August Flora

Rose of Sharon.   Pretty.  Such a pretty little tree.

Meanwhile, this pretty flower has exciting possibilities.

Roasted sunflower seeds!  My hope is that by November, when baseball is all over, I can spit sunflower husks on my living room floor like the ball players do in the dugout.

Speaking of foodstuffs.  This is a fig tree.  (Well, the one on the left is a fig tree the other is oregano.) Anyway.  No figs yet but maybe  - if the tree survives under a blanket in the garage over the winter and bears fruit next year- we will have figs!

Let us return to the pretty.  This is what a poinsettia plant looks like in August!

The Evolution of Duck Eggs

Here at the homestead, the youngsters born this spring are now laying eggs, just like the grown ups.

It takes a few tries to pull off the perfect egg, however.

 Start small, work your way up is one method.

For scale: a small Kong and an extra large Kong. 

Another method, somewhat unnerving to observe, is an egg that looks like a regular egg in every way except the shell is soft and almost translucent.

 There will be no photos taken of these egg monstrosities for their appearance is, well, icky.  There is often a tail of white material hanging from the egg like the umbilical cord of an alien creature.  Happily, the Freakish Eggs are much more rare than the Mini Eggs.

Before long, the ducks start laying nice uniform eggs that are pretty as wild flowers.

You done with those Kongs yet?

The Case of the Missing Turkey

Do you know anything about the missing turkey?

What missing turkey?

You were seen.

That wasn't me.

Who was it?

This is a frame up!

Do you think it's a frame up too?

I can't talk with my mouth full.  Oh wait. I mean, no comment.

You just drove the getaway car, is that it?

In a manner of speaking.  I mean, no comment.

What was your cut?

Badgering the witness!

Say, is that turkey grease on your chin?

Who squealed?  The rabbit?  Eh, probably not, he's too busy with his riffs.

I'll bet it was that double crossing rat!

He got his cut.  I knew he couldn't be trusted!  Er, nothing.  Never mind.

I know.  It was that yellow bellied feathered freak!

He sang like a canary, didn't he?

I going out for some lunch.  You want anything?

No thanks.  I'm not hungry.

Save the Cookies

Christmas offers a lovely excuse to bake cookies to share and enjoy. The other day, after some merry baking, I'd just finished bagging up some cookies to give. There were several left so I arranged them attractively on a pretty plate with a holly design. Strolling jauntily, humming a holiday tune, I headed to the dining room to display the cookies in the fancy cake dish.

Then I tripped. On the way down I did a one quarter turn- no doubt it was an unconscious desperate attempt to save the cookies. The cookies and the gorgeous holly plate took flight from my left hand. I landed on my right side, my arm pinned under me. My shoulder absorbed most of the force. It hurt a lot. I lay there thinking: please don't be a rotator cuff injury.

The cookies were strewn on the rug. How fortunate that I'd vacuumed the day before. The dog hair will be at a minimum. I sat up and noted that the beautiful holly plate appeared unharmed. My husband appeared. "Oh my God!" he said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes." I pointed at the cookie carnage. "Save the cookies!"

As he gathered the broken cookies and reassembled them on the festive holly plate, our dogs drew near. They had been silently watching this little drama and wanted a part of the unexpected bounty. Like hyenas circling ever closer to a lion's kill, they moved in. A glare from this wounded lioness convinced them to retreat. My husband placed the damaged cookies on the resplendent holly plate in the cake dish.

"OK. Go ahead." I told the dogs. A few Shortbread crumbs wouldn't hurt them. Cookies are made to be enjoyed and shared.

Bird food

If your pet birds are like mine, they usually leave some uneaten seed in the bowl every day. Don't throw it away. Add the leftover seed to your wild bird feeder outside. House finches and zebra finches can certainly eat the same seed. And really, is a Cardinal or Pigeon going to reject a seed because it is marketed for a Cockatoo?!

For more information on finches: finchinfo.com