More Flying Lessons!

Thats it!!! I quit my post as the unofficial caretaker/sucker of wildlife!! LOL Last night we had a horrible storm. Really high winds/hail & heavy rain. When I got up early this morning, it was storming again and when I looked out the window in the backyard, I saw a big nest on the ground. I thought it must've been the old nest, from previous robins, that had gotten blown away in the wind. Wrong. I went back to bed & got up a couple of hours later & let the dogs out. We are babysitting Bootsie, our neighbors black lab, for 2 weeks. So all 3 dogs go out & go immediately to the nest. Bootsie was really interested, so I went out & sure enough, it was a new nest that I hadn't seen & there was a baby robin trapped under the nest. Poor little guy! Soooo, I was trying to turn the nest over carefully and check the baby out (there was one more baby that was in the yard already), but Bootsie was bound and determined she was gonna get that bird and the parents (and their cheerleading section) were dive-bombing me and Bootsie. Then Bootsie really pissed them off by jumping in the air & trying to catch them! grrrr. I just couldn't get a handle on Bootsie & she was fighting me so badly that she slipped out of her collar. Finally, Samantha heard the commotion & came out & managed to get Bootsie in the house (my 2 dogs, surprizingly, didn't want anything to do with this mess). So I picked up the baby to see if he had any injuries (much to the dismay of the parents). It could walk and move its wings, but part of his wing looked funny, kind of like raw. So I put it back in the yard to see what he would do. Came out several times during the day & he had moved, but every time I got close, the parents dove at me, like a quarter inch from my head this time! And forget getting a picture. Geezz, I'm just trying to help their kid! LOL After watching baby today & keeping the dogs away, it finally made it to the neighbors yard. So its on the move, I just don't know if he flew or walked. If I see it tomorrow and I can get close enough to see if it's really hurt, I might try & take him to Fellow Mortals in Lake Geneva (about a 45 min drive) where they re-hab animals. We have never had this much bird/nest activity in one summer! I love the little ones, but between the dogs & the parents, I'm all wore out for the season. Until the next one. :)

Flying Lessons

Today we had our second nest of baby robins leave. But not before they behaved liked naughty little toddlers! The nest was in our wreath on the front porch and I knew they were getting ready to leave cuz they were huge. Rick took the dogs for a walk for me this morning and as soon as they got back, the babies decided it was time to go. So the 3 birds took off from the nest, right over Ricks head, and deposited a diaper full of poop on him! LOL It was like they exploded upon take-off! They also got Chilly in the face and the front porch was a mess. Soooo, they came in & I helped clean them both up. I was biting the sides of my mouth, trying not to laugh cuz Rick was definately not laughing! LOL Now, fast forward to these pictures. We came outside tonight to have a smoke & who is sitting there right on my patio furniture?? He was all alone, no noisy parents around, no siblings. So we watched him & made sure the dogs didn't notice him. Chilly walked right by him & didn't see him & the bird didn't flinch when Chilly's tale brushed his face. But Chilly knew something just wasn't right so he started sniffing around & finally came face to face with the little guy. They just stared each other down for a few seconds, Chilly gave him a little kiss (you can't see us, but we were inches away ready to intervene if necessary). Then the little bird flew away, leaving Chilly wondering where his new friend went. It was just the sweetest thing! Chilly is such a gentle soul and has apparently learned from his past mistakes. Last summer, we had a bunny nest & before I could grab him, Chilly had one in his mouth. He put it down and wanted to play with it, but he had killed it. Chilly had the most horrible look on his face & he kept looking at me like "What did I do?" I swear he was depressed for the rest of the day. He is such a character!

Chair for Baby Shower

This is a chair I painted for an up-coming baby shower. It was a pattern in an old Crafts magazine from about 15 yrs. ago. Rick made the actual chair. I made one for my niece when she was born, so this is the second one I've made. This one didn't turn out as well as the old one cuz my hands are not as steady as they used to be! lol But I am happy with it & hopefully the mom-to-be will like it too!

A Great Day!

This is a pic of me & my friend Lori playing water balloon volleyball Here is Rick, trying to keep his head from getting sunburned (his words, not mine!)
This is me standing down by the creek at Petts. The water is much higher than usual because of all the flooding from the storms
This is my awesome friend (and movie buddy) Colleen. She cheered us on in the volleyball game.
Here are our friends Carmen & Lori. Lori was my volleyball partner. Haven't laughed that much in a long long time!

Today Rick & I went to a graduation party. It was at a park here in town & we had such a nice day. Some of our good friends were there, the food was wonderful & the weather was perfect. It was a beautiful, sunny day which was a welcome relief after all the rain & flooding around the state. We played water balloon volleyball. I've never played before & it was a blast! Once I got used to it, I actually didn't suck at it! lol Good friends, good food & my first unbelievable sunburn in years. What more could a girl want???

Omar & Alfie

These dogs are not mine, but I wanted to show their daddy these pics from when I babysat them that I've had for a while. Above is Omar & Alfie with my daughter Vanessa. Below is Chilly, Alfie & Omar.
Below is Omar & Alfie. They are both rescues & absolutely adorable. Really, really sweet dogs.

My Dogs

These 2 pics are of our Chilly. We got Chilly when he was a puppy. I don't have any digitals of him then, but he was just the cutest ball of white fluff. He came from championship stock, but he didn't get his glory. He got us instead! lol He's a big boy, as you can see he takes up the whole chair (which by the way is his very own chair that he kinda took over! lol) He's 7 yrs. old now & a sweet boy. Barks alot tho, but we have patient neighbors! Isn't he pretty?
This is my Snowy. Snowy was a rescue we got when she was 3 yrs. old. She's now 10 yrs. We thought she had a mean streak in her when we got her, but we figured out quickly that she was abused & just needed tons of love. She gets that with us! She's still kinda crabby, but we just know what works with her & what doesn't. I absolutely adore her. Here, she is sitting in my sewing room. Every time she hears me turn on my chandelier & my Ott light, she comes running cuz it makes her so happy to sit by me when I'm working. Me too! Soooo, she is my sewing buddy.

Below is the only pic I have of Milo. Milo was a samoyed that I babysat for quite a few years while his owner traveled for his work. Milo was the sweetest, lovable little boy you ever saw. You can't see it, but his coat was mixed with biscuit color & was so beautiful. He was quite a tubby boy tho. lol I had to take him & have him put down 2 days after Christmas in 2006 because he had some health problems that weren't going to get any better. My friend was in Burma at the time & I couldn't reach him so I had to make the decision. Broke my heart to pieces. But he died in my arms & I was grateful to have that with him. I miss him still.

My Robin

I'm so excited to have a robins nest in my back yard! I usually have one in my front door wreath, but she hadn't been there in a couple of years & I've missed her. It was always a hassle to have her there as she would always dive bomb the poor mail lady, so we had to move the mail box. She pretty much gave everyone who went in & out a hard time so I'm glad the nest is in the yard now. She has 4 eggs in there & I can't wait to see the little ones! The mama seems pretty tolerant of me getting a few feet away & she doesn't seem to be bothered by the dogs barking. Maybe she likes us?? lol I just hope they don't fall out when they're born cuz it just breaks my heart!