Showing posts with label animals. Show all posts

Friday, April 10, 2026

Solo, Flocks and a Herd

Big, stormy looking clouds providing that special kind of light...and more funky owl pics!

The wind was blowing her feathers a lot. In the second pic, it looks like she has on mascara. haha I'm thinking I should give up getting a good pic or even a barely decent photo. sigh.

The sky was gorgeous. We got a 20 second spattering of rain upon leaving the bridge. That was it.

Dust In the Wind - With ‪@Hildegardvonblingin‬

LINK

The crows were out in force today. They were swooping and chasing in small groups or just a few. Last night I remembered this article I had read about a herd of goats getting the job of brush clearance. This is one of the places we haven't been for a couple of months, the trail with the Little Free Library. So, after the visit to the bridge, we drove over to see if we could see them. They were not near the road, so we drove into the parking areas. We noticed new fencing near the edge above the stream.

The hills were eaten clean! Now, where are those goats? Ahhhh...there they are!

First we spotted small white dots out in the field. The photo looks like a watercolor painting. We continued on up the access road, where more temporary electric fencing lined the road. Then on the way back out, we spot many more!

I'd like to go back to see them again before they finish their job and get moved elsewhere or go home. I love this eco-friendly solution prior to "fire season" and feel a certain sense of pride that my city decided to go this route. Yay.

Home again.

Where can you go to see something new?

May you be tickled

May you feel glee

May you explore

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Checking In

Just checking in here. The trees above are outside our window/sliding door or out back. They are all bursting with new growth and pollen. Yep, gobs of pollen! Our allergies are crazy. Ugh.

Genius 10 Year Old's Research Shows Memories Can Be Inherited?

LINK 14:01 minutes

I found this line below in an email draft. Where did it come from? Who wrote it? Funny that I discover it today after watching the video above.

"the things that live in our bones, that come alive in certain moments...even if we can't say why"

We went to the bridge again today, to check in on the owl and take a small walk. There is a lot of this yellow "Brittle Bush" growing. We also walk in the opposite direction than we normally do and saw lots of yellow Mustard. It was really beautiful.

There were clouds rolling in, but there is no rain predicted in the next 10 days.

If you know where to look, you know there is a Great Horned Owl sitting in her nest, but all of the people we saw today had no idea.

She played peek-a-boo with me, as the sun played with the clouds.

On the way out we saw a 6-7 inch alligator lizard, warming itself on the pavement. It looked so big compared to the Fence Lizards we're used to seeing.

Where would you go, if you could go anywhere?

May you accept life's limtations

May you live well within them

May you still appreciate it all

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Questions

To ask or not to ask, that is the question. I had a conversation about asking questions of loved ones. When and what to ask...how deep to delve and when to hold your tongue or reword your question. Nobody ever said communication was easy, did they?

We saw lots of green again today...and so much beautiful blue sky. I never tire of these views. I never tire...

We watched two hawks soaring, one landing in the tree below and heard their calls echo through the open spaces. I never, ever tire of this sight, nor tire of their achingly beautiful cries. I never tire...

We noticed a spattering of yellow mustard and an army of the yellow flowers and tall grasses, as seen below. We contemplated why there has been much dried, last years mustard...but not much blooming now. Is it too early for mustard? Does it have particular cyclical patterns for growth, say every other year being a stronger booming year? I never tire of the the wondering while out in nature...of asking open-ended questions. I never tire...

Man's cat sanctuary naps still helping rescue expand years after they first went viral

LINK 2:50 minutes

The river was still rather full, but much slower moving...Pooh Sticks hit the water with a splash and bobbed merrily along. I never tire of trying to be successful at this game or of watching the river flow. I never tire...

We observed possible nesting activity in last year's Hawk's nest. Do they return year after year? We'll see. The joist that held the crows nest last year was completely bare, not a twig in sight. So, we wondered about that too! I never tire of watching the happenings of the birds. I never tire...

The oak by our parking spot was lit up upon returning home. So many new, Spring green leaves and a lumpy, bumpy trunk. I never tire seeing how the light shifts on the plant life, on the water...anywhere. I never tire...

What life forces do you "never tire" of?

May you ask the best questions

May you explore many questions

May you know when to hold your questions back

Monday, January 26, 2026

Butterflies Are Free

A park across town. It looks so much larger in the photo. In a mostly winter looking tree, there was a very large clump of brilliant green leaves.

Today fed us some real humans news, some goodness. The screen shot below is from a story about the National Guard in Minneapolis handing out doughnuts and warm coffee or hot chocolate. They were not wearing masks, but instead wore smiles and kind voices. They wore bright vests to announce they are not ice. If you need a feel good moment, follow the link below.

LINK for screenshot source

We circled the perimeter, as usual. When we got to this section surrounded by Eucalyptus trees, we started seeing small butterflies. They looked similar to Monarchs, but they moved so quickly, so we couldn't be really sure. Anyway, the longer we stood there, the more butterflies we noticed. Think about that...read it again...'the longer we stood there'...I think that was the lesson there today: slow down, stop, just be. We talked about the butterfly grove up north and J. popped out with the memory of this old movie (below). I had not thought of this movie for a million years. I, of course, had to find it and watch it later in the day. What a trip. I was in 8th grade when it came out and wanted to be that wild and free...I just didn't know that it came with so much baggage (lesson #2! haha)

At any rate, standing there seeing the flitting and flying of the orange and black and white butterflies was amazing. I saw it through the eyes of magical, he had on his science/nature viewpoint. heehee.

Butterflies Are Free

LINK 1:49:23

We've been noticing the VA Eucalyptus trees all over town since we began the Parks Project. Their dark, dark trunks, rough bark and red, hardened sap. Today the ground was covered with dainty pink Eucalyptus flowers. We've also been seeing the the red berry bushes of my childhood everywhere too. Isn't it wonderful what you can see when you look?!

After looping the park itself, we walked over the bridge, which spans the width of the nearby main road. We then walked up a couple of blocks and back, while on the main road. Too busy (even if the photos I took do not show that!). We won't do that there again.

This photo was fun to play with. I like all of the lines and angles.

On that side of the road we saw big views on this clear day, beautiful sage and spent yucca flower stems. Tree trunks and fence shadows and views that go on for miles. It was again so clear. I marveled at how much we could see.