Sunday, July 31, 2011

Leaving the Nest


A few weeks ago I posted a picture of one of a pair
of hawks that has been raising their babies in our
oak tree for the past ten years or so. There are two babies
each year as a rule and the process of teaching
 them to fly and be independent takes several weeks.

The weather has been extremely hot and dry this year and 
the babies have been making trips to the bird bath in the back yard. This is a first and we can only attribute it to the fact there is no lake water behind our house right now.



Here are some pictures David took one afternoon as the youngsters
sat in the tree above the birdbath. You can tell they are still very young by their size and the large eyes that aren't hooded yet.


They are pretty much on their own by now.

Quite a few homes have been built in our neighborhood
in the past several years and I am concerned that we are becoming too populated for them.

I am glad the hawks still feel at home here and chose to
raise another family this year.

We are still experiencing extreme heat and I am staying
indoors so not much to share. I am ready for Fall!

Thursday, July 28, 2011


And in the case of butterflies,


So rich it looks as if all summer settled there and died.
                                                                                     Philip Larken, "Autumn"

It has taken somewhat longer than expected to bounce
back from the surgery. That, along with the unbelievable
heat and continued drought,
 has left me with little interest in the outside world.

This butterfly caught my attention out the
kitchen window. Maybe it is a sign of better days ahead!

Hope you find beauty in your world today.




Monday, July 04, 2011

TAKING A BREAK


Our weather continues in drought conditions.
The rain we had so hoped for didn't appear.
There are chances of thunderstorms every afternoon,
but so far, none for us.
The temperature continues to climb over 100 daily.

This is summer in the south.

The flowers I planted with such promise 2 months ago
are showing signs of severe stress.
I am a little stressed also by dragging
that water hose everywhere the sprinkler doesn't reach :)

I will be taking a blogging break for a couple of weeks.
There is a little matter of unplanned surgery that has
to be taken care of. I expect to be fine and back to normal
soon and I hope to check in from time to time but it
will be a while before I am out and about again with my camera.

Hope your summer stays green and under 100 degrees!
See you in a few weeks.

Carolyn





Friday, July 01, 2011

* Happy 4th of July *


Thank you, to all who make it possible
to celebrate this day of freedom.







 These pictures were taken July 4, 2008 at my
 mother's house in Mississippi.

My daughter and I are planning to visit again this weekend.
I am looking forward to visiting with my family, catching up
on what is happening in their lives and seeing how much the
children have grown (not to mention eating mother's good cooking).

Have a Blessed and Happy Holiday.