One More Hummer

 

I know everyone has seen about all the Hummers they can stand for one season, but here is one more. The summer will soon be over and these little darlings will be headed south until next Spring. This may not be the last one...I'm not making any promises!

Foxglove

 

(click on this picture to see detail)

This picture was made September 5, 2007 as we were leaving Washington. Jeep programed the GPS to guide us to Crater Lake via Mt. Hood. We turned on the road it suggested and as time passed, it became “the road less traveled”. It turned out to be a road built to maintain the high voltage power lines which cross the mountain. After about 5 miles, the road became impassable for our van and we turned around and came out. The trip was not entirely wasted because we did get to see a lot of wild flowers and scenery that nobody else ever gets to see!!! One wild flower that I was excited about was this wild Foxglove. Some of them were bright pink like this and some were white. There was a heavy fog on the mountain which caused the droplets on the flowers. It was exciting to explore this wilderness by ourselves!

Fading Summer

 

The Zinnias and the Butterflies are looking tattered and faded these days as summer is drawing to a close. The wind and rain from Tropical Storm Fay made lots of the flowers fall over. Birds and the ravages of time have taken their toll on the Butterflies that were bright and beautiful in the Spring. They still fly crazily from flower to flower seeking nectar. Today this ragged beauty and a bright, new looking Tiger Swallowtail were having supper together. I know the days of the old one are numbered, but do the younger ones migrate south?

Names for Groups of "Critters"

Of course you know that this is a herd of buffalo. There are also herds of cattle, horses, etc. You've probably heard of a gaggle of geese. But have you ever thought about the funny names that someone has given to some of the groups of "Critters"? Here are a few that I found online:

1. A shrewdness of apes
2. A battery of barracudas
3. A kaleidoscope of butterflies
4. A quiver of cobras
5. A murder of crows
6. A convocation of eagles
7. A charm of finches
8. A skulk of foxes
9. A troubling of goldfish
10. A smack of jellyfish
11. A mob of kangaroos
12. An exaltation of larks
13. A troop of monkeys
14. A parliament of owls
15. An ostentation of peacocks
16. A rookery of penguins
17. A prickle of porcupines
18. An unkindness of ravens
19. A shiver of sharks
20. A pod of whales
21. A descent of woodpeckers
22. A zeal of zebras

These may not be correct, but I thought they were funny!

Froggie on the Window

 

We have been getting light wind and rain from Tropical Storm Fay. I kept hearing a little 'rain frog' calling and went out on the porch to see if I could see him. Out there, I couldn't see or hear him. When I went in the kitchen to turn the light off for the night, I saw this tiny little frog plastered to the window. His tiny little 'suction cup' toes are so cute! P. S. Noon update: I posted two shots of this little guy on Wonder Photos (www.weatherunderground.com) this morning and just now when I checked on his ratings...I saw that one of the shots had received the coveted Approvers Choice Award! That made my day!!! Thanks WU

Sue's Chickens

 

I went to a Southern Living Home decorating party this morning at my cousin's house and here is a collage of some of her collection of chickens!! I'm dedicating this to my Blogspot friend, Jen (unglazed), because I was impressed by her collection of chickens she posted a few days ago. I was most impressed by Sue's Chicken electric switch plate covers she found online and the two chicken dispensers of lotion or soap. When you push the tap down to get the soap, it CROWS like a rooster! How cute!

Three Little Hummers

 

 

 

These little birds appear to be young male Ruby Throats that are just getting their red feathers. I wore a red T-shirt today and they 'Buzzed' really close to me three different times. I think, with a lot of patience, you could teach them to feed from your hand. If you will click on the center picture, you can see the tip of his tongue sticking out. These little guys are fearless!

Momma's Molasses Pie

 

Way back in "the olden days" Momma used to make the most delicious Molasses Pies. She gave me her recipe many years ago. I kept thinking I would try to make one, and today was the day! It is every bit as good as I remembered. Jeep and I enjoyed a piece of it about mid afternoon while it was still warm. He gave me a very high compliment when he said, "It tastes just like the ones my Momma used to make!"
Below is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Molasses Pie

1 cup of Molasses
2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar
2 slightly rounded tablespoons of plain flour
4 eggs- beaten
a dash of salt
(I added just a dash of Ginger and a dash of Nutmeg)

Mix flour into the sugar and add well beaten eggs. Melt butter and add butter and Molasses. Add salt and spices if desired. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake on 350 degrees for about an hour or until done. Mine got pretty brown on top so you might want to decrease the temperature just a bit. This is kind of like a Pecan pie without the nuts. Yummy!

Solitude

 

What could be more peaceful than having a little quiet time at a beautiful spot like this little lake about a mile from our house? Just add a quilt spread out on the ground, a little picnic lunch, a little soft guitar music and your loved one....Perfect! The only other sounds you hear are the waterfall at the spillway and the songs of the birds and other creatures who live there. Wouldn't you like to be there?

Happy Birthday, Jennifer!

 

We wish you a Very Happy Birthday...and many, many more!!
Love you,
Daddy & Maw Dot

Butterflies

I couldn't choose just one! They are all so pretty! Help me identify these!

On the Miracle Mile

It's hot! It's August! I look at this beautiful water and wish I were there, sitting on the 5th floor balcony of a condo, sipping a cool glass of sweet iced tea and watching the changing scenes. I would get up and go for a walk on the beach before breakfast, hoping to find a pretty shell or some other treasure. Back in our suite, we would have a big, late breakfast and then go exploring the area looking for interesting things and making lots of pictures. During the hottest part of the day, it's back to the room for a nap and watching the waves in comfort and coolness. Early in the evening we would look for a nice place to eat and then return to take a twilight walk on the beach. Just remembering, I can almost feel the constant breeze, smell the salty air and hear the waves crashing on the beach. It's almost as good as being there!

Butterflies

 

These Butterflies just beg me to make their picture! You know I can't resist! Today there were several out there having brunch about 10:30 this morning. Someday I'll identify them and edit this post.

Portrait of a Pigeon

I just had to post one last picture of Peggy the Pet Pigeon. This picture was not cropped. She was not anywhere to be seen this morning, so hopefully she has found a new home!

P.S. The Pigeon DID return, even more persistent than ever! She made the mistake of letting me get too close. I caught her and we planned to release her in a more suitable place. On our way, we stopped by the Post Office and asked if they might know of someone losing a pet pigeon. No, she didn't but she wanted her for a pet. We gladly gave the pigeon to her. Peggy gave one last little 'Coo' and we bade her 'good-bye'.

Remmy

This is Remmy. My brother-in-law got her from the pound. She is a very smart dog and will do a few tricks. Here she is relaxing on the cool grass.

Black Gulf Coast Grasshopper

 

This is the largest grasshopper I have ever seen! I count it a blessing that he is on the Gulf Coast and not this far north.....yet! They eat the leaves off everything.

Carrier Pigeon?

 

Well, he didn't exactly bring us a message, but he did bring about an hour of fun and excitment! I had set my camera up on the back porch near the hummingbird feeder to try to make that perfect picture, when I saw a big bird swoop in and land about 25 feet away from the porch. I called for Jeep to get his camera and come see it. By then, we saw that it was a pigeon and it started walking toward us. Jeep went out on the porch and was making pictures as the bird ambled on down to the porch. He was not afraid of us at all. The porch has a low brick sitting wall around it and he came down to it and walked down to the opposite end where there is an opening to the porch. I got some bird seed and scattered them and he ate some of them. We think he was very tired because it seemed like he could not jump up to the sitting wall. I brought him a bowl of water but he just walked around it. He came on inside the porch and walked all around just looking at everything. I was amazed at how he could turn his head around backwards, like an owl! The feathers around his neck were iridescent blue-green and his feet were bright red! I had never seen a pigeon up close like that. It was almost dark and he finally left the porch and walked away.