Bigger than a chickadee...

My friend Carol shared this photo with me and said I could blog it. Not your average bird feeder type birds, this is a small flock of wild turkeys, quite common here in Maine. We have them in our yard, too, but I've never managed to capture such a fun photo of them. We feed the wild birds at work, too, and often a flock of turkeys will come in from the woods behind us. They look like some ancient, mythical beings as they march through the trees. The size of them will surprise you, they are really quite huge. In the spring we are sometimes lucky enough to see the males as they fan their tails up and strut to impress the ladies. I know it works, because it never fails to impress me.

Giving...

For my birthday last year my husband gave me a very nice wrist watch. Attractive, comfortable - a lovely gift. Later his watch broke and he bought himself a watch just like mine, (only manlier.) At night I put my watch on top of my dresser. One morning I noticed he had left his watch there, too. Encircling my watch. He does this every night. I think this qualifies as a gift that keeps on giving, don't you?

Today I am grateful...

Today I am grateful for:
Good veterinary care to fix my sick pup.
Precious family.
Fire in the sky and in my woodstove...

...So much to be thankful for, every day.

Heart stones....

If someone asks, I always say I don't collect anything. By that I mean that I don't buy things and keep them displayed. But I do have a penchant for seeking and finding stones in the shape of hearts. I've found them on beaches, in driveways, and while digging in my garden. My daughter brought me a beauty from India, and friends and family often press a cool, smooth stone into my palm when they come visit. I tuck them on the window sills on the porch, or group a few on a table for fun. My sister found me this terrific little book, too... who knew others had an eye for hearts?

Puppyness...

Last week a man opened up his picnic basket to show me... two 4 week old Jack Russell terrier puppies. As adorable as this pup is, can't you just see the glint of naughty in that dark eye?

No Mess...

Today was my day off. I cleaned the kitchen, did some chores, and then went to the barn to kiss my horse. When I came back, I opened the door to see my wood floors covered in white powder. It looked like a cocaine buy gone awry! The bad boxer had used her nimble paws and evil brain to open the baking cabinet. She pulled the dishpan that is wedged TIGHTLY in there out, and then opened 3 bags of flour, a bag of confectionery sugar, and a bunch of cake and cookie sprinkles that I kept stored there. The huge, industrial sized bottle of vanilla extract was on its side, dripping sticky extract into the white powder. I was less than amused. I did smile, though, when I read the label on the corn starch. The dog can get into any cabinet, she has even learned to open the oven, (when she figures out the refrigerator, we'll all starve!) but she has NOT learned to read the "no mess" suggestion!!

Hanging on...

In the current fishy economy, with the press bombarding us with gloom and doom at every turn, it seems a lot of people are just hanging on. Timid to make decisions about jobs, purchases, investments. Immobile. This human behavior reminds me of the mussels on this old float. Stuck tight... but at least the mollusks are glued to something beautiful.