This blog is about my garden and the outdoors. I am new to photography but I am trying to show some of the pretty things that grow here in Michigan. I love the wild things who visit me and I dont mind if they eat a bit here and there. I like it more if they let me take their picture. As time goes on I think I will try to show you around the beautiful area that I live in as well as my garden. I try to use my own pictures as much as possible but will also use pictures from the web. If I inadvertently use your photo or work without permission please email me and I will remove it or give credit if you prefer. I will give credit when I know who the owner is. I would ask that anyone using my pictures do the same.
... I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.......Psalm23:6
If you do not have a blog and wish to comment (I love comments) you can join google and comment via that, It's free

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Fun in the garden.................

I was looking out the window and I saw a bunny. So I rushed to get my camera.
 photo d0a6404d-96d3-4f52-b07d-6a418e183041_zps88590fd8.jpg
He is a bit blurry because I took through the closed window. This one sits there and looks like a bunny. After a bit I realize he/she is not alone. I watch for awhile and they start to play. Chasing around the front garden leaping and bounding and then I see there are three of them. They race off down the road. I am afraid they will be hit by a car.
 photo 3a654d6f-98cc-423d-9cd7-8af44c9a10c4_zps6c743d2f.jpg
I went and watched out of another window and saw one cross the street. Pretty soon they again raced through my front garden. I wonder if they were courting?
Looking closer I wonder if they are Snowshoe Hares? They seem to have white fur that is changing to the summer brown? Look at the back feet they look like hare not rabbit. They are the size of my small poodles.
 photo ff8b102d-55e0-4d55-a277-8e00b8d17235_zps2fd09dd8.jpg
This one laying down certainly looks as big as my poodles.
 photo 0e73c7de-d9e5-4788-9788-d5d461d84f37_zps4042cd08.jpg
After a rest and a few more laps they ran off across the road and down the ally. I hope they come back, I hope they have a nest and raise babies. I hope the parents beat the crap out of any cats (including mine) that go near. They are big and strong enough. We have had babies here before and I love how they will face the wall and stay still. Seems they think if they cant see us then we cant see them. I put out seeds for them. I think our local Skunk was indulging last night.
The next picture is of our Mourning Dove who is nesting on the porch
 photo ae86adc5-b29f-4c39-a375-6098e191a56c_zps59556cbf.jpg
This is where the nest is. Above where I hung my friends hoops. She lands on that and then pushes her way into the nest
 photo 0008b818-9a2a-46fa-80c2-c85487c7b22a_zpsf03f1c2b.jpg
Cardinal is singing his heart out on the garden post
 photo 25e35f2d-e2a9-44b4-bfaf-3fca2f370fb6_zps3e998ca1.jpg
Well not much excitment since then but I do hope th bunnies come back. I must be sure to have seed down so they dont eat my flowers. Hmmmmmmmm they look like they would eat a lot.

Monday, April 28, 2014

A new bird in my garden............

The last few days I have seen a stranger in our midst. I have not been able to get a good picture because every time I see it I dont have my camera. Well I got one very blurry shot.
 photo 089c62ea-ba94-4785-afbe-5f323907170b_zpsed33730a.jpg
A little research and I think we have it.
 photo a72f03c0-e19c-4f7a-aa12-b3a2208c5d1e_zps62bb9a0a.jpg
This is the one. They are indeed thrushes. My first guess. They are smaller than my English thrush but a thrush none the less.
A Hermit Thrush.
 photo d1d983de-4f4e-4659-9aa0-963bb8b4006f_zps26e3b068.jpg
I read about it and that confirmed it. This delighful little chap has been hanging around for several days now. Two in fact, a pair of them. Male and female. I am hoping for a nest. They stay low to the ground, hopping around in shrubs and in the flower beds. They like old leaves where they can get bugs and things. Aha competition for the Robins. This little chap is not shy either. I was sitting by the pond and she was sitting in the tree next to me. I got a good opportunity to study her and get the details. Like the ring around the eye. I examined her colour a lovely rich brown with a pale breast. The male had speckles, I could not tell if she did or not but she was so pretty. She went down into the garden next to me and found bits to nibble on. Or maybe bits for a nest somewhere close by. I will keep my camera handy.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Mrs Robin.....................

I went out into the garden today, I wanted to see if I could find something to write about. Well I did take a few very boring pictures. Nothing is more than an inch above ground. Still there was a Robin feeding, or at least looking for worms. So I waited and hoped to get a few pictures.
 photo 2f4157e0-1568-477a-bad4-0b6555514ab5_zpsf646514d.jpg
Then I noticed he was gathering nesting material. The nest is on our porch. Oh no. Every year the Robins nest on our porch. Do they not see the cat?
 photo c4afc445-8512-423b-bc15-f633ad2a9fd1_zps587c9ee0.jpg
Well she was certainly determined, but we had one who was pissed off every time we went out the front door. She eventually left. I had one who woke us up in the middle of the night. Her kids were jumping out of the nest and fluttering off down the road. There was someones cat after them. There I was in my nightdress, middle of the night chasing baby Robins down the road and popping them back in the nest. Robins can be a pain. After that she came back for a 2nd batch and we have had at least one Robin nest there every year. Most do not make it. Has to be hard being a Robin parent.
 photo fa30ba63-79e6-48c4-b1c8-1f0cb16635cd_zpsc34b0035.jpg
Last year some Blue Jays nested out back and they had 4 babies. Something got them and they all died. Its such a shame. Must be heartbreaking to get that far to loose them all.
Meanwhile as we were looking around the yard for growing things, we noticed the pile of snow still on the side of the garage.
 photo 2c514955-6448-474c-ad8b-9b80652f0480_zpsc53c2073.jpg
 photo 68aea20a-97ab-46ca-9b55-fdf2474f5334_zps47e47b50.jpg
Well there is a few crocus popping through. They came from Bud's yard, thank you squirrels.
 photo c0dfc7ca-3662-44b4-bbf4-1d0c6269f511_zpsf862be13.jpg
Beautiful arn't they....wont be long and Spring will be bursting out all over. I hope.....




Sunday, April 13, 2014

It's here, it's here...........

That clean up time of year..........and oh what a mess it is. Gerry went outside today to do a litte raking. I swept the deck and paths. So much mud. Well, especially because Tristen has been playing out there in it. The snow broke the fences. I am actually happy about that because it means I have to do something about it. We have wanted a higher fence for a long time but could never aford it. Now we have no choice. Meanwhile things are starting to grow.
 photo 04bc3539-9eea-4fa3-b568-55fcec476d0c_zpsd3950533.jpg
 photo 6719d430-3e7a-42ad-89a8-313e8ed0d2db_zpsa7144afe.jpg
The poodles are just soooooo happy to get off the deck and recheck their territory.
 photo f3552ef0-0199-481e-9992-7b883a568cc7_zps430f10f0.jpg
Bodicea enjoyed the sun
 photo 48a10ad7-7e2a-400c-9be7-01144b881d81_zps3303ef89.jpg
Can you see Bijou on the snow?
 photo 036f30e7-ecbf-4f76-aa11-565e32e5df46_zpsd9b4c7f8.jpg
Then someone came to Buds house and everyone went to check that out. We had a poodle path there but took it out.
 photo 6a73445f-11e6-4a9a-a247-43639cdb5c86_zpsb7527dd6.jpg
Boots the cat came with the poodles and showed them around.
 photo d2fa732f-a864-4414-9380-39d0847db607_zps9a342603.jpg
 photo beae6cac-7d73-4edb-8640-aab0f722a6eb_zps53f27844.jpg
This is Boots after a reprimand for watching the fish. Hmmmmmm
 photo 4c11e0bd-b8c3-419b-a4ec-160c6fc17ab1_zps2519e7da.jpg
I can not wait till all the snow is gone so all the old leaves can be raked up and the tidy up can begin.
 photo e993df5c-b1c1-41d2-8756-2a8a36905c8f_zps330f879f.jpg
 photo a7bf661a-b673-40d5-b9e2-1bf740ff16cd_zps24067a01.jpg
 photo 26bc7ccb-8dd5-481a-8b90-edfa983f7163_zps2c8b1c04.jpg
Boots has been able to go where she wanted all winter but the poodles were confined to the poop deck. That now needs a good hose down. Next week mayb we can get that done.


Monday, April 7, 2014

They Made it through............

My fish, they all made it through what was probably one of the worst Michigan winters since the early 1970s. I am not sure how the records would agree with that but since the blizzard of 1978 I don't remember one this long with this much snow. So I was concerned. The pond was covered with several feet of snow and that is a good thing. We kept the pump going but could not tell if it stopped or not.
Today I went to check on them because Gerry said he had seen a couple of fish.
 photo fbbdffa4-9799-4e26-af50-f0ba680324a8_zps149877fa.jpg
Last year we were shocked to find that the 3 gold fish, had a baby. I did not know that would happen in a very small pond. I was more shocked to find he made it through winter. I had to wait awhile because he is very hard to see.
 photo 4c163188-91bf-48f6-9f6a-88d7818f4e21_zpsde8e533a.jpg
My first couple of attemps at keeping fish, they all had names. It was just too sad when they died. Yes I get attached to my fish too. Well, I said if they lived I would name them, but I don't want to jinx them.
 photo 5b067892-c076-4a51-82f6-e3a889c2527b_zps37f002d3.jpg
We will try to not disturb the pond too much this Spring, it will need cleaning but I do not want to disturb it too much. Hope if I can keep it going as it is then who knows, may have more babies this year,
I must ask my cousin how long the babies stay black. Good camouflage anyway, so maybe they stay black for a few seasons?


.