Hawk...

I think this is a Sharp Shinned hawk. I am waiting for confirmation of this from my very smart bird watching brother in law. There were two of these beautiful birds in my big Bernstein Bear dead tree this morning. They let me take several photos before winging off, out over the pond, crying their "Kee Kee Kee..." as they left. I suspect these are the same birds that nested this summer in the woods to the north of the meadow. I could hear them calling at all hours, and saw them chasing off the local flock of crows at every opportunity. This made for interesting viewing, as the crows were nesting in the same area. There were ariel battles throughout the day all summer long. Now the crows and the little hawks take turns sitting in this huge tree, on the lookout for their next meal.

Creature of Comfort...

I once read that if you put a Pug into an empty room, you can come back and find it happily asleep on a sock it had found.


This is Poppy. 8 years ago she was abandoned at a shelter in Memphis, and by a strange turn of events too long to detail now, I ended up being her foster mom. I had NO intention of keeping her. I prefer dogs that are beautiful. Pug's are many things, but NOT pretty. One day, after a week of having her under my roof, I looked down at her little face and said, "OH! You are SO beautiful." I knew I was sunk. But I digress....

This box held some produce from the local farm stand... including a dozen ears of fresh corn. We shucked the corn out on the picnic table, and somehow the box ended up abandoned on the back lawn.

The next night, Poppy eschewed all the soft grass that surrounded her, and cozied up in this box.
A sock, a box, a pillow or preferably a warm lap... Pug's will find the softest, driest, snuggest place in any spot and put themselves there. It's a gift.

Hello. My name is Daryl and I am a Pug a holic.

Curls...

When my daughter was a baby, I took great delight in "doing" her hair. I put wee bows in it, trimmed her bangs and created new styles as it grew, and Grew, and GREW.

One day, when she was 3, she was due for a bang trim. As I got my grooming tools out, she stared up at me with her enormous eyes, stomped her tiny foot and said, "I DEMAND a professional!" Chagrined, I replied, "I'm a professional!" Undeterred, and with a note of real disgust she said, "Yeah, for DOGS!"

Obviously, I couldn't argue with her reasoning. I began taking her to human hair stylists.

This week she called me at work one afternoon. "Can you bring scissors home? I need a trim."
She sat at the picnic table in the slanting afternoon sun, and I combed and snipped and smiled.

I felt so... PROFESSIONAL!

A childish suggestion...

On the way home from work I chatted on my cell phone with my friend, Chez. Her little boy hollered, "Have a weenie roast!"

It was a pretty rotten day at work, so I came home and plunked myself in the back yard. From my vantage point in an Adirondack chair, I watched my dogs, chickens and lambs in the yard, and wildlife beyond the fence. It was peaceful and I could feel the stresses of my day draining away. I pondered dinner ideas... grilled chicken? quiche? stir fry? All of those items would require me leaving my happy post and going inside to cook. Duncan's suggestion echoed in my head, "Weenie roast"

I started a fire and wiped off the skewers. Weenie roast... an excellent suggestion.

Kayaking at sunset...

At sunset we put our kayaks into Seven Tree pond. Four of us slid onto the water on the first hot night of this cool summer. (I can't claim this photograph, I am hesitant to take my camera out on the water. I borrowed it from: http://s3.images.com/huge.63.315623.JPG)

Silver fish breached the surface of the glass smooth water, and mist hung close over the meadows and trees that skirted the lake. A flock of Canada Geese winged loudly by, and bats dipped silently over our heads, then away in a blink. Our conversation and laughter echoed around us.

The sun painted the western sky in pastels, and a full moon rose through a smudge of low hanging clouds. It was dark when we beached the boats... I finished the evening with a quick wade into the lake to keep me cool into the evening.

Busy days click by faster than I wish. Somehow an evening paddling in the mist with friends has the magical ability to slow time.

My big brother...

My big brother came to visit me from Vermont yesterday. I adore him, and do not see him often enough. This is the big brother that used to plunk me on the bar of his bicyle and peddle me around town. It hurt like crazy but I'd ride any time, just to be with him. When I was really little he had his first business, "Waters Worm Works. He let me help by holding out my little hands for him to fill with worms. He would wait until my mitts were full and then say, "You have a skeeter on your cheek." I fell for it ever time, smashing my face with dirt and worm guts. He would laugh till he cried, I'd just cry. He taught me to shoot and how to swim and water ski. He rode me on his dirt bikes, let me hang out with his friends, and let me go on endless back road adventures. I am so lucky to have a big brother!

Web art...

At the top of the crab apple tree, an orb spider spun her nightly web. The sun illuminated each dew covered strand and sent me in from my morning chores to get the camera.

It has been said that beauty can be found anywhere.
Those who are receptive find it. What beauty have you discovered today?