The Wiry Terrier

Dan and I acquired this pup six years ago and we were lucky to get him.  Due to a strange and terrible policy (that has since been abolished), he was one day away from going to doggy heaven.  It's about the only way I would have another dog, after having my heart broken with our first (dear, dear Fred), but I'm so glad we took him.  He will be 12 years old next month; you'd never know it.  Here he is, indulging in a little rub in the cool grass during a hot walk.

Uncle Dan waxes professorial

Yesterday Dan, my nephew Patrick and I went to Inverness to watch the golfers during a practice round for the US Senior Open.  Dan loves golf and loves to have an audience and my nephew seemed happy to provide one.  Here they are in the stands at the 13th green.  We ran into several friends.  Patrick appreciated that everyone wanted to meet him and was soon imitating their "Nice to meet you" when we moved on. 

Another Bird Observation

Just as I don't remember noting the disappearance and reappearance of the Orioles, I don't remember seeing the goldfinches eat Lavender seeds before.  We have a nice row of Lavender in easy view of our back porch, where I spend as much time as I can.  It's hard to believe I would have missed seeing them there.  They are often on the Prairie Coneflower (even before it seeds) which is just a few feet from the Lavender.

Orioles back at feeder

The Orioles come to our Buckeye trees each spring to feed on the flowers.  A few years ago I began to offer grape jelly when they arrive, prompting several couples to stay in the area each summer since.  They have been missing from the feeders for several weeks, but a few days ago they started coming back.  A friend suggested they need more protein when feeding their young.  They may start their migration back to Mexico or South America as early as August.  Perhaps they now need sugar to make fat for the trip.  There are cat birds who also enjoy the jelly and who similarly disappear and reappear!

Inspiration

First Post!

                                                                                                                                                       One of my favorite things to do is "monitor" rare plants for the Metroparks of Toledo Area.  I first saw this Spatulate-leaved Sundew last year.  We had to visit the site several times before we finally found these tiny plants - most could fit on a quarter.  We found it easily today (now that we know where to look for it).  The flower is just in bud, near the top of the photo.  If I had been lucky, there would be some poor insect stuck to one of the tiny leaves!