Mom says we haven’t had internet for a million years. Ok, maybe it only FELT like a million years, maybe it was just about a week.
Mom told me to sit on this bench. So I did.
Anyway I’ve been to lots and lots of parks lately ’cause mom and dad are getting stuff done on the house and I tend to bark a lot while stuff is being done on the house.
But mom! I’m not sure about sitting next to a BOY!
Plus mom says it’s really nice to have the time to go to parks and work on my behavior issues. Seriously mom? Does it look like I have behavior issues?
Deuce seemed to tolerate my curiosity, but I don’t think he was thrilled to sit next to a GIRL either.
I didn’t think so.
Mom says she has some really nice pictures of me that she will share with you once she gets them edited and stuff. Which could be a million years from now.
Or a about a week.
Pictures in this post were taken by my Aunt Karen, Deuce’s mom.
Hard telling with mom.
Signing off for now, your photography model and exemplary citizen,
A couple weeks ago I introduced a friend to the bird magic that is Kensington. You saw the angst with the red headed woodpecker, but there were other bird shenanigans that morning. For instance there was this grackle dad and teenager who seemed not to agree about something very important.
“Hey dad, can I have the keys to the car tonight?““No! Your legs aren’t even long enough to reach the pedals!““I never get to do ANYTHING!““And don’t ask me again!”
Soon dad will be busy with a new brood and teenager will get more freedom. But until then, from the looks of jr’s face, there are more ‘discussions’ in the wind.
I was at Kensington last week. We were lucky enough to find the red-headed woodpecker and his friends on this walk.
They don’t care about you, dove, they just want to see me!Hey, settle down woodpecker, they left enough stuff for all of us.Yea, I guess you’re right. I feel bad about my behavior now. Sorry, man. Help yourself.We can still be friends…right?Hey blackbird, I was just telling the dove that there’s enough for everybody.I’ll just take mine to go.Sometimes I forget it’s not all about me.
As usual, spring in Michigan is a mixed bag. Since we had 60 (15.5C) degree and sometimes higher temperatures in February we were owed several days or even weeks of temperatures in the 30s, (-1.11 C) sometimes lower, in March. With wind and snow to make everything feel extra special.
Still, signs of spring persist even here.
The first sounds of spring, the thing that solidifies the concept of spring for me every year, are the red-winged blackbirds. They announce their arrival loudly with a very distinctive call.
Feathers puffed up to keep warm in our 30 degree windy spring mornings.
I usually hear them before I see them. But a day or so after I hear them singing over in the swamp they will have found my feeder. They come in mass and gobble up everything, much to the dismay of the smaller birds.
“Hey! Do you have food over there?”
They’ve been around for a few weeks now and are disgusted, just as we all were, with that last snow storm.
And when I see my goldfinches start to turn yellow – well – than spring is well and truly on the way. It seems that one day they are all olive drab, and the next day the males are sprouting gold spots.
Diving for goodies fallen from the feeder
And then suddenly those show-offs are entirely, brilliant, yellow.
Almost in full summer uniform.
In fact yellow seems to be the color of spring. Between the daffodils, which are the only spring flowers we can have due to our hardy deer population…
Evening light warms up a chilly spring day.
…to the forsythia in the back yard…
Ok, the forsythia isn’t in bloom here yet, I forced a few sprigs of it to brighten up my kitchen.
…to the cowslips in the nearby woods…
A definite sign that spring has sprung.
…if you see an abundance of yellow around these parts you can almost guarantee spring has sprung.
No guarantees in March, no siree, not around here!
Almost.
Thanks, Karma, for hosting this photo challenge! I remain hopeful that that last snow was our last snow. If you know what I mean.
It seems like it’s been a long time since I promised to show you the best images from my latest walk at Kensington.
Red tailed hawk in the morning light.
While I was walking it didn’t seem like I was taking many photos. But when I go back and look there are way too many ‘best’ images.
Who’s that up there?
So it will be hard to choose just a few. I so much wish you could all walk out there with me.
Enjoying breakfast.
Though I know from experience that I do better photography when I’m walking alone. No one really wants to keep waiting for me to catch up.
Hey! That’s my peanut!
I also don’t want to be those annoying people who talk so loudly while walking in the woods that they broadcast their arrival long before they’re visible.
Yes, I know I’m beautiful.
And I have never understood those people who are racewalking through the trees. I can’t imagine they see much at all.
I’ve been looking for lunch in the mud.
I have a hard enough time spotting wildlife when I’m moving along at my snail photographer pace.
Hey lady! I’m right above your head! Give me a treat and I won’t deposit anything on you!
Anyway, here’s a handful of images that I really enjoyed taking.
Change Is Hard 