Clean Patsy

Patsy was so dirty and now she is clean. She went down to the garden and dug in the WET dirt! She likes her bath now. And I really like...do I dare say it...I like the Sham-Wow. It dries her off in a flash.

Apricot Cobbler

We picked the Apricots fresh from the tree and came in and made the cobbler. It was DELICIOUS!!

Plants on Crack

Well, really, in the crack. Several plants on the back patio have found their own special place to grow and they want to be there bad. The sunflower is just about to bloom now and the birds will probably eat up the seeds as they ripen.

This is a Black Oil Sunflower.

I don't know what this plant is.  The leaves are quite thick. I suspect it is something from the bird seeds we feed. It could be Milo or maybe Millet. Maybe we can grow our own bird seeds.

The dill is very handy...not so much...in fact it's in the way! I use it every chance I get on cottage cheese or salad dressing. But it grows faster than we can use it. It smells good when I go out the laundry room door. Poor blind Patsy walks right into it. Who should I favor, Patsy or the dill plant?

What an interesting assortment of plants that are where they want to be...against my better judgement but there they are anyway. For now.

Mrs. Acorn Woodpecker

This is the female Acorn Woodpecker. We thought we had a pair but now know for sure. The female has the black band in front of the red crown. The males don't have that. Wouldn't it be great if we saw Woodpecker babies!

House Finch Lunch

I've been trying to get pictures of each kind of bird we see feeding their babies. They are so diligent about it and the babies just sit and wait.

Ice in the Ocean

The ocean took on an unusual icy look and the sea gulls were enjoying the waves.

The Red Head

This Acorn Woodpecker is eating Black Oil Sunflower seeds out of the feeder. He is too big to fit on the perch so he hangs underneath and swings himself up to get to the seeds. We need to fix him a better dinner plate!

Hungry Little Mouths

The Towhees are feeding their babies. We have several feeders in the backyard and have seen so many baby birds being fed by their parents. It's delightful to watch.

Homeless Patchie Cat?

No way, but Patchie will never let a perfectly good box go unused. She was outside on her rope and we were unpacking from our Costco trip. I tossed the empty boxes out the laundry room door and Patchie immediately made it a game. She is a funny, playful cat and has a home with us for life...even if she likes to sit in cardboard boxes.

First Fruit to Ripen

The Apricots and Plumcots are the first to ripen in our orchard. We wait anxiously for them and try to leave them on the tree to ripen as long as the birds don't find them.  Once the birds decide they are ripe enough, we better pick! We do share some with the birds...they are our friends and we enjoy watching them and their little ones. We really like the Plumcots and hope our Pluot tree has fruit this year too. They seem to come off later, more like the Plums.

Peddle to the Road

We have a lot of cyclist along Highway 1. It seems to be a preferred route and we enjoy them. This group totaled 1900 the news reported. They were traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles and were spending the night in a park in Santa Maria. This picture was taken about 5 pm and they had a good ten miles to go for the day. They looked tired and ready for a drink.

Blackberries for Dessert

Hubby picked the Blackberries and we are going to have them for dessert...with vanilla ice cream! Ohhhhhh, I can hardly wait.

Beach and Birds

On our way home we drove onto the beach at Grand Avenue. We were looking for Whimbrels. We found only two and the first one flew away as we drove past and this was the second. It was small but hungry and was digging for any morsel in the sand. They are such interesting birds with that long bill. Some days we see flocks, but today only two.

There were several places that the tides had washed up lots of pebbles and broken shells. This doesn't happen too often on Pismo Beach which is mostly sandy and not known for many shells. Except when the sand dollars wash up! This is very sporadic...you never know when.

Lots of seagulls where eating too, young and old. These are Heermann Gulls.

Black Phoebe Feast

There are many Black Phoebes around this year and they have hatched the babies. They made a mud and straw nest under the eaves behind the garage much like swallows. I think they eat mostly bugs and the adults fly around the barn and then to the fence and feed the waiting little ones. The parents are very protective and fly at us when we come out the front door. They also chase off the Scrub Jays which is quite brave!

The babies line up on the fence and wait...the parents make trip after trip to those open mouths.

Caper Harvest

This is our Caper bush. It is just getting started for this year but has produced several small batches so far. You need to pick often so the flower pods don't open up. It will get quite a bit larger as the summer goes on and then will die back in colder weather. It is important that all the old branches get pruned off because it sends out new growth each season. I find it hard to cut it back in the fall but it does much better that way.

We put the Capers in a strong kosher salt brine and just keep adding the new ones as we pick. When the jar in about half full we start a second jar and let the first batch finish curing. You will know they are ready to eat when they turn a duller green and sink to the bottom.

I would love to see how Capers are traditionally grown in the Mediterranean. It's a labor of love but fun.

Good Momma

We caught the momma Chickadee feeding its baby. Precious!!!