and it is pulled up right along the shed). i put my camera as close to the edge of the shed to grab later and jumped. (again not a pretty site and glad no one was watching!) then i dusted myself off, grabbed my camera and went back to watering. that's how i roll.

born on the 4th of July

i got a little behind on my posting with the holiday and all and then my little kitty, Lilly wasn't feeling well. she ate something outside that left her feeling poorly for a few days. she's all better now though. also, Pepper (one of the westies) has been limping sporadically, but i can't see to find anything in the paw. then she'll stop and then i'll see her doing it again. and then finally, miss gracie (the other younger westie) was absolutely besides herself with the fireworks. she is afraid during thunderstorms, gets freaked when the power goes out, freaks if a smoke alarm goes off or beeps with a low battery, etc. so needless to say, she was frantic on the 4th of July. shaking, quivering, panting, pacing. she was a nervous wreck. i brought her up to my room and turned on the AC, fan and any other white noise i could think of to drown out the fireworks. and to top it off, i ate something bad last night too, so i'm not feeling all to great today either!

anywho, when i checked on miss robin's nest on the 4th, lookie what i found?

i finished up some "cworky" dolls for my mom. she asked if i could make some for her to give out as little gifts when she hostesses a get together for her friends in september.

Also, here is a journal page i did for a colloboration for someone who isn't feeling well. it is a surprise, so i won't mention any names and i don't think she reads my blog, so now worries there on her getting suspcious...

look what i found

yesterday when i was outside in the garden, i noticed that momma robin had come back and flew into her nest that she built under in our arbor, hidden in the wisteria. i thought, what's she doing now? is one of the babies hanging out in the wisteria? i took a peek but didn't see anyone. then she flew back in again, so i went and got the ladder. sure enough, inside the nest i found one little egg.

my babies are leaving the nest

as i was getting Tucker ready for school today, i looked out his window and saw momma robin and a baby. she took off and the baby was hopping up and down the rungs on a ladder in the yard. fledgling day! so soon? weren't they just born? so i snuck out with my camera (ditching tucker!) and took some shots. i couldn't believe i was sitting right there when the mom flew in and brought some breakfast to the baby. such a great way to start the day! tomorrow i will show you a picture of the new babies we are watching! the fun never ends around here. also, this is a cool moth i found on my porch. i think it is hot and needed to rest (it's only 98 here today!). so i soaked a paper towel in sugar water and put it in front of it and it started drinking away.

update: actually, i found out this is a moth. we thought it was a pregnant butterfly, but since it's a moth, i am thinking that maybe that the body is usually chubby like that. we tried to let it go last night, but it didn't leave. i think it likes it here.

baby robins

these are the babies from the nest that Mrs. Robin made in our arbor in the front yard. she really did a good job because her nest is quite hidden under the wisteria. i've seen her fly onto the arbor and the duck under the leaves to get to the nest. the other day when i was out there, i saw some robins egg on the ground, so i figured they had hatched. i grabbed the ladder after momma flew off and climbed up for a peek. i think there are 4 of them. they get big fast, so i'll check on them in a few days for another photo.