wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.


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Sunday Sailors

What an opportunity to learn to sail! The protected bay is perfect for it. A very light breeze keeps the would-be sailors on their toes, lest they get caught making a turn in the wrong direction.

Yes, there is strength in numbers, taking courage from each other, as long as they don’t all need help at the same time.

The guide boats keep a close watch on their assigned groups and are motorized for quick access to anyone needing extra help.

As long as you don’t end up in the water unexpectedly, this could be a lot of fun.

One other day when the sea was less calm it must have been training day, and luckily almost everyone was prepared for this “rescue mission.”

Or perhaps it was done on purpose to show the would-be sailors what to do if they took a wrong turn and flipped over.

They were obviously prepared for getting wet that day.

I think I’ll just stay on dry land whenever I can.

 


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Decisions, Decisions!

Do you see the tiny morsel of food that is crawling along the stucco wire towards the hummingbird?

Decisions, decisions,

A lunch snack for me,

A coming incision

Will soon have to be.

 

An ant suicidal

Is now within reach,

It’s protein not vital,

Won’t taste like a peach.

 

It’s truly quite bitter,

In more ways than one,

I say with a twitter,

Your good luck is done.

 

The red scarlet bean bloom

With nectar awaits,

It helps with the gloom,

While the ant taste abates.


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Here, Kitty Kitty!

A couple of months ago, this kitty was visiting our neighbourhood, just three doors down from us. A brave neighbour took this footage with his cellphone to document the visit. Notice Kitty’s kinked tail. I shudder to think how he/she hurt it, but it seems to be an older injury.

Now the question is, what is Kitty eating to stay in what is obviously pretty good shape?

Are you lost my Kitty, dear?

This is just a hunch,

All the neighbourhood’s in fear

They’ll become your lunch.

Little puppies stay inside

Keeping out of sight,

Best you find a place to hide,

Lest you get a fright.

Time for housecats not to stray,

Hunting precious birds,

Near your home, it’s best to stay

Heed your mama’s words.

Bunny rabbits, hop, hop, hop,

Nibbling garden plants,

Pay attention, stop, stop, stop,

Or Kitty grabs your pants.

I could climb up in this tree,

And escape the threat,

 But he still might follow me,

Faster too, I’ll bet.

Oh my goodness, I have heard, 

Kitty’s on the prowl,

Mama says to heed her word,

If Kitty starts to growl.

Surely Kitty needs more food 

Than just a little squirrel,

But if hunger is his mood,

I’ll leave with one quick swirl.

Cooling down was so much fun,

But what did I see?

Kitty is a sneaky one

Wanting to eat me.

I think we are safe up here,

No cats on this roof,

Still we must be careful dear,

Lest we make a goof.


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The Disc Tater Ship

This is a repeat of a posting I made in September of 2017. I probably have many different followers now, so I hope those who have stuck with me for the last nine years don’t mind the repetition. I wanted to repost it because it made me smile at the time (and still does when I think of it).

So back in 2017, it went like this:

Recently I listened to some of the UN speeches on TV. I like to have the closed captioning feature turned on in case I miss anything they said. I found out that some countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and a couple of others have their food brought in from very far away. Now, I must stress that only a few countries are doing this.

Apparently, they have a UFO bringing potatoes in from some other planet, or maybe even from another galaxy. But why just them? Well, the closed captioning said it’s because they have …

a disc tater ship. Honestly! That’s what the closed captioning said: “These countries pretend to have a democracy when in fact they have a disc tater ship.”

I always KNEW there was life beyond our Earth!

 


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Stop Bugging Me

I believe these are two juvenile northern red-shafted flickers. Presumably, the one on the chimney is the male, looking for company. It’s not really mating season, so I think he’s just looking for his sister who was probably his nest-mate.

Just guessing. They didn’t really tell me.

 

In the clip below, he looks around and, not seeing her, decides to get her attention another way.

 

 

When she arrives, she is restless and scratching here and there, as if she has some kind of mites or other minuscule critters bugging her.

Big brother watches her scratch for a while, and then remembers itches of his own. He scratches and then becomes aware how nice the sunshine feels on his wings. As he spreads them out, he thinks it won’t hurt if his sister sees what a handsome fellow he is with his colourful wing feathers.

But oh, it itches! Her head is turned right over. This gives us a look at the pale orangey-red feathers on top of her head, telling us she is still a juvenile.

Here they are, having a “scratch-in,” both wishing those critters would stop bugging them.

Might they be mites? Horrible things!

 


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Calm, yet Busy

Dare I hope that this is one of the baby robins I rescued a few weeks ago?

I asked him if he had lost a leg, and he told me he was just keeping his toes warm, one leg at a time, while he waits for a bug to check out the  beans growing next to him.

Crispin has been at work high up in the fir trees, cutting down fir cones. They fall from a great height with a loud bang each time one of them hits the metal roof of the wood shed. Maybe I should get a hard hat for him. Then he comes down to gather the cones and stash them in secret places nearby. I made the mistake of helping him by bringing about 25 freshly fallen cones to the wood shed for him. I hadn’t counted on the sticky sap getting on my hands and had to go looking for some WD-40 to dissolve it. How do the squirrels not glue their mouth shut when they eat these sticky cones? I guess it’s like eating toffee.

Mrs. Hummer is resting on  the Florence fennel, watching the nearby scarlet runner beans. Their flowers are so bright red, and they must have some delicious nectar in them because there is a line up of hummingbirds waiting their turn to get at them.

 

While Mrs. Hummer watches the beans, Mother Rabbit is watching her. Do you see them both in the photo below?

Bunny Junior doesn’t have the patience to sit around watching hummingbirds. He’s on the lookout for any weeds that might still be green in this dry spell. Luckily for him, the weeds are the last to die of thirst, and rabbits love weeds.

Have you noticed that for each of them, it’s all about food?

If that’s what it takes, then “I’m some kind of animal.” Interpret that any way you like.


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Oh, Dear Deer

My family used to wander here,

And always found some food,

But now we’re left with little cheer,

It’s dampened my good mood.

The gate was open wide today,

And I could walk right in,

The luscious shrubs appeared to say,

“Don’t bite me, it’s a sin.”

 

I tasted one and found it tart,

Went on to try the tree,

I opened up my mouth to start,

When people frightened me.

They took my picture as I ran,

Toward the open gate,

I need to make it, if I can,

I hope I’m not too late.

This buck had come in through the front gate and luckily found the back gate which we had quickly opened for its escape.


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Summer Challenges

The grass is parched and oh so dry,

Our butterfly the same,

So hot and thirsty, he could cry,

Petunias look aflame.

His coat is tattered, battle scarred,

From dragonfly attacks,

The lovely patterns cruelly marred,

He fears that love he lacks.

He thinks of cooler days gone by

When rhodos welcomed him,

And how his lovely coat, now dry,

Is tattered and so dim.

 

But every life through time must pass

However short or long,

He’s dreaming of that greener grass,

And how he once was  strong.

 

 

 


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Summer Book Sale

Now is your best chance to find my entire ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! You can find all my on-sale books at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnneliPurchase #SWSale2026 #Smashwords

 

I have tried to keep the price low on all my e-books, but even the low price of $2.99 will be cut in half for the month of July.

For $1.49 each you can enjoy all of my five novels. Please click the link above to see a list of my novels and a short blurb about each one.

Happy reading.