Adventures in Birding

I LOVE killdeer!!

These are the funniest little birds.

They show up at our house in the spring. .

With their funny long legs. .

their distinct coloring. .

and their promise that a change of season is on the way!!

Devin and Cami were taking a cruise in the golf cart about 3 weeks ago or so. .

and SAW these little eggs on the ground. .

When they were telling me about them, I knew IMMEDIATELY what they were talking about!

After some research, I learned that killdeer eggs take 21-28 days to hatch.

Every morning that I walked. .

I played a game of cat and mouse with the parents of the eggs.

I walk right by the little nest lined with tiny stones. .

And about 20 feet from that, the parent would run out of the tall grass. .

and start and stop the rest of the 50 yards to the highway where I turned.

I had always heard about the antic that they are famous for. .

but had never seen it myself. .

until recently.

Killdeer will feign a broken wing. .

to get the attention of anyone that has gotten too close to their nest. .

And "lure" you with their flapping and spastic movements. .

And sometimes their squawking.

This mama did the whole flapping the wing thing. .

But as I proceeded to move one step closer to see those little eggs. .

She hollered at me. .

And I gave it up so as not to stress her out.

When the kids and I got back from my mom's last Sunday. .

I wandered out to the nest (I had been checking it every day, since I knew the hatching would take place soon). .

And here is what I found. .

Four perfect looking, sleepy little killdeer.

They were still there Monday morning when I walked. .

But they have all gone since then. I imagine they are still around here. .

What an AWESOME thing to watch!

We were going to have baby blue birds too. .

This daddy was getting ready to feed the female, whom I saw when I put my eye up to the hole!!

The sparrows started hanging out around the nest though. .

And I am not sure that they didn't get in and ruin the eggs.

The bluebirds are still here. .

But they aren't around that nest box anymore. .

GRR!

The only other bird excitement. .

Is watching these girls and boys wander around through the yard.

Devin's chicken flock. .

continues to spend their days hunting bugs. .

and laying eggs!!

Not sure that he will be able to show any of the hens at the fair. .

Most of them have a feather issue on their backs. .

that apparently is not some "chicken thing" like I thought. .

but rather a ROOSTER induced thing!!

I understand the birds and the bees quite well in the human world. .

But am still figuring out the BIRD world!

Oh well. .

Live and learn, right??

Have a GREAT 4th of July weekend!!

Grand Lake. .Part Two

 One might think that 7 days of hanging out on a boat all day would just get boring!!

I think that too!!

So thankfully. .

We don't do that!

We usually sleep in a little in the morning. .

Jeremy until 6:30 or so. .

The rest of a little later ;-)

And then hang around in the morning. .

Watching the screen. .

Playing games. .video or otherwise. .

or just reading and hanging out watching the world (that's mostly just MY down time). .
My planned nature outing this trip was a visit to a Grove highlight. .

Lendonwood Gardens. .
These two wanted to come along too. .

We wandered along through the shady gardens!

There was lots to look at. .

And photograph!

They even had a few water features hidden deep within the gardens!

It was an enjoyable morning for me. .
And a bit of a tortuous one for them. .
Especially when the next stop was a highlighted antique store!!
But. .
They DID voluntarily sign up for the excursion!!
EVEN knowing about the antiquing!

And these two were NOT disappointed to have missed it!!
Their loss!

It's no secret that I LOVE birding of any kind. .
and after 4 summers of water birds. .

I still LOVE to see them and watch their behavior!

These beautiful Great Egrets are very common lake sights!!

They are often spotted at the water's edge fishing. We also saw them in flight and swooping the water for their breakfast!

I finally had Jeremy stop this year so I could take a picture of these cattle egrets. .

They are the funniest sight to see. .

And the first water bird we usually see on our way to the lake.

They seem to think they are part cow or horse. .

Because that is where they feed. .

Right alongside the large animals!!

They actually follow these large animals (and even tractors) to eat the insects that they stir up!

They just strike me as a comical constrast. .

And it always leaves me smiling!

Last year we saw lots of hummingbirds come to the feeders. .

This year. .

just a handful came to feed.

BUT, I enjoyed all the songs and up close views of the cardinals that were around.

I bring my binoculars with me. .

And can be spotted in either yard scoping the movement in the trees. .

or following a call that I don't recognize until I track it down. .
or lose it. .
Whichever happens first!!

Of course, one of my very favorites are the Great Blue Herons. .

And I was excited that we were able to get so close to this one. .

But still not as close as these little blue damselflies that landed on my legs!!

It always amazes me at how MANY of these little creatures. .

other dragonflies and winged creature alike. .

 can be found right in the middle of such a huge body of water!!

I was glad to be able to provide a little flight respite for them!!

Once in a while we'll spot a solitary duck or goose swimming around on the water. .
Jeremy spotted this mama duck swimming with all her babies!!

I was whining so about wanting to get her picture. .

That he finally turned the boat around and floated as close to her as we could get without making her super nervous!

Not close enough for a good picture. .

But close enough to appreciate how stinking cute all these little ducklings were!!

And of course. .
The afternoons were still filled with water sporting. .

And water play. .
Or horse play. .
Whatever you might consider it!!

The kids took some photos too. .
But they are not very patient. .
And a couple of bad pictures and they are calling quits!

Our last few days at the lake. .

found my sister and her family visiting.

They are NOT lake people. .

And so it was fun to watch them all try out the various water sports!

The kids really enjoyed swimming off the boat dock. .

as well as just off the boat!!

Chris was able to get up on both the wakeboard. .

And the surfboard. .

But preferred the surfboard because it is so much easier on your body!

Kristi hadn't skied in 20 year or so. .

But it didn't take her very many tries to get it figured out again. .

She was coerced into trying the surfboard later in the day. .

And she was able to get up. .

Even if just for a brief few seconds!!

Unfortunately, it rained Friday night. .

And was really cool Saturday morning. .

So we took a little ride in the pickup over to the marina to see the fancy boats. .

We also spotted this little friend. .

Who only wandered so close to us before running when we started going his way!!

It rained again A-L-L day Sunday. .

so we hung out in the morning and they left right after lunch!

We were disappointed not to be able to take them over to the gas station with the trampolines. .

or show them the HUGE houses. .
Even the huge houses like the one above. .
Aren't immune from wild animals dumping in their yards!!

But. .

Regardless of the weather. .

We were sooo glad that they gave up their weekend to come and spend it with us.

And I'm pretty sure that we wore them out!!

Come back soon for the parade of my very favorite photos from the week!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Once Upon a Rainy Day. .

OR. .

Soup's on 'Yo. .

take your pick on the title!

We were so fortunate to be on the receiving end of a nice cool, cloudy, drizzly day yesterday!!

It was a little hard to get out bed. .you know, with the cool air blowing through the open windows and all!

In addition to the excitement of having rain. .I noted it to be a great day immediately when I had company for breakfast!!

Look who I saw while eatingt!! The little female hummer is still feasting on all the fall flowers. .The liatris is now in bloom right out our dining room window. .if you look closely, you can discern the running water of the waterfall behind her!!  Oh, am I having a great time watching her. .I just wish she would have brought a Mister with her!! If she did, he is scarce, cause I haven't seen him yet! 

We also spotted a bluebird this morning. .They have been gone since June, after their eggs hatch. .we have had bluebirds winter here before. .so I am hopeful that these will stay around. .their color sure does brighten the day!

As work rolled along Thursday morning. .I decided that soup was on the menu for supper. .

Alphabet soup, if you please. .look at that rich tomato-y broth. .mmmm!

And. .since I had the afternoon off. .

and baking is one of my favorite things to do. .

I felt the need the need to whip up some cinnamon rolls. .

Cause there ain't NOTHING like cinnamon rolls to go with your soup!! 

The soup doesn't have any meat in it. .just lots and lots of veggies. .so I like to fix a little plate of summer sausage, cheese, pickles and olives!! 

We scored about 1/2 inch of rain. .

but because someone knocked over my good rain gauge. .

I'll never know for sure!

We are still considered to be in a serious drought. .

but we'll take every drop we get!!

And more than anything. .with the cool temps. .

the promise of fall seemed nearly too good to be true!! 

Before I share my recipe for our first soup meal of the season. .my camera had apparently been high-jacked. .and I thought you might enjoy the mugshots I found!! Actually, I was pretty impressed with the first photo that I found. This was taken from a dining room chair, out the front window. .I think I like it better than any photo of the pond that I have ever snapped! The green stuff on our side of the window is the veggie plants headed to the greenhouse soon. .tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash and chives. They are doing well. .and I recently added some small pots to try to root some agastache cuttings from my friend Pat. .Leaves are still green and pliable after a week. .I'm hopeful! 

Very attractive. .

don't you think?? 

I'm just glad that they chose to take their photos AFTER I spent an hour cleaning my kitchen. .

See Aunt Lisa. .I do clean sometimes :-)

Heeeeellllllllooooooo. . .

Miss Thing is getting sassier EVERY day!!!

She has a new cocky point, wink, and tongue click thing that she does. .

Too bad Dev's pictures of that were blurry. .

but they made me laugh!

Hope you have some cool temps around your parts soon. .

And. .

I hope you LOVE the soup!

Alphabet Soup

10 cups fresh or frozen veggies, any kind (I used corn, peas, frozen broccoli and pepper mix, celery, and Grant's purple carrots from the garden)

46 oz tomato juice (realizing that I was out of mater juice, I subbed in 2 14 oz cans of tomatoes, and 1 can of tomato sauce. .oh, and about 1/2 cup of salsa from a huge jar that I wanted to get out of the fridge :-)

6 cups water

6 tsp beef granules

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 Tbsp salt or grill seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp garlic powder (used 2 large cloves of garlic from my garden)

7 oz alphabet pasta

Cook all ingredients except for pasta in a large stockpot for 20 minutes. Add pasta & cook 10 min. Eat with cold cuts, summer sausage, sandwiches or relish plate.

This recipe is easy to adapt or change. The original recipe rocks. .but I wanted to show you how adaptable it really is!! I found the alphabet pasta in a bulk food store. .though I must have found it in a large grocery store the first time I made it years and years ago!! 

Enjoy!

A Little of This and a Bit of That. .

I still find it hard to believe that we are already into September. .

where did the summer go??

I am pleased to say. .that with the finish of the 4-H record books and State Fair entries this past week and weekend. .I feel like we are on vacation!

The boys did very well on their exhibits that went for State Fair Judging last Friday. .Devin's Grand Champion Mocha Walnut Brownies earned him a purple ribbon. .the best placing available (to those of you, like my husband, that don't know what that means) and a blue ribbon on his photo of the inside of a rain gauge (interesting ;-) There wasn't even any rain in it. .just two little bugs-as he described it for his grandma so she could find it on her State Fair visit!! Grant's Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze netted a blue ribbon, and his reflection photo of a flower he threw into my pond earned a purple ribbon. Tristan's Cinnamon Sticky Buns placed a red ribbon (though his Biology teacher, who scored a dozen of them from him, said she would have totally given him a blue!!) and his photo of a line up of ring-billed gulls at Grand Lake earned him a blue ribbon!

We found our first egg last week!! Hee, Haw!! Though, I was mildly disappointed that they weren't brown eggs. .Grant brought MY camera to me with the above photo on it. .letting me know that this was totally blog-worthy material!! I had to laugh out loud!! The concept of adding the penny made me realize that they pay attention to a LOT more than I often give them credit for!! (though I have never measured anything next to a penny. .he got that from my dad's mother!!) We are hoping to buy some hens that are already laying eggs from our friends. .to replace the ones we lost when we went through the raccoon raids!! We seem to be predator free now!

We found this little ball of fluff Friday. .and was even able to catch her easily!! She quickly found her way inside with the help of these two munchkins. .and enjoyed some cuddle time with them both!

Also, making my day Friday. .was the sighting of this female ruby-throated hummingbird in the memory garden. Initially, I spotted her dining on the Mexican sunflower. .earning those an automatic space in the garden next year!! But I quickly realized that she was feasting on all the flowers in the memory garden! She has been enjoying the salvia, the catmint, miniature hollyhocks, moonflowers, and even the morning glories! She has NOT, however, been sighted at my hummingbird feeder. .confirming my suspicion that they still prefer to eat from Mother Nature's artwork. .rather than man's!

She's actually quite tame. .or very hungry. .because we can walk fairly close to her without bothering! She seems a little intrigued by the fact that she can't eat the orange pyracanthus berries on this bush, which is just across the sidewalk from the memory garden!

I made my first trek to the drag races Saturday with my crew. It is not a sport that is beloved to me. .but I know Jeremy likes it when I take interest. .

. .and secondly. .

Our 16 year old was chomping at the bit to do a little racing too. .

and Saturday was his debut!!

I'm fairly sure that his great-grandma. .who gave them her old Lincoln towncar. .would be fit to be tied!! They have a class called street legal. .and one can drive any kind of street cars in that class! I've even seen minivans being raced! This type of racing (drag racing) is a little different than one might think. .it's not about who has the fastest car. .it's about who knows what their car can do. .and then making the car do it! The racers each have to "dial-in" a time that they expect their car to go in 1/4 mile. If they go faster than that time. .they lose!! The one that comes the closest without "breaking-out" to the time they dialed in. .Wins!! It takes practice and time to learn how to make those decisions!

Tristan's friend Alex from school also races. .he participates in the high school division. .those kids have big, fast motors in their cars. .faster than the regular street cars.

So to sum up how he did. .I think his little brother Devin put it best. .

He said to me after Tristan's first run of the day. .

"Mom, I thought Tristan was going to suck. .and he did!!"

It will just take time for him to figure out that game, and make it work!

He was excited and he had fun. .and it will be a great hobby for my boys to share with their dad while Cami and I go shopping!!

We weren't finished with the kids' record books yet. .and they were due today. .so along went the books. .the laptop. .and the white out. .so they could work on them between runs Saturday. .No one was very excited that Mom came along. .AND made them do some work!! And Jeremy did mention that it took him 3 times as long to clean out the trailer when we got home, from all the stuff I packed along!! My retort was. ."It's better to have something and NOT need it. .than to need something and NOT have it!"

He just smiled and shook his head!

Thankfully, those books and their recordings of the previous 4-H year--including highlights and all the things they had the opportunity to do and learn--are finished for another year!

Jeremy didn't do so well either on Saturday. .but he is excited for the next one to come along!! He doesn't race much in the summer. .because it is too hot. .many of these guys go so fast that they are required to wear heavy fire-suits and big helmets (Jeremy is one of those guys) and there is no AC in the vehicles. .AND they sit in the staging lanes in racing order for a long time, to facilitate the efficient operation of the whole race, and being that hot isn't a lot of fun for many. Soo, when the weather cools down, he hits it hard until the end of October when the sport ends for the season!

Football season is now in full swing. .as are all the activities that involve everyone's youth group clubs. .Our calendars are booking up fast for the fall!!

The most exciting thing on MY calendar coming up. .is this Sunday. .when I will enjoy the Broadway production of "Lion King" with some of my best girls in Wichita!! My proverbial bucket list includes seeing as many Broadway productions as I can. .And this seems to be a good year for that!! In October. .God willing. .I will go to Oklahoma City with some of my work friends to see Les Miserables, another famous production. .and in April. .West Side Story. .Consequently, the excitement of those trips will make time go even faster than it does!

We're praying for some more rain here this week. .The fall countdown is ON!

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by this humble little blog!