Flower Power

Since I'm an only child and my aunt's two girls are the same ages as my children, they've always called me Aunt Gail, even though we're first cousins. I love that. After moving back to Baton Rouge two years ago, I have had the opportunity to get closer to my family, my "adopted" nieces especially. All three of us suffer from bouts of depression from time to time, so if I'm not lifting them up, they're lifting me up. It's pretty wonderful. Here are the flowers from my youngest niece/cousin. She surprised me with them last week, filling my heart with joy and love. Remind me sometime me to tell you the story about why Double D refuses to buy me flowers and hasn't since 2/14/1991...another post for another day. I absolutely love getting fresh flowers! Thank you, Chris, for being the special girl you are. And for loving me.

It's Alive!

I'll get to the "It's Alive!" thing in a minute. First, I want to show you the new bird I was able to photograph on May 3: the black and white warbler. Cute little thing, but fast as lightning, and high up in the canopy. What a challenge! But one that I enjoyed.

Here is one of many weird blobs we saw while kayaking at the park. I asked one of the park employees what it was and she said it's some sort of marine life that thrives off algae. I said, "It's alive?" I was feeling guilty for poking the crap out of it with my paddle. It felt spongy and bouncy. She said not to worry that I didn't hurt it. But I read on Wikipedia that it has nerves and a digestive system! It's called a Bryozoa. I'm sure they're very primitive, but still. The one in this photo was about the size of a mini-trampoline and we saw others even bigger than this one. It looks like it is adorned with snowflakes. Weird, the things you find existing in the world. I'm always amazed at God's creation.

Cheers to the weekend everyone!! See y'all on Monday.

Double D's Big Day

For those of you new to this blog, Double D is the nickname of my husband. His birthday was on May 6th, and since we moved to Baton Rouge he always wants to celebrate it in the French Quarter. Seeing him so happy makes my day. All images were taken with the iPhone.

Usually we make a beeline for Pat O'Brien's but since we parked so close to the river, I asked him to pose for me in front of the bridge. Actually, his first stop was to buy a hat. It took me a while to get used to this new look, but now I like it!

Two men asked if they could take our picture together. At first I was hesitant because 1) I hate to have my picture taken, and 2) I was afraid he'd just run off with my phone, but Double D said 'yes!' before I could think. All went well, thank goodness!

In front of St. Louis Cathedral.
My entry for Good Fences.

Every year he has to pose in front of the Pat O'Brien statue after he gets his hurricane.

Next stop is the bar "Famous Door". The cigarette smoke was killing me, so I made several trips outside gasping for air.

Ooops... Famous Doo.
The music was fantastic! Double D requested Born On The Bayou by CCR and we sang along as loud as we could. Fun!

This bar has been in business since 1935, so I'm surprised more letters aren't missing.

If only my birthday could have been as much fun. I suffered with nausea the first half of the day and windy, cold conditions the second half (when I began to feel better). Celebrating on Saturday (I hope!).

Linking with TexWisGirl's Good Fences meme. Can't wait to see the other entries!

Blind Images

Below are photos taken from inside my chair blind. I am loving that thing, but it is getting a little warm for it now. The link to Amazon has a different price every time I click on it; I purchased it for $75, but as I'm scheduling this post (5/9) it is $69.99. Last week it was $90. Since Amazon is being "playful" with the price, if you want one and don't like the price, wait a day or two.

For such a large bird, the blue jays around here are awfully skittish.
After about 10 clicks he was outta there.

Listening to the click of my camera.

This female house finch was eating my weeds. Thank you!

The female and male are never far from one another. It's so sweet.

The ravenous starling (one of many) who gorges on the suet before my poor woodpeckers hardly have a chance.

The infamous chair blind! Sorry about all the weeds in the garden; I haven't had the energy
to get to this particular bed yet. How do you like my dead branches attached to the feeding station? It's not pretty,
but it gets the job done. Extra seating for birds waiting their turn at the feeder.

Today I advance to the ripe old age of 53!! I refuse to let my age dictate any area of my life. My mom used to say things like, "She is too old to be wearing her hair that long" or "Women over 35 should not wear sleeveless tops" or "That woman is trying to act way too young for her age." Ummm...I am breaking every one of her rules, lol. The plan today is to kayak at my favorite lake in a TANK TOP, my hair up in a clip because I'm letting it grow out. I'm sure she's looking down shaking her head at me. My mom was such a graceful, refined woman, and although we have a strong physical resemblance, our personalities couldn't be any different. If she were alive, she would be praying the rosary the whole time I kayaked in an effort to prevent an alligator attack or drowning. Poor mama.

Since I'm scheduling this post ahead of time, I hope the weather holds up for us. It's not looking too good at the moment. So if you see me making blog visits it means the rain kept me from kayaking and birding. If it does rain, we will go on Saturday instead since I agreed to work for my former boss on Thursday and Friday.

Hungry Passerby

On April 26th a male, rose-breasted grosbeak came to my feeder. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out the back door. Instinctively, I grabbed my camera, nervously shoving the memory card in its slot and checking my settings. These were shot hand-held from a pretty good distance because I was afraid of spooking him. I was hoping for another opportunity to get shots, but he never came back. Oh well, sometimes you just have to take what you can get!

The only shot I got of his backside.

The feeder he is perched on has been an effective one for keeping squirrels out. Too much weight on the perches brings down a door that closes off access to the seeds. I've had it for several months now and it really works. It was on sale at our local garden center.