Parade of the Redheads

Life has been going non-stop lately, and while I have a ton of things I should be doing, today became a "Calgon, Take Me Away" Day.

Initially my plan was to spend about an hour to an hour and a half outside watching the birds and/or reading.  I stuck to that plan very nicely as the birds cooperated!  Papa Cardinal above was my first visitor, and he allowed me to photograph him for a change.

Next, I saw these sparrow on the opposite side of the feeder, and liked the image that came through.

Papa Cardinal must have told Mama Cardinal it was her turn to come pose for me.  I've seen a female cardinal a couple of times, but it's been even shyer than the males.

Went back to my chair and read for a while, and when I got up to stretch a little, I took my camera "just in case" when I peeked around the corner of the garage.  Glad I did because this guy was showing off for me!

After the woodpecker flew off, I had to check out my peonies, which are just starting to open up.  I took a few shots of them and the honeysuckle, working my way closer to the suet feeder.  When I finally took the camera off of my eye, I was shocked to see this little woodpecker busy at work within a couple of yards.

I'm having a tough time deciding if this is a Downy Woodpecker or a Hairy Woodpecker, but I'm leaning toward the Downy because of the length of the bill . . . until I see it in a different angle . . . and then I'm just as sure it's the Hairy Woodpecker!

My flamboyant friend returned and showed off a while longer.  Have I created a situation where birds fly in for their portrait sessions?  He seemed to have enjoyed showing himself off from all angles (there are a whole lot more that I didn't share!).

After I came inside from birding and reading, my original plan was to get some cleaning done, along with some laundry.  But, when I checked the mail and saw a movie from Netflix, that agenda changed.  The movie was "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and I'd been wanting to see it for a while.  Knowing the next couple of days are going to be super hectic, I figured this was the only time I'd have about 2 1/2 hours I could carve out to watch it.  So, I did.

It certainly was an extreme contrast to the colorful outdoor experience I'd just had!  I've read all 3 of the books, and have seen all 3 of the Swedish version movies, and I'm leaning toward them as the better movies.

Now it's getting on toward the evening, and I'm feeling much more relaxed.  I'm glad I took some Calgon time for myself.  Now I think I can manage to squeeze in some of that cleaning and laundry before I go to bed and get up and start going, going, going tomorrow.

Thank you, my red fine feathered friends!  You certainly helped me chill out and relax so I can knock a few more things off my to-do list.

Blooming, thunder, & rain

Right now I'm very glad I managed to get the back yard mowed late this afternoon.  Barely had it finished
before I started hearing thunder, then the rain about 20 minutes later.  The rain has blown over, but who knows if there's more coming yet tonight . . . oops, there goes the rain again!

When I pulled into the driveway this afternoon, I noticed Mr. B's peonies were blooming.  Mr. B and his family were living in their house when we moved in next door; I was 4.  I'm well beyond 4 now, and am very glad that Mr. B is still one of my neighbors.  God has blessed me with several very caring (although aging) neighbors.  I try to keep up with them as much as possible!

It was SO bright outside that getting a decent picture of the white peonies was tough.  It didn't help that I was using my cell phone . . .   I like that Mr. B has the white next to the bright pink peonies - they complement each other very nicely.

There are still a LOT of blooms to come . . . and a lot of ants, too.  I don't know how I managed to get pics with so few ants in them . . .

Anxious to be busting out of the bud into full fledged splendor!

 Those pink buds will be catching up soon!  Our peony plants don't get quite as much sun as these do, so it will probably be another week before they start blooming.

I love the delicacy of the mock orange blossoms.

I liked how the branch of the mock orange was resting against the red bud tree, providing a nice resting spot for the blossom.

I was going to go back out and take pics of the peonies and mock orange with my Nikon, but since the thunder started so quickly after I finished mowing, I didn't have a chance.  These aren't too bad, especially considering they were all taken with the cell phone!

Beautiful blooms plus rain showers to nurture those plants make for a nice spring evening.  The sun is now trying to break out again, but I'm thinking it's time to kick back and relax for the rest of the night.  I'm really looking forward to seeing the "super moon" tomorrow evening, and trying to take pics of it.  Just as I anticipate the beauty of those peonies and mock orange blossoms opening up, I eagerly anticipate more opportunities to stretch the photography skills.  Gotta keep stretching and growing . . . becoming stagnant is not an acceptable option in my book!