Hoo-whee! These fir cones are like a candy cane. So good!
Oh! Sorry. That was rude of me. Would you like to share this one?
These cones come in little wings that you can peel off. I’ll get one for you.
What’s that? Not your kind of food? Oh, too bad. I’ll get back to it then.
Say, if you really want to see me in action, play the video. Be sure to turn up the sound so you can hear the robins singing their spring songs.
As I’ve mentioned before, my mother had trouble learning the English name for daffodils when we first came to Canada a very long time ago. She had heard of Daffy Duck because we children used to listen to a Saturday radio show called Kiddies’ Corner and they often played stories about Daffy Duck.
She also knew what dolls were, of course, because my little sisters had to have their dolls.
So the best she could do to get her tongue around the word “daffodils” was “daffy dolls.” My mother has been gone for 43 years already, but I can’t help thinking of her every year when my “daffydolls” bloom, usually in the same month when she died so long ago.
These flowers bring me happy thoughts of her wonderful sense of humour and her sunny disposition. She loved gardening and would be pleased to see daffydolls in my yard. I wish she could see them. But who knows? Maybe she can.
My friend who lives in the Czech Republic took a visiting friend to see the Kladruber horses that are still bred at the town of Kladruby nad Labem. They sent me some photos taken with a cell phone. Most of the finest horses were still indoors, but they were able to get some photos of those who were outside.
The Kladruber breed was founded in 1579 by Rudolf ll, a member of the House of Habsburg, and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It was developed for the purpose of pulling the imperial coaches for ceremonies and funerals. It was a fine breeding of the best horses, yet strong and capable of pulling heavy carriages.
The Kladrubers also have some of the Lippizaner and Orlov Trotter bloodline.
They have been designated as the household breed at the Royal Court of Denmark. They serve on ceremonial occasions at the Royal Court of Sweden, and are used by the Swedish mounted police.
When they are hitched to a royal carriage in groups of four or six, their powerful, arched necks, give them a pompous, ceremonial look. For more than 400 years, these horses have been bred for their high-stepping trot that makes them look so fine in royal pageantry.
Our old trailer has seen better days, but I can’t think of many that were better than this one.
The lake was peaceful, fresh, and beautiful.
An eagle patiently waited for a trout to be caught. Maybe there would be a little “something” left for him.
But first lick went to Emma. This trout fishing was new to her and she seemed to like it.
The next trout had Ruby interested. It was her turn.
Water lilies at the edges added tranquility to the scene.
Time to go ashore and stretch our legs.
Ruby and Emma found all kinds of wonderful smells there.
But right nearby, where even I could smell the animals that had been there, was the evidence of elk that had visited not long before.
A lot of peaceful moments, but never a dull one.
I followed the frog prints and found a real frog prince. Now, before we begin, Froggie wants everyone to know … he REALLY is a prince. He just needs a kiss.
(Unfortunately, anyone who has picked him up lately has told him, “KISS you? … I’d rather have a talking frog.”)
When Ruby (our springer spaniel) was still alive, she and Emma (our English field cocker spaniel) loved to go to the beach with us. There was always something to see.
“Hey, Ruby! Look at these ducks. We could play with them.”
“Come back! We just want to play tag with you!”
“Aw! C’mon, ducks! See how we can run and play with you? That would be so much fun.
They don’t seem to want to play, Ruby. I tried to get them to come closer, but they just swam away. Not very friendly!”
“Oh, I’ll go talk to them. Maybe they thought you were just a bit too rambunctious.”
“Nope! They don’t want to play with us. They just kept on swimming farther away. Hah!”
“Water’s damn cold too.”
“We were just trying to be friendly and have some fun. Go figure!”
Sure are a lot of seagulls down there. Family day at the beach? Or is it because the sun finally came out?
Hmm…. They seem to be all talking at once, and with their mouths full too. Ill-mannered scavengers.
Ahh … I see. It’s poor man’s caviar time. The herring have spawned near the beach.
I might try a lick or two when those pesky seagulls move along.
*Herring roe and seagull photos by Paul Knettig.
I have been using the alternate spelling of “widgeon” for some time now, but apparently it is considered old-fashioned, so I’ll go back to the “wigeon” (like “pigeon”) spelling.
***** After reading several comments about the spelling of this bird, I’m thinking I should go back to spelling it with the “d,” (widgeon). Oh, deardeardeardeardear. Whattodo?Whattodo?Whattodo?Whattodo?
The American wigeon (Mareca americana) likes small lakes, ponds, and marshes where it dabbles for plant and animal matter, but it also is often found in fields, yanking out small plants by the roots. Their short bills give them good leverage for this and they can decimate newly sprouted grain fields if they get in there to feed on the small shoots.
The drake wigeon has a distinctive green stripe on the side and back of his head, but it is the white feathers on top that give him the nickname “baldpate” (because he looks bald at a distance).
Mrs. Wigeon doesn’t mind him looking “bald.”
She says, “God only made so many beautiful heads; on all the others He put hair … er … feathers.”
I think they look quite cute together.
With a bit of shade on his side, Mr. Wigeon’s light rusty colours are more noticeable, and we can more easily see that his bill is a lighter slate blue than Mrs. Wigeon’s is, but both have a black tip on their bill.
Thank you, Sonia, for the photos.
Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) are not only beautiful with their bright colours and design, but they have some interesting habits, too.
These two photos were taken by my friend Sonia from her visit to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Delta, BC. They are both of drake wood ducks. For a photo of female wood ducks, please click on the link to Belinda Grover’s blog near the end of this post.
Wood ducks are dabblers, taking their food from near the surface of the water. They also graze on land, eating seeds, berries, and acorns. When the acorns are in their gizzards, they are able to crush them to digest them further. My stomach hurts just thinking about it.
Wood ducks have sharp claws on their feet to help them cling to tree branches where they like to perch.
Who would think that a duck would make a nest up in a tree? But wood ducks do just that. Maybe it’s safer that way.
The day after the ducklings hatch, they are ready to leave the nest. The mother duck checks out the water or ground below the snag and when she feels it is safe, she calls to the ducklings who then, one by one, drop to the leafy ground or water, sometimes a drop of as much as fifty feet, and then swim after their mother. If they are not right by the water, they hustle after her as she leads them to the nearby water. Amazing, aren’t they?
I don’t have a photo of a female wood duck, but if you visit Belinda Grover’s blog, you can see them. Please check out her blog of excellent photography.
“Hmm … I used to be able to check out that garden … and those fruit trees had delicious leaves. Too early for that, I guess, but there’s always a few new sprouts of something over there. Darned fence. There must be a way to get over there.”
“But what’s this? A little black critter, trying to look like a dog. Doesn’t look too fierce. I could probably give it a good kick and it would go yiping home to Mama.”
“Don’t you come over here. And don’t be fooled by my sweet face and my small size. I may be a teddy bear at home, but I’m told I’m a wolverine in the field.”
wordsfromanneli 