What???

"An arrow in every direction is the same as no arrow at all."

                                                                                                               The Point

Kumquats

After 10 years at least, we finally got two Kumquats on the tree. Wow, that is underwhelming! We have threatened so many times that we were going to pull it out. Now...what do we do? Should it stay or should it go?

Love On a Wire

The doves are getting cozy, clear up there on the wires. They hang around in pairs and sing to each other. How sweet.

Thirsty Hummer

The Hummingbirds returned some time ago. They love to zip around in the back yard when the sprinklers are on and then stop at the feeder for a drink. They also feed on the Lantana.

Quail on the Fence

We have lots of quail on our property and this one was watching his mate with a trail of 8 or so babies march through the garden. I always assumed that our quail were California Quail but after looking closely at this picture I see that this bird has the dark patch on its breast that is characteristic of the Gambel's Quail. Hmmm...now I'm not sure.

Swallow Saga

 
One morning Johnny was acting very strange. He was still in his paddock and he was neighing and snorting, bucking and stomping. I knew something was up. I threw on a jacket and ran up to the barn. Johnny would not come into the barn for his breakfast as he usually does so I went into his stall to get him. Even then he would not come in.

Then I saw them...three little baby Cliff Swallows in the sand. The swallows had build nests under the barn eaves and the nest had fallen down. The chicks were dusty and dirty and didn't try to fly away so I got a bucket, put some shavings in it and scooped up the babies. Johnny still didn't want to come in the barn and was acting spooked so I wonder if maybe the adults had been diving at him to keep him away from the babies. He finally ran through his stall and out into the pasture and I fed him out there.

I took the babies to the house and tried to wipe them off and get some water into them. Their mouths were very dry and full of dirt. I put them into a basket and started to wonder how to best care for them.

I tried putting the basket back out under where the nest had been and although the adults were around trying to rebuild the nest no one was coming close to the babies. It was a warm day and I was afraid they were getting too warm in the bright sun so I brought them back in the house. My feeding efforts were not going well and I knew they needed nourishment soon. During the night one of the babies died.

The next morning the adult swallows were all around and the two remaining babies were stretching their wings and cheeping loudly so I wondered what would happen if I put them out in the Nandina bush that was close by. Surely the adults would hear the babies.

So this is where I put them, in the bush on the corner. In about an hour I saw the adult birds going into the bush...one, two, three of them, one after the other. They stayed for only a few seconds and then flew away. All day they made trips. Towards evening we went closer to get a look.

They were sure hungry AND the adults were for sure feeding them. That made our day!!!

 

We watched the feeding for about five more days. When I checked, there was only one chick there and two days later the other one had flown away. We feel good to have saved two of the babies and helped the adults get back to taking care of their brood. 

It took Johnny about two days to decide that the barn was OK and no one was going to get him!!!

 

Soon, Very Soon

The green tomatoes are starting to get just the slightest bit yellow. Soon we will have all we can eat.

 

The cucumbers are doing well too. We planted them beside a wire support this year and I think it is working out well. There are loads of little ones set on. I'm ready for cucumbers and yogurt. Yummmm.

The Usual Suspects

Having the right tools is half the battle. But then you have to use them. They have been lined up there...ready. It seems it's the people that are dragging. We need to get out there and finish up the job of cleaning under the Eucalyptus trees. Every year it is the same drill. Until several years ago, we could burn all the leaves and bark that fell down. But no more. We have to haul it to the landfill. We do compost some leaves but there are a lot of them and it takes a long time for them to break down.

One day soon we are going to put those tools to use...I promise.

Sunny Sunflower

This sunflower looks like it is smiling.

One Tough Manicure

It is time to trim Johnny's hooves again. They need attention every 6 to 8 weeks. I have learned to do it my self just because it is so much easier than scheduling and waiting for a farrier to show up.

The bad news is it is hard on the back! In the summer I let Johnny stand in the running water for a while. This softens up his hooves and makes the job much easier. During the winter if we have had any rain this isn't necessary as the foot get moisture from the ground.

 The tools I use are the hoof pick, a hoof knife, a nipper and a rasp.

Once back in the barn Johnny immediately smells the fresh hay that Hubs went to get while I was finishing up the trim. He knows it is just on the other side and he wants some!

And he was so right.

Patchie

Patchie says, "Hummmm...an enpty box. Must be for me."

Callie the Crazy Cat

Callie is a crazy cat. From the tips of her toes to her pink little nose. She is just trouble! This picture is so deceiving!!

Mr. and Mrs.

 

I've been wanting to get pictures of the male and female Acorn Woodpeckers that would be easy to compare. In my wildest dreams we would one day see babies come to the feeders.  This is the male.
The marking on his head are black beak, white and then red crown.

Here is the female. She has a black beak, white, then a black band before the red crown. I actually had to go to the bird guide book to figure this out. One day I saw them at the feeder together and felt they must be a pair but they didn't stay long enough for me to get a picture to figure out the difference. Now I can tell which is which and they come and go almost every day but usually not together. They are larger than a lot of the other birds we see here and the smaller birds clear out until the woodpeckers have had their fill. It is a delight to have them as regular visitors.

Water Drops

The drops of water are magnifying the leaf underneath. DH snapped this while sitting on the patio. He is loving our new Canon SX20.

Bird in the Bath

I had to do a double take to make sure that wasn't a baby duck in the water. He was having so much fun.

How the Garden Grows Today

We picked our first tomato today...nothing special but it shows us that they are making it and there are lots more to come. There are tons of green ones and if they can make it through all this fog without getting blight or rust, we will have tomatoes by the baskets. I found a cucumber that is about 2 inches long, and the peppers are loaded with babies. I see salsa and gazpacho in our future.

The California Poppies are in their second crop. Now in the wild this wouldn't have happened unless they got a good rain storm. We watered this patch and stirred it up and were rewarded. The pink and purple flowers were labeled as Godetia or Farewell to Spring on the seed package but they are very different from what I've had before. This flower is much smaller and many to a long stem. They are also a native California plant that must have several varieties. We enjoy them all!

A Rainbow of Chickens

These happy chickens were all over the garden scraps we took to a friend. What a flock of interesting chickens. Every color and every size. They free range all over the yard. The one in the wheelbarrow was...King of the mountain!

 

Sunlight on Flower

Shades of lavender bathed in sunshine.

What a Face

We visited a friend today and took his pigs some veggies from the garden. They are so cute and only about eight weeks old. Oh, what a face! I think I would have named her Charlotte...remember the book? However, our friend decided on Sarah P!