Oh Dear, deer

In the last few days we have seen many deer,  the sweetest fawn, several yearlings and at least one doe. I worked outside with my camera in my pocket for several hours and because of my apparent lack of skill got only one O.K. photo. You'll have to take my word for the rest.  The fawn was the youngest I've ever seen. The little twerp ran into the woods as soon as I lifted my camera.

It is interesting to see what they like to devour. The deer have never touched any of my hydrangea until this visit. It was a transplant...every leaf is gone. I just noticed it is in the photo in front of the back end of her highness.

Joe took this photo of the bucks this evening after I posted this. We've never had so many deer  on our property in one day.
  I never tire of sighting deer.

Mystery In the Woods.

While sitting on the deck enjoying the scenery, Joe and I heard an extremely shrill sound of an animal or large bird. It was much louder than a crow.

Then I heard something running away from something. It was very scary.
I had planned on clearing the trail this week but who knows what lurks among the trees and brush?

My guess is that one critter was threatening the  offspring of another critter.

The strange part is that the noise was very loud and usually coyote, deer, are very quiet.

Annual Visit From Mr. & Mrs. Pigeon

It pays to glance out the window. This morning I saw this gigantic bird.  Not really that large but compared to the chickadees etc. it looked huge.  I  asked Joe to take a photo since I was way too excited. There were two pigeons but Joe could only find one. I assume they were a couple as one looked a little smaller.
Could be just friends or Mr. and Mr.

It was a band tailed pigeon.  Every year when the elderberries are ripe they enter the woods. This time they landed in the front yard on a cedar tree. The upper portion of the tree has been dead for a few years. We keep saying we should cut the dead limbs off but it seems they serve a purpose.

It is interesting that they seem to know when to come. The berries are not quite ready. I'm sure they'll be back.

Rufous -sided Towhee

One of my favorite visitors.  I think this is a male.

Spring Concert.....Denny International Middle School

As always,  I enjoyed listening to the young musicians.   I figure even if a child has no talent...it keeps him or her out of trouble.   I am  amazed that one third of the students are involved in music.  

Our favorite groups were the Senior Band which is very good, and, the marching band, which is excellent.

The marching band played some of the music that they played at Disneyland. Wow! No wonder they won first place.

We were very proud of our Grand-daughter, Zoe, who plays percussion in Senior and marching band.
Added reason to be proud....she watches the director( most of the time).

Volunteer Park

 Volunteer Park in Seattle was named for the men who enlisted and volunteered to fight in the Spanish American war.
I've borrowed the name to honor the seeds that volunteer to plant themselves in our soil.

First a word about the bird house.  I did some research and read that honey bees will gather in abandoned bird and bat houses.
So, in spite of my being stung by several flying objects, we'll leave it alone, just in case they are honeybees. I watched them fly into the bird house several  times and would love to see what's going on in there.

While filling a wheel barrow with fir bark I noticed how many volunteers we have in our yard.
Foxglove is in bloom in many areas of the yard. Volunteers.
I transplanted several fir trees, a vine maple and a few unidentified plants. Also volunteers.

The  painting project crushed a special variety of sedum.  I noticed the damaged stems had  roots, so I planted each  in a different section of the yard.

So, what I first thought was destruction is actually giving plants a new location.
I can live with that.

The Ordination

I am filled with emotion following the Ordination Mass.
Joe attended mass at St. Stephen tonight and  our friend Beth, who had been to the Ordination,  said the music was fantastic.  I agree.  The young man (his mom plays the oboe for Mozart Requiem) played so beautifully that I wanted to applaud in the middle of the piece.  I hope he joins us many times.

I pray that the men who have undertaken this difficult job will be blessed with the strength necessary to keep them on the path of Godliness.
After all, they are human, with flaws and weaknesses, like the rest of us.
May God's Blessings be with them always.

Photos: Go to St. James Cathedral Archdiocese of Seattle

Joe ...The Handyman

Whenever I witness Joe at work I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge he exhibits.

He is painting our house...this includes repairing leaks and building the scaffolds.
He also removed a door in the back of the garage and replaced it with siding. He replaced cedar in the overhang that was rotting away. He tore the concrete out of the window well and lowered it to prevent another flood in the dark room (builders error). I could go on, but you get the idea.

On the other hand, I am bothered by the fact that our kitchen and living room resemble a garage.  Tools, boxes of paint supplies and two screen doors are now included in the decor.   Since this is temporary,  I'll keep my mouth shut and offer up these words in thanksgiving.

Who can take an old house
Remove moss and mildew
Cover it with latex, add a repair job or two
The handyman, the handyman can
The handyman can 'cause he mixes it with love
and makes it all look new!

Photos upon completion of project.  This will take a while.

Understanding Nature

Yesterday while pruning  a few branches off the wild blue huckleberry bush, I was attacked by several bee/like creatures. The sting was extremely painful and since I am allergic to bees, I hurried into the house to grab a Benadryl.
I wanted to get back to work today but  was a little worried about another attack.  My curiosity took over.  I had to know why I upset them.
With great care I ventured out to the back yard.  Keeping a safe distance I could see bees on the bush (I'll call them bees as I don't really want to get close enough to identify them). This was not enough of a reason to attack.
I kept watching and soon I saw several fly into the birdhouse located next to the bush.
Apparently they have taken up residence in the abandoned bird house.  
 Itch after itch it gets more difficult to forgive their attack.
However, protecting one's family is a good reason, so I guess I understand.