So many types and shapes of us,
Yet all of us are cool,
Romantics like to make a fuss,
Don’t want to seem a fool.
We make a loving, thoughtful gift,
Our stunning beauty heals,
Heartbroken lovers mend a rift,
How wonderful it feels.
I think this is a broad-winged hawk. If anyone knows for sure, I’d be interested in your opinion.
Today we spent a few hours on a nearby island beach that sees little use because it is only accessible by boat.
I was surprised to see the sandy fields blooming with tiny wildflowers.
I don’t know the names of all these flowers but the blue ones (below) look like tiny violas. I’m sure they have a proper name but I don’t know what it is. The little white flowers on the reddish stems might be saxifraga.
But this one I know. It is Oregon grape (berberis aquifolium, or holly-leaved barberry). Those yellow flowers turn into blue berries that look like a cluster of tiny grapes. I’ve read that the berries also have many health benefits, but they should be washed before eating. I’ve never enjoyed eating them raw. They are very tarty, but they make an excellent Oregon grape jelly.
Notice the dry moss all around the flowers. Even the moss has tiny blooms. The island has a rather dry climate so it makes its own unique, messy, but very pretty, flower garden.
More flowers will bloom here in the next weeks. I recognized leaves of lupins, and many other new shoots from various plants coming up from last year’s stock that has gone to seed.
When Chicken Little saw this sky, she knew there was trouble ahead, so she squawked her famous lines and said, as you know:
Well, who would’ve thunk that a chicken could forecast this dramatic weather phenomenon?!
The very next day, the sky actually DID fall. That big dark cloud fell onto the ground and covered the whole valley.
They say that “No man is an island,” but these fir trees aren’t too sure about that.
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.”)
Where is your mother, little mice?
You’d better get back into your nest.
Mama Mouse was found in an old apple box that, once she had jumped into it, was too high for her to jump out of.
Mama Mouse was exhausted from all the jumping efforts, and lay still after her rescue, soaking up the warmth until she recovered from her ordeal.
In a few moments, she perked up, and remembering her children, rushed to save them.
M is for Mighty Maisie the mama mouse and her three blind mice.
I know that some people are afraid of mice, but how do you think they feel about us?
Here is one of my favourite poems by Rose Fyleman:
My sister-in-law’s dog, a Coton de Tulear, would like to introduce herself to you.
I’m pretty sure this is a bobcat (not a lynx – which looks very similar). If you see one of these fellows in your neighbourhood, make sure you keep your little dog or cat in the house while the big guy is prowling around.
This guy was NOT in my yard, and I’m thankful for that.
If you have Bob visiting your neighbourhood, be sure not to leave pet food outside, or have a lot of birdseed lying around your bird feeding station. You may find them interested in your fruit trees when the fruit is ripe. A healthy bobcat probably won’t attack you. It is more interested in your favourite squirrels that live in your woodshed.
If you’re out for a walk in the woods and you see a bobcat, it’s probably a good idea to pick up any small children you may have with you. We can never know how desperate a bobcat may be.