Another set of goslings have been born! That means at least one of our 2 year old goslings survived, found a mate and bred! Woohoo!
However, somebody got a whole lot confused! Both sets of parents - all 4 of them - were honking and gesturing like you wouldn't believe. It was quite dramatic here at the Swamp yesterday. I finally had to go inside and let them figure it out. I don't know how, but they finally did!
One family of goosies to the left of the feeder and the other family of goosies to the right of the feeder!
As I type this post I'm uploading 3 videos but for some reason Flickr Uploadr is taking forevr this morning. When they're done, they'll be HERE along with the rest of the photos from yesterday.
Drama!
It's Friday! Woohoo! Of course, I'll be working at the Yellow house all weekend, but still.
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo
Yesterday was the first day the goslings came a-runnin' towards me with their little wing buds stretched out when they saw that I was tossing bread out by the feeder. It's the cutest thing! My apologies; I don't have a video of it. If you like you can see last year's goslings, Molly and Fibber McGee, doing the very same thing HERE. They were much older in that video than Larry, Moe and Curly are right now, but every bit as adorable!
The feeder is new as of last fall. I wanted to keep the geese from pooping on my patio this year and my neighbor Mike thought of the feeder. Then he went and got it and now he keeps it full of high quality, high protein foods for the racoons, feral cats, bazillions of birds and the geese. He mixes several different kinds of food that he gets from our local feed store. Mike is such a sweetie pie.
Here's the geese following Dad, hoping he'll toss some bread their way, no doubt!
I loved the morning light in these. There's a slideshow of more photos HERE.
I won't bore you with the details of what I did yesterday since it was all work and no play. The big highlight was a quick run out to Smith Barney and the Post Office in the afternoon. Yeah. It was that kind of day. Although we DID have pasta for supper! mmmm....
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will try, but it's likely to be a clone of yesterday! Big Hugs ♥xo
This was the scene in my office yesterday afternoon. Awwww! Gandalf and Grayson were all snuggled up together in one of the chairs by the window. It's not the clearest photo, but it may be the cutest. I didn't get a second chance because once Grayson realized I was looking at him, he got up and came to me. Rats. But so cute. =0)
My mother just asked me if pasta was OK for supper tonight. Ummmm... sure!
I spoke with a dear friend last night for several hours. I even stayed up way past my bedtime! We haven't seen each other since I moved to Georgia. I promised Miss Judy that I would get down for a visit as soon as I have the Yellow house put on the market. She's the kind of friend that if we don't see or talk to each other for forever and forever we pick right back up as if it were yesterday.
I met Miss Judy back in 1987. I was looking at getting my first computer for my business and I was truly clueless. All I'd ever used previously were Word Processors and remote log-ons to a mainframe computer - you know, the kind where you dial-up and put the phone receiver into a modem cradle! AOL was all the rage back then! =0)
As luck would have it, my friend and then-business partner Al happened to be repairing Judy's husband's printing press and he happened to mention that I was looking into computers. Her husband suggested I call his wife. At the time she was an Independent Consultant. Really, she was a software geek! Once she determined what sort of software was required she would recommend the right computer configuration to run it. After it was delivered and installed, Miss Judy would come in and train you to use the software. This was back in the days of DOS - pre-Windows! We hit it off immediately and we have been friends ever since.
I was just talking to Sandy about Miss Judy and Q&A - one of the programs Miss Judy recommended to me. Sandy, I mentioned this to Miss Judy last night and she still has Q&A and she still uses it. She says she has never found a better data base!
Me? I've never found a better friend! I love you, Miss Judy! =0)
Well, I've got lots of business to attend to so I'd better get at it! Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo
Isn't that one of the most relaxing sights? Well... except for Gandalf Meow Meow Meowing at me in the background!
I have a story about the baby goosies to tell you, but first off I need to tell you that every baby goosie is OK! OK? Good! I hate it when people don't tell you first that everything's OK when they have something bad to tell you. I know several people like that, too. It makes me nuts! I've got their number now tho. I just interupt them to ask if "he/she/they are OK". Yes, I do.
Anyway. The story...
Not long after I shot this video yesterday morning, I was in my office working. I heard barks that are not normal to hear here at the Swamp and so I went out onto the patio to see about them. Then I noticed that the Mama or Papa Goose was honking. Y'all... I can now tell some of their honks apart! I knew something was wrong.
I walked down to the Swamp to have a look. The Mama and Papa Geese were further out in the Swamp and the 3 baby goosies had all gotten themselves stuck in the muck around the fallen log that the turtles use for sunbathing. Mama and Papa Goose must have driven them back into the Swamp when they saw those strange dogs and in the frenzy they got separated from each other.
I stayed out there trying to coax Mama and Papa Goose to come back and get the baby goosies to climb out of the muck, but they just kept honking softly... until they just stopped honking. One baby goose managed to swim his way out and found Mama and Papa Goose but the other two just stayed put. Now I don't know how y'all feel about praying for animals, but I pray for mine all the time. And I did right then.
A few minutes later the two baby goosies managed to un-muck themselves. I was relieved they were swimming again but unfortunately they were headed off in the opposite direction of Mama and Papa Goose. They had stopped honking and they baby goosies had no direction.
I was very worried for them. They would never make it without their parents. I went back into my office and said another prayer for them all to find each other. I went outside a few times to see if they had come back up to my yard without any sign of any of them.
A few hours later my Dad knocked on my door. "Barb? We have 5 geese again!"
Hooray! Y'all? You can NOT imagine how relieved I was to hear those words and see them all together again!
The odd part is that just the other day I was telling one of my neighbors that I was not worried as much about them this year as I had been in previous years. Mama and Papa Goose had successfully parented for a few years in a row now and I figured, you know... they had the hang of it now. I forgot that the Swamp is an ecosystem with constant ebbs and flows. Life and Death both happen every day out there, just as in our own world.
Treasure each moment you have together. You never can tell when some strange dog will come around barking and upset the balance.
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo
Today I have a different kind of Aww for you. This one is more Awe than Awww!
I painted until 7:00pm-ish yesterday. Tired I am. Today is Monday and that means a work day... so I can rest my weary bones! hahahaha!
I haven't finished watching Avatar yet. I only watched 52 minutes of it after supper Saturday when suddenly I just couldn't stay awake a moment longer. I loaned it to Mike and Peggy since it's still in their Netflix queue. It was a rainy morning and a perfect day for vegging after they got home from church. Peggy says Mike and their daughter Vickie enjoyed it while she worked on her final. (She's a few courses away from her Masters.) I'll reserve judgement until I've finished watching it, but so far... I'm not really all that hepped up on it. Just saying.
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I'm sure going to try! Big hugs xo♥
Well, to get to the bread tossed at the feeder, of course!
You'd be proud of me. I ended up taking the day off from painting yesterday! I know!
I still went to Sam's to get my tires rotated. There were 4 cars ahead of me so it was an hour and 45 minute wait. So I shopped and bought these.
I also picked up 4 rose bushes and some Miracle Gro Potting Soil. My Dad will be planting those today!
While waiting for my tires I sat down on a very comfortable leather sectional and watched all but about 20 minutes of the movie Stargate on a 47 inch TV. When I got home I put it in my Netfix queue so I can see the rest of it! Oh, and I SO need a bigger TV now!
Then I walked across the street to Mike and Peggy's to check on the new in-ground pool progress. Isn't it nice of them to tear down the above ground pool and put in an in-ground pool just for me! Yes, I thought so, too!
Ah, life is good here on the Swamp!
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo
$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.
Love,
Your $on.
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Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Actually, I have an Antique Car Parade this morning! Doesn't that sounds fun?! It's in that little town just north of me with all those cool murals painted on a good many of the downtown buildings. Do you remember them?
See that window? That's not an actual window. It's actually not an actual door or roof, either! The door totally fooled my sister Lynda when we went there last year. I'll take more photos, just in case you've forgotten! That's after I get my tires rotated at Sam's, then painting this afternoon... assuming I have any energy left by then!
Enjoy today's trip around the sun! I know I will! Big Hugs ♥xo
Being part of the initiative “My blog is carbon neutral” is an active contribution to help the environment! All you have to do is described here. Make it happen - make it green!
“My blog is carbon neutral” is an initiative, originally started in Germany by the “Make it Green” programme, that has the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We plant a tree for your blog and thereby neutralise your blog’s carbon footprint for the next 50 years! Everyone can make a small contribution to the environment. Every tree counts!
Oh. And it's FREE!
Here’s how you can participate!
Just write a short blog post about our programme “My blog is carbon neutral” and include one of the buttons below on your site (ideally in the sidebar). Send the link to your blog to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de and we plant a tree for you, neutralising the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog. The trees will be planted in the spring of 2010 by the Arbor Day Foundation. For more information about how and where the trees are planted, see the NEWS section.
Just a few easy steps to make it green:
Write a blog post about the initiative + insert your favourite button
Note: We plant a tree for each domain. Please copy the html-code and paste it in your blog. Make sure the carbon-neutral button works, the html-code must not be changed. Use the carbon-neutral-white button for a white background or the carbon-neutral-transparent button for different colored backgrounds. If you need help, please contact CO2-neutral@kaufda.de. We are looking forward to planting your tree!
Well, y'all know how much I love trees! And it's EARTH DAY! Why on Earth wouldn't you want to be a part of planting a tree for free?!
See her napping with her Monkey Lovie, Peter? Peter is Aria's most favorite thing! She loved it so much that not long after I sent Aria her Lovie my sister Lynda, Aria's Nana, and Danielle, Aria's Mommy, asked me to have another one made for her... you know, just in case Peter ever met with an unfortuante happenstance! Please don't tell Miss Aria, but Peter has a "Stand-In', just in case! Actually, one Peter stays in her crib at home, and the other Peter stays in her crib at Nana's. =0)
Today they are having a monkey-themed Birthday Party for Aria! I wish I could be there to see it! Lynda promises to send photos!
A light rain fell upon the Swamp yesterday evening after a brief downpour. It sent the goslings scrambling to get under the wings of Mama Goose. It was the first rain ever to fall on them, so perhaps they didn't yet know they are waterproof! =0)
My office is getting mighty crowded. I have Gandalf and Whitey on Lockdown again but since we're all in there then that means Grayson and Gracie NEED to be in there, too. I guess I should have chosen a larger bedroom to be the office. Who knew it would be so popular?
Last night while I was doing the dishes I had this whole conversation going on in my head. How can a soap dispenser ever get dirty? Since my parents moved in with me I've noticed that my dish soap dispenser gets dirty all the time. I'm constantly washing it. What's up with that? And I woke up thinking about it. What's up with that?
And finally, a Minute Factoid. A minute takes FOREVER when you are waiting for that LAST cup of coffee to drip into the pot so you can have that FIRST cup, yet when you are playing Bejeweled Blitz it's over just like THAT!
It's going to be a great day today, y'all! I can just tell! Big hugs xo♥
Yesterday was a very maddening day for me. My cat's gmail account was hacked. Google sent me an alert that an IP address other than mine had accessed the account and STRONGLY SUGGESTED that I immediately change the password. I did, of course, but the more I thought about it the more creeped out I got so I ended up deleting it. Spammers and hackers suck. Get a life already. Jerks.
If that wasn't frustrating enough, Gandalf and Whitey both marked my patio door again so they are back on Lockdown. Back to square one with them. ::sigh::
On the upside - yes, there is one! - I had a good day at the office. And my 3 little Stooges are all so darn cute! My mother and father keep calling me to take photos of them... "Oh, look. They're right by the patio. Get a picture of that. Oh, look. They're all eating grass. Get a picture of that!"... As if I need reminders to take photographs! hahahaha!
So. If you haven't already done so, please change the passwords on your online accounts. At least make it hard for the hackers to be juvenile delinquents. And today will be a much better day, because I said so! Big hugs xo♥
They are earlier than I expected! Just 3 again. I don't know why she has so few?! But I am still thrilled to see them. They've already drawn several of the neighbors to see them!
This year I have decided to name them Moe, Larry & Curly! Welcome to the Swamp, baby goosies! I hope you are not camera shy! =0)
I only took a few photos tonight. Very tired. Here's the set.
I have a sore body again, but that's OK because I got lots done yesterday. Since I had to mud the bathroom yesterday - technically Al mudded - all I could paint in the bathroom was the ceiling.
So, what was Plan B? I decided to add painting of some of the door and window trim to my To-Do List, but only in the main area of the house: Foyer, Kitchen, Living Room and Dining Room. I got most of them done yesterday, so while the house is on the market I may also do the bedrooms and bathrooms, too. Who knows?!
Today while I am painting the bathroom Al will be painting the Garage floor. You knew we would, right? When in doubt, PAINT IT! Yes, that is what I say!
I think the Sherwin Williams guy may have to give me a volume discount! =0)
A rare photo of all 4 of them! Aren't they cute? They were all hollering at me because I was Outside of the patio and they were Inside!
I had gone into the yard to take a photo of my little Dogwood which is blooming for the first time. I am quite thrilled about that because it not only survived a very cold winter but it also survived transplanting it from the Yellow house as well!
Today I'll be painting the hallway bathroom at the Yellow house. I have some patching to do before I can start painting. Last week I took down the awful crown molding the previous owners had put up. I only left it up because MotherDear loved it. Well, come to find out, they GLUED the corners in which, of course, ripped the sheet rock out when I took it down. Sheesh. It's always something!
It was hard to believe how far he had come since we first caught him and got him to the Vet on May 12, 2009. His furs were just starting to grow in.
We had no idea what a big, beautiful boy he was yet to become! We were just marveling in how far he'd already come!
Some of my Pecan Trees. This was taken on June 9, 2009. They were in full leaf... I sure will miss how beautiful my Pecan Trees are. Not all the work they are, but all of their beauty!
I'll be on the computer all day today working on my business web site, in between calls. I'll bet tomorrow's painting will seem like a vacation after today!
Happy Friday, y'all! Have a good one! Big hugs xo♥
Babs asked to know more about my beloved Swamp - twice! No, Babs. It is NOT a deep, dark scary place that will swallow you up and pull you in! What is it then? I think the words which best describe the Swamp for me are; tranquility, unspoiled nature, wildlife and peaceful.
The reaction I see most often from friends and family visiting for the first time has been "Wow, this is a secret little hideaway tucked into the heart of town." Yes. It is that. This particular swamp is too small to be given a name - approximately 15 acres. It is a protected wetland. It sits directly in my backyard. My house sits at the very end of the cul-de-sac on 2 acres of about 4 dozen tall Georgia Pines and a bunch of Cypress trees. There are also some Dogwoods and Azaleas and a few other trees whose names I do not yet know. It is dripping with Spanish Moss and south Georgia charm. The best news for me is that my view can never be ruined by more houses being built because it is WET!
The Swamp has all sorts of wildlife including Beavers, Red-tailed Hawks, Egrets, Blue Heron, Raccoons, Red-Eared Slider Turtles, Turkey Vultures, Canada Geese during Spring and Summer and dozens and dozens of species of birds that serenade me constantly.
I've taken thousands of photos and written many a haiku about the Swamp. I'm re-posting a few of them for you.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour! Thanks for reminding me yet again why I love it so much, Babs!
I stopped at my mailbox and heard "Honk!" and when I looked up I saw Papa Goose out and about on his morning constitution. Mama Goose has been conspicuous by her absence for the past few weeks. I'm expecting to see her in a few weeks with a new gaggle of goslings!
Did you ever have a project you were working out in your mind that was so ever-present that it just doesn't let go of you, even in your dreams? That was me last night. I've been working on some changes for my business web site and I worked on this project All.Night.Long. Unfortunately, I don't get any actual typing done while I asleep but, on occasion, I do actually think of some cool ideas!
Well, I better get me another cup of coffee and see what you're all up to this morning!
This just in! Whitey is trying to make nice with Gracie, even if she isn't completely buying in to it quite yet! This was yesterday morning while I blogged over coffee before my day burst into a busy whirl of work! They napped like that for about 45 minutes. Woohoo!
The azaleas are in their full glory now! A Pink profusion of color all around me! My mother keeps telling me to take more photos, but really, how many azalea photos does one really need?!
This photo was actually a few mornings ago. It's the east side of my yard and half of my view from the patio, with the swamp being the other half. Who says swamps aren't pretty? Ah, but life is good here on the Swamp!
I managed to stay awake until 8:00pm last night, but only because some out of town guests stopped by.
And my Dad totally misread the Red Sox schedule and we missed yesterday's game! What's up with that?!
Y'all, I sat in my recliner after supper last night and that's all I know. THAT was the night the lights went out in Georgia. hahahaha!
I F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D painting the dining room yesterday! The paint was still wet when I left so I'll have to re-check it for places that may need some retouching. But other than that, it's time to move on to the hall bathroom!
While I was at the store getting ceiling paint for the dining room I also picked out paint for my office here at the swamp. It has icky paneling on the bottom half of the walls. Even worse, it has popcorn on the top half of the walls! Who does that?! ACK! Al says I should scrape it off, but honestly, I just don't know if I want to tackle that project right now. So I'll just be painting it a very pale blue on top and a nice crisp white on the bottom. I'm going to get some 1x4s painted my nice crisp white and dress up the paneling to take some years off the paneling - the poor woman's beadboard! hahahaha! At any rate, I think it will look great with my dark floor and my photos framed in black frames with white mattes!
Since the Azaleas and Dogwoods were so late this year I was expecting the Pecan trees to also be late, but look! They are right on time! I didn't have my camera with me but I did have my trusty iPhone! It was a perfect day yesterday, weather-wise. It would have been lovely if I could have been outside to enjoy it. The sky was amazing. The photo does not do it justice.
I've just started the Dining Room at the Yellow house. I painted the crown moulding, the ceiling and the door and window trim. I also got the first coat of paint on the accent wall.
I worked entirely too long for one day. I didn't leave until 7:00pm. The last half-hour was mostly me trying to finish the first coat on the accent wall and messing up, followed directly by some bad words and cleaning up the mistake. Not good. Now I'll have to touch up the nice crisp white crown molding, which looked so good before I got green paint on it! Dang.
Oh. And may I just say this one self-indulgent thing? My back, feet, arms and hands are killing me this morning!
OK. I'm done with complaining! It's right back at it today, although I'm certain I will not overdo it again today! Have a lovely day. Big hugs xo♥
Some of you may remember photos like this, and others like it. Every once in a while I will find a few miniature chocolates on my dresser when I go to bed. Left by my sweet Dad.
Well, look what he left me the other night!
A ginormous bar! But just the one. ;0)
Today is more painting at the Yellow house! Be blessed!
Things are finally blooming and getting colorful, not that brown and a little green aren't colors! This winter really was a doosy. Three months of back-to-back BIG electric bills from running so much heat. My parents need heat much more than I do so for their sake I'm glad it's not cold anymore, but also for my checkbook balance! Hahahaha!
Yesterday was a very busy day at the office, which is a good thing, but it has seemed like a long week, probably because of the holiday last week. At any rate, I'm glad it's Friday!
Al has been spray painting the garage at the Yellow house for the last 2 days. I finally got a few minutes about 4:45 last night to run over and take a look! It's amazing how clean and bright a couple of fresh coats of paint makes things. I'm still leaning towards painting the floor, to finish off the garage nice and bright. I'll be doing more painting this weekend. Good thing I like painting!
Gracie continues to improve and is using her leg, but still not as before. It has a different angle. That's the best I can describe it. She didn't have a normal leg before the re-injury, so all I can say is she's putting some more weight on it but it's certainly not normal nor is it normal for her, but it IS an improvement - a BIG improvement!
We were under an extended tornado watch last night. My mother freaks a little when she hears weather forecasts like that, but thankfully, no tornado here! We're fine and dandy and ready to kick off the weekend here!
Have a marvelous day! I'm sure going to try! Big hugs xo
