Posts from the ‘Nature’ category

Unbelievable !: Emmett is 8 mths and we are closing in on the end of 2018

We are one month into Autumn!

Emmett was 8 months old on October 12!

Emmett has been part of the family Summers for over 6 months!!

Life is good here at 785 La Brant Rd. Emmett is growing into an almost dog :) … 14 months for physical maturity … 2 years for the rest, but as we are firmly into adolescence … and not too many “teen” issues … I am grateful! We are following breeder and vet advice to wait as long as possible to neuter. This is a “medium-big dog” thing of allowing time for bones and joints to mature with the normal hormones. There are plusses and minuses for various issues, but I’m going with waiting until we “need” to.

Emmett continues to be a joy to be with, to play and teach and to learn from. Auggie continues to be a CHAMP at tolerating Emmett’s lapses into “puppy brain”. I love them both with all my heart and am so grateful that they are part of my life!

Time flies when you are having fun and we are HAVING FUN!

And in addition to Auggie and Emmett fun, we are having an absolutely spectacular Autumn to date! Some cool-cold weather and in the last 10 days some warm weather and the color … it is just great to be where we are and with the time to get outside and enjoy.

From the last weeks:

March goes out like a lion

But wait! March is supposed to come IN like a lion and go out like a lamb!!

We had a blustery front complete with Winter Weather advisory until 11:00 a.m. this morning. No new snow at my house, just a few light flurries this morning.

The high today was a brisk 34F.

But, it has been above freezing until yesterday…

Out the front door …

…from the front porch…

… the snow is melting. I have ground to walk from house to garage – YEA! Juggling groceries over ice has never been a favorite occupation.

And these girls have been regulars for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

They love the mossy bits on the downed branches.

Auggie is enjoying have less snow and more ground.

And inside, we are getting ready for Mr. Emmett with a redo of the kitchen corner that will allow Auggie, Emmett and me to be together!

While I was at it, a new slipcover for the shredded chair in my office.

Goodbye March and Welcome April!

The squirrel and the hummingbird

The squirrel.

I wish the squirrel had stayed where he was because the light was perfect there. But he moved up the tree, so unfortunately, I was shooting into the sun.

But the action was happening and I didn’t want to miss anything!

If you’ve never heard a hummingbird … when they fly close, they sound like the most gigantic bee that ever was. The sound from their wing action is incredibly loud for such a little creature. And it nearly always makes me cover my head in a “what size bee is that and please don’t sting me” kind of thing.

I was working and the slider was open behind me when I heard the hummer.

Then I heard the squirrel.

Back and forth, back and forth.

I got up to see the hummingbird flying at the squirrel.

I stood paralyzed for some moments not wanting to miss what was going on but wanting to try to take some photos.

Finally I moved and got the camera…

I have never been able to get a photo of a hummingbird in flight. They zip around so fast. They stop in a momentary hover and by the time I focus they have zipped away. But this bird was flying back and forth near the squirrel so I hoped that focusing on the squirrel and clicking away, I might get a shot of the hummer.

Some of these shots remind me of “Top Gun”…

Headed straight up at top speed!

Zeroing in on the squirrel…

The money shot!!

No conclusion, really.

The hummingbird went off – in search of food I would guess. Still, incredibly interesting.

Lilacs and other things

I’ve been watching the lilac buds grow and unfold and today noticed the purple flowers.

This bush by the house has small blooms of deep purple…

…enough to entice a hummingbird!

And completely unrelated … Auggie on top of the woodpile.

Pretty bird: Western Tanager

This is maybe the fourth time I’ve seen a Western Tanager. They pass through and this one was outside the sunroom making a bit of a racket. Auggie was sitting near the house watching. I found no bodies so don’t believe Auggie had been misbehaving.