June 25, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 50 Comments

Western Tiger Swallowtail

My job is to look pretty and to decorate the lands,

My wings are lemon yellow, and set off by several bands,

The bands and borders are a match, they emphasize the rest,

But it’s the dots of red and blue that make me look the best.

I flutter through the shrubbery, I stop to rest and wait,

I nibble at the buds and leaves, while watching for my date,

Ah, here she comes so daintily, her wingbeat soft and sweet,

She settles down beside me as I’m thinking, “What a treat.”

“So darling will you fly with me, check out the walnut tree?

We’ll flitter here and flutter there, spend happy hours, you’ll see,”

My luck has just improved a lot, and so on bended knee,

I ask if she will marry me, my wife forever be.

“I’ll think about it,” says the tease, “What can you do for me?”

I stutter and I stammer, as she flaps her wings in glee,

“Well, darling, if you’d like to know, I’d win a prize in show,

But now the most important thing is that I love you so.”

“That’s good enough for me,” she said, “I’d love to have a man,

Someone who’ll be there by my side as often as he can.

He needn’t be there all day long, but still it would be nice,

To liven up my quiet life and add some fun and spice.”

June 11, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 41 Comments

He’s back, but still a bit blurry. This American goldfinch is very shy and doesn’t like to be photographed. Again he took off just as I was focusing my camera and I had to settle for a faraway shot. When he sat on the edge of the hedge it was like trying to take a picture of a mosquito on a moose.

This time I got a better sense of his colouring. One day, maybe he’ll sit still when he’s closer in, like this morning when he sat on the garden fence until I got the camera. He is definitely camera shy.

But with colours like this flashing signals to every hawk around, I don’t think I’d sit still long either.

Cuz I’m pretteeeee, oh, so pretteeeee,

I can’t stick around, for I’m bound to be found,

Cuz I’m pretteeeee, oh, so pretteeeee,

It’s awfully hard to be meeeee.

Yes, they’ll see meeeee, oh, they’ll see meeeee,

I really must fly, if I stay I will die,

Yes, they’ll see meeeee, oh, they’ll see meeeee,

And dying so young is not pretteeeee.

You snap pictures, I’ll read scriptures,

I pray that today will not be my last day,

Cuz I’m pretteeeee, oh, so pretteeeee,

I want to keep on being meeeee.

June 6, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 39 Comments

Patrick Peacock

While visiting friends, we were surprised to see this peacock at their door. He lives in their neighbourhood and sometimes our friends put food out for him, so he comes to visit once in a while. I asked my friend to snap a quick picture with his phone, and here we have it.

Patrick Peacock feels at home,

For a meal, no need to roam,

Here he has a special dish,

“Keep it full.” That is his wish.

“Oh, but look, some people came,

Some old friends, they look the same

As they did some time ago,

One or two more wrinkles though.

I’ll sit still, so poised and cool,

Long as they obey the rule,

Just don’t scare me, or I’ll run,

Then you would have no more fun.”

May 25, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 45 Comments

Sharing the Yard

I’ve seen the squirrels’ hiding place,

Beneath this pile of logs,

They stash their nuts and cones in there,

While watching out for dogs.

It’s not that Emma eats their food,

She’s picky what she eats,

But squirrels are safer for the fence,

So they won’t be her treats.

I think I smell some hazelnuts,

Still buried under here,

If I could find a few of them,

I’d be a ‘coon of cheer.

But there’s that snooping dog again,

Alerting everyone,

Time for me to take a hike,

And come back later on.

You’ve heard of cowards turning tail,

They show their other end,

I’m not a chicken, but I just

Have no more time to spend.

May 6, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 38 Comments

Mystery Bird

A short time ago I had a mystery beetle to identify, but this week, it’s a mystery bird. We don’t often get brightly coloured songbirds here, so when this yellow bird landed on the fencing of my garden, I rushed to get the camera. I barely had time to find the bird in my viewfinder when it took off. Hence the blurry photo.

Later it came back and, again, I rushed to get the camera. Again it was a blurry photo, and the bird immediately flew away.

I snapped wildly in the general direction of the bird’s flight and thought, at first, that I had missed it. But when I zoomed in on the photo, I found it in the top right-hand corner. It’s too tiny to see what it is, so I saved a zoomed photo of that part that I circled below.

It’s still blurry, but it was enough that I could see the colours of the back and the wing markings.

I’ve determined that it is an American goldfinch.

If it ever sits still for longer than a few seconds, I might someday get a clearer picture of it. Meanwhile, it sang to me:

I heard that your birdfeeder has some good seeds,

They’re oh so delicious for filling my needs.

You want to take pictures of me in your yard,

But sitting still long is quite risky and hard.

I’ve seen that big hawk that is hanging around,

I make it my mission that I won’t be found.

It’s why I’m so nervous and seem to be flighty,

But when I sit still long, the danger is mighty.

So snap away quickly before I must leave,

I know, if I’m dead, just how much you will grieve.

I’ll fly away happy and singing a song,

I’ll say hello quickly and then I am gone.

April 11, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 33 Comments

Dinner Guests

Hanging feeders for the birds,

I had not expected herds,

Bandits coming in the night,

Gobbling food with all their might.

Table manners, not so good,

Faces masked, but without hood,

Swinging on the feeder tube,

Like a common country rube.

One sat on the table top,

One beneath ate what might drop.

Cleaning up left over scraps,

Without worries about traps.

To watch the video, you have to be very quick. It’s only about 4 seconds long. You may have to replay it a few times to see the top raccoon stuffing his face, with the feeder at an angle so the seeds fall out better, and the other raccoon sitting underneath him, cleaning up.

I should be thankful that they clean up after themselves.

March 17, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 54 Comments

Pancho the Parrot

Pancho the parrot’s a bird with two lives,

A town bird, and yet, in the jungle he thrives.

His base in the cafe is safe in a storm,

But in the wild jungle he flies in fine form.

Customers interest him, tourists abound,

Mama Lupita is glad he’s around,

Guests love to see him and come back for more,

Internet clients pour in through the door.

Pancho the parrot has seen many things,

He wonders if this hand might have shiny rings.

If it comes closer, he’ll give it a nip,

It might be such fun just to hear that man yip.

Bored with his perch at the cyber cafe,

He flies to the jungle to have a buffet.

A mango, banana, papaya, or lime,

He knows where to find fruits that taste so sublime.

Daylight is fading, and Pancho is tired,

Morning is gone when he felt so inspired,

Time to return to the cyber cafe,

Lupita is hoping that he is okay.

Watching and waiting as daylight grows dim,

She prays every day, nothing’s happened to him.

He flies from the wire and lands on her hand,

As bird mothers go, she’s the best in the land.

He grips her hand tightly, and she does the same,

Holding his toes as she whispers his name.

“My Pancho, I love you, let’s get in the car,

We’ll drive home and get those good seeds from the jar.”

PS. I believe Pancho is a lilac-crowned parrot.

March 9, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 42 Comments

Windy Days

“Wow! Will ya look at the birdfeeders swinging sideways!

And what gives with all the birds making themselves at home in MY home?

There must be a hundred of them parked in all the entrances to my hidey-holes in the woodshed. Zoom on in and look at the pieces of wood. Nearly every piece is occupied.

Oh, well. They’re just trying to get out of the wind too. I suppose I can always sneak in the back door if need be.”

Grab a bite of seeds to eat,

Head for cover quick.

Hope the gusts will not unseat,

Gripping tight’s the trick.

Every chunk of wood is used,

As a ledge to sit,

With this wind we’re so abused,

Flying branches hit.

Siskin! Better hang on tight,

To that swaying feed,

Hope that you will be all right,

And no help you’ll need.

March 8, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 38 Comments

Paradise Lost (Poem not for little children)

A long time ago, I took this picture from my bedroom window.

A young deer felt quite at home, and the pheasant in the background was one of about nine who did the daily rounds of our place. I felt like I lived in paradise.

Now, 31 years later, subdivisions have sprung up half a mile down the road and the horde of people who want their dogs to poop somewhere away from their own yard comes here to walk where there are still a few trees standing. That alone wouldn’t be so bad. I don’t dislike people and I love dogs (and cats and all sorts of animals), but when the dog walking came to our neighbourhood, many dog owners thought that once they left the cement and asphalt of their subdivision, it was okay to unhook their dogs and let them tear around in rural properties.

If I didn’t want my garden torn up, I would have to build a fence.

Sadly the deer can’t come in to wander through the yard anymore, and the pheasants and many quail we used to see have all become victims of unleashed dogs, stray cats, and the loss of habitat.

We still have trees and lots of shrubs for cover, so songbirds and little animals still come here. I don’t mind people walking by with their dogs on a leash; many of them are very pleasant, friendly, and considerate. Others are more self-centered. After virtue-signaling that they pick up their dog’s poop, they wait until no one sees, and fling the used poop bags into the shrubbery or into my yard.

I’m uncomfortable listening to personal conversations being shouted between two people walking together, or bellowed into the phones of people walking solo. I don’t need to know how much their last massage cost or that their credit card was rejected when they tried to pay for it.

I don’t understand why some of the people who visit our neighbourhood can’t enjoy the quiet of nature. Why are they so loud and rude? Why is it all about them?

Among the walkers who are considerate of people living nearby, are a few intrusive women between the age of 25 to 50, many of them behaving like teenagers. This small segment of society seems to be working hard to be noticed. I see them around town, in the grocery stores, in traffic, everywhere.

Yes, I believe in women’s rights. Very much so. But I believe in all people’s rights. No single group deserves more attention or privileges than another.

This special breed of women has inspired the muse in me today.

Me, Me, Me.

I’m important, don’t you see?

Everything is all ’bout me.

“Likes” on facebook overflow,

Watch my popularity grow.

When I walk for exercise,

I soak up admiring eyes,

With my leggings up my crack,

Men’s attention doesn’t lack.

When I drive I spare no thought,

If it is my turn or not.

They’ll back off and let me pass,

‘Cuz the right goes to the lass.

Ringing phone, who can it be?

There’s so many who love me.

I’ll be loud ’cause I am free,

And it’s all ’bout me, me, me.

It’s my right to cross on red,

You must wait, I go ahead,

All the world revolves ’round me,

I’m so special, me, me, me.

February 21, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 33 Comments

No Leaping This Year

Lincoln is winding up here, ready to leap into the fray. Doesn’t he know that 2023 is not a leap year?

A year has 365 and 1/4 days, but how do you have a quarter of a day? We make up for it by having 365 days in our calendar every year, but every fourth year we add one day to even things out.

Next year (2024) will be a leap year, so it will have 366 days (one extra day in February).

Lincoln is not going to leap this year. He’s just getting warmed up.

Only 28 days in February this year, so those poor fellows who were born on February 29 don’t get to have a birthday this year. Someone born on February 29, 2000, would 24 years old next year, but they will only have had six birthdays.