Good Fences

As usual, I'm shocked that it is already another Thursday.  This merry-go-round keeps spinning at dizzying speed!  Time for more Good Fences.


Mickey...

Oh, brother...there she is again with the confounded camera!  Yeh.. must be Thursday and, she's looking for blog fodder.  Why me?

Can't a guy just get a bite to eat in peace?

Maybe if she can't get anything except broadside, she'll give up.

That's the answer!  ...     I won't look at her.  She'll find it pretty dull business and get lost.

What the...??....  Why are you still here woman?!

Oh, alright.... snap away if you must .....   I'm busy......

...  and, now...I'm gone!!!  Outta here cuz somebody left the gate open...hahahhahahahha...........

Wild Bird Wednesday

The amazing photos of birds posted by this group are wonderful to see.  Mine pale in comparison, of course, but it is fun to participate all the same.   Mostly, I love to go and look at their photos.

Today I'm posting this one because I haven't a clue what it is ... and, I bet lots of the birders in the group will recognize it and let me know.

I spotted it in my sister's garden in B.C. when I was there... it didn't sit still very long when it did land, so I got lucky to get a couple shots of it.... I'm thinking it is some sort of flycatcher, but can't swear to it.  Anybody know what it is for sure?

If you want to see some absolutely amazing photos check out the site by clicking on this cute little guy below...

PS...... later in the day......

Aha!!  see that?  The first birder that took a look confirmed it...a flycatcher... but, ... which one is still up in the air.  I didn't see it for very long and definitely didn't get to see much of the antics Chris mentioned...but,..hey... I guessed correctly and am happy with that ....thanks Chris for stopping by to check out my little guy....

I spy with my little eye..

.... Well, not exactly.  I spy with the camera eye; mine can't see nearly this well.

The Hoya plant is trying to bloom for the 3rd time this year.... this was the last flower clump, only about a month ago...gee, have I had this camera that long already?  The summer has flown.  I still have no clue how to use it..but, am having lots of fun just trying it here and there.

Anyway... look how waxy they appear before they bloom... maybe even plastic....don't look real at all to me.

And closer yet...I see little hairs on the stems...you have to click to enlarge to see those....hahahhaha..

When the flowers open, the centre looks like a title plastic star...and the petals.. ...   barely a hint of pink...and, so soft and fuzzy looking... they have the most amazing scent in last evening and early morning.  It permeates the whole house.  Apparently it is to attract a certain type of moth.

Who knew?

Indeed.

Who knew the centre of a pansy looks almost like it has fuzzy teeth or something ... my new camera sees so much more than my own eyes do, that's for sure!

A pretty pansy in my pot.

But, on closer inspection... furry fingers ... probably to aid in pollination or protection or something...

Look...I can see right down the throat....

Wild flax is beautiful too..

and, up close... stamens that look like they've been dipped in sugar... click on any pic to make it even BIGGER....

Awww... and, look at this poor guy ... not visible to the naked eye just admiring the little stems of drooping hearts...but, something definitely happened here....

Not exactly "leftovers" ...

....but, there are always some pretty pics that get more or less left out .. nowhere in the weekly blogging to use them I guess.  I wanted to put them on today...

When we drove to the neighbouring province to visit family a couple weeks ago we stopped a few times ...  for construction and for snacks... and, got a few nice shots of the surroundings.

A pretty little creek bouncing over the boulders...

The lovely blue green of the Kicking Horse River where it meanders through a place called Field in B. C. .. it definitely doesn't meander most of the areas believe me.  ...   ...but, this is a huge flat pebbly and rocky place where it breaks up into streams all over the flats... and, then gets back to the business of being pretty mean.  Huge rafting river for those that like to try it...

Fluffy Friday

  Really..... this is Fluffy.  One of my sister's cats.

He was totally wild at one time... only showed up to grab some food if it was put out (by my sister as she loves ALL animals.... and, tries to help them all.

She was finally able to trap him...but, he fought it all the way... you can still see scars on his nose  where he hit against the cage many times... but, the vet persevered and neutered him for her on a trap and release program their community has... he took off when she let him go and she didn't see him again.  Until a whole year later.

One day he showed up on her porch...looked at her through her screen door...said "meow"... and, sat down to stay.  She has four other cats.  They weren't exactly happy to share their porch with an interloper.... but, she makes them behave.

It was a long cold winter and she worried about him in the little shed where he had to stay... he can't be inside as Mister Thompson and Shadow are the live-in cats...and Mister is the elder statesman... it just wouldn't be right.  So, she put a cat door in the shed for him to go in and out... I think his big fur coat made it pretty easy for him to stay quite warm really .... but, still she worries.... when it gets down to -25C it's pretty darn cold out there.  Some days I don't she gets any sleep at all...worrying 'bout the outside cats.... people drop off strays and newborns all the time.  How can adult human beings be so stupid?  How many barn cats do they think one person can handle?  Why do they expect others to step up and do the right thing?  I'd like to do the right thing and get rid of some idiots.

Now that he has been around for a bit...he has turned into a complete softie... purring constantly, loving to be brushed and groomed by anybody and everybody.... well, except one guy he doesn't like. Wayne.  Bad Wayne pushed him with his boot one day... he doesn't really like cats.  Fluffy will never forget Wayne.  And, he doesn't forgive either.

What a lovely boy he is...not Wayne... Fluffy...!

 Look at that face..... oh, my ...how could you  not love this guy?  I'm sure he will weasel his way into her house as well as her heart... maybe this winter....

Good Fences

It's Thursday ....again!  How the weeks fly by!

Thanks for the good wishes for my sister... it's going to be a long haul, but she is able to move around a bit now and hopefully will remember not to even try to lift anything heavier than a pound of butter ...or her tiniest cat.  It's so difficult for her to NOT do anything... I know it is.  She is so used to doing everything around her acreage.... and, I'm afraid as her older sibling...I did do quite a bit of scolding and nagging while there ....... sigh..... sorry Vik.....please be careful...

There were so many great fences around her area....and, I got a few...but, in the last few days it was unbearably hot and I didn't do a daytime walk...and, it seemed there was quite a bit happening in the evenings or earlier mornings..so....didn't manage to get some that I had seen in my walks and not carrying a camera.  Darn it.

However, I do have a few that are worth seeing..
like this bit of weed that entwined a portion of her post and rail fence down below the house...
Don't forget to click on the pics to "biggify" them and get a better look.

... And, if you've ever wondered about the age old question of why the chicken crossed the road?  Well, here's the answer.

It followed this handsome dude..... all of them taking their lives in their hands... er...feet....as lots of the cars whizz past at breakneck speed some days... I can't believe they made it every single day I was there......silly things!

Mickey is having to share his paddock with 5 foolish hens and this cock-of-the-walk..... although, I have to say...he doesn't seem to mind at all.....

If you'd like to see other fences and see other stories .... check out Good Fences here..

Thursday has been missed!

'Cuz I'm not here ....

I'm attempting to use my sister's toally unfamiliar equipment to post something...

Her timing was terrible ...I just got home from visiting her a week ago  and then .. ...  she underwent emergency surgery ... what an ordeal!  But, she is home safe and sound.

And, so.... the city girl is here in the country, ....  feeding and moving Mickey around.  He's her big pet of a horse.  Who can't be allowed to graze on lovely green grass for very long as his system doesn't handle it.. his feet get hot pretty fast... but, we're low on the right type of hay for him.(the farmers in the area are just getting their crops off this week) ...and in between washing some older stuff to get off the dust ...and mixing it with other kinds of low carb hay...and letting him graze on grass for an hour here and there, we are trying to keep him safe and fed.....til this weekend, when we hope to get some better hay.

My invalid can't be up or out for any length of time yet ...so has to instruct and point and fret and try to stand close to help me ..hahhah... yeh..right as if... cuz if she had to move fast there would be a disaster...  but, so far there has only been one close call when a damn horsefly bit poor Mickey.  He leaped into the air and thundered towards the little shelter when I was in there tidying things... I had to leap out at the same moment he came charging into it...whew.....it was a type of pas de deux .. ...  somehow in mid charge, he held up just that split second for me to sprint out of there when Vikki and I both yelled WHOA at the same time and I threw up my hands to "make myself big" as she has instructed me to do many times if I need to get him to stop.. ...   it worked and luckily I managed to dodge out of the little opening.....yeh, WHEW!!  I think my eyes were the size of big saucers... maybe even frisbees...., but, thank you Mickey for stalling a bit when we said Whoa ... .. good BOY!!  He was still jumping around even after he got to his little shelter so that rotten fly must have followed him in there.  We got some fly spray and some tea tree oil and a few bounce sheets for good measure (we try everything)  and when he finally came out looking almost sheepish.. to see if it was safe to go back to munching his hay ... we went in and sprayed and tucked in the sheets near the entrance..in hopes they may help stave off more of the big flies.  There are not many around but, the weather was at that weird 'hot and still' just before a huge thunderstorm...and for some reason..there were some around.  The neighbour's horse had a similar incident about 10 minutes later..and darn near took out a very tiny shed he tried to bolt into and turn around in.. it was not really intended for a big horse....We just got the hay tarped down and got back to the house and thunder crashed; the lightning flashed; and then...the rain pounded down...wow... what a torrent of water was running down the driveway... It filled empty buckets in a matter of minutes... that was a lot of water!
And, then..a pretty rainbow over the whole valley...

So... as you can imagine...there is one event after another here on the acreage... oh, just a minute...I must take a rodent out somewhere away from the house and deposit it onto the top of a fence pole for some bird of prey... ... don't want one of her many cats bringing it inside....ick.... ever the hunters, even the inside cats; they catch them all day, every day, and you know how cats are...they love to bring them as trophies... and present them as gifts .. thank you guys, but no thanks.....

There are lots of fences in the area for photos ...and soon I must get around to a few so I have some fence shots for next week...when I will be back home...

I'm just mentioning the word fences for the Thursday Good Fences group... in case anybody stops by and wonders why there are no photos... I don't have time right now to figure out how to upload a photo..sorry..

Thursday ...gone again!!

I missed it!  How does a week fly by so quickly!?

Too much happening I guess.

Time for a time out and a Good Fence that's for sure.  Who cares if it's Friday!

Something from the archives.

When we visited Portugal a couple of years ago we walked.  A lot.  We saw lovely houses.  Old architecture and even some new contemporary stuff ...and, doors, windows and ....Fences!  Every kind imaginable.  I loved looking at all of it.  So different than we have here in Canada, of course.

I took hundreds of photos with my simple little camera.

Here are a couple with fences.......and, some fun...

Let's face it... when you live in a land of ice and snow and short, short summers.... this is kind of like heaven.  Palm trees for heaven's sake!

I soon stopped saying "oh look at that fence" ...it quickly became ... "this one's mine"!  As in ...the house....or little villa or apartment or .....whatever .... I was ready to buy a part time place to live... if I win the lottery.

Oranges were falling off the trees right in the middle of town!  Who wouldn't be thrilled with that?  The inhabitants probably thought we were nuts taking pictures of orange trees...and even the odd orange on the sidewalk..... hmmmm...yeh... it must have seemed a bit strange alright now that I look back on it... ... oh, well....

Not all fences were actually "fences" if you know what I mean.... some were more like walls... to hold up soil and greenery..and, to keep us out ...and to keep the area tidy I'm sure....

Do you see it? .... down there in the lower right corner?.... see him?..... click on the photo to biggify it and you will........

This guy.  He was watching our every move.... no barking, no scary watchdog tactics...but, I think he was the guard chicken.

I wasn't about to go much closer either .... it looks like he's tangled with something before..... and, he was giving me "the look" .... like.... keep moving sister....... so, I kept moving right along... .yes indeed!

Click on good fences below to go directly to the site and check out some other fun fences..how about adding one of your own? ...

It's still Thursday...

... and, so.....I give you Good Fences.  And, good boy Mickey!  I love to see things behind and in front of fences to make them more interesting.

Your nose is almost the size of Africa... I only say that because of the map on the end of it... looks like Africa...

Awwwww .... he wanted to have a reeeeellly close look at the lens...

And, look...   he is a normal horse.  Beautiful really.  And, a nice rail fence behind this time...

I was visiting my sister on her little farm.... and she moved the big guy around to mow the grass here and there over the week... but, he is pretty good at mowing and had to be moved back before too long or he got too much of the "good stuff"....

He's like a very big vacuum cleaner.

Why not have a look at the Good Fences on the Run *A* Round Ranch blog... how 'bout adding one of your own sometime? ..

Practising ...

... with my new camera....

Finally I have a zoom lens to get me close to the birdie bath, and yet I am on the patio over 20 feet away... some of the little guys are more wary than others... but, I hope they get a lot more trusting over the summer....

So far only the robins and starlings have made it into the pics.  The sparrows are pretty quick... I'm not quick enough, yet....  I'd love to get a house finch...they are pretty with all the red on them, but so far not coming to the birdie bath when I'm out there  ...sigh....


This one sees me..... but, ...

... and, this one had a wild, drop flinging bath in spite of me...

                                                                             

...however, he/she did have a thing or two to say about me putting this shot on the blog.... bad hair and all....

I've linked this little guy up to a blog with some beautiful photos of birds.... I'm a total amateur by comparison...but, please do go and have a look at some amazing birds...


I'm sure there is a badge somewhere that I can embed....still searching for it.... found it!!  Just click on the wild birdie below to go to the site!

... and, I can definitely sneak up on flowers.... and, even dive right into the centres.....wow.! ... these little stamens look like they have clumps of sugar crystals on them....
Blue flax ...

Look at this....

I haven't posted since last Thursday's Fence day!  hahha.... well, at least "Good Fences" gives me a reason to remember what day it is.  That, and the fact that it is also garbage day today, so I did have to remember to wheel the bins out.

This may be a bit of a cheat...but, I'm going to show you some shots of fences I took while on holiday in Portugal.  This day we were in a town called Constancia .. very pretty.  We did a lot of walking up and down hills.... some of it pretty steep.   Loved the doors, windows and fences .. took lots of pics of them .. and haven't really had anybody to share them with until now.

Now, I have all of you.... and I'm thrilled to show other fence enthusiasts what I love to shoot while on holiday.

The look of them.  The view through them.  Even what is behind them.

Everybody seemed to have dogs.  And, not many were friendly.  They barked loudly and ran straight at the fences.  I was glad the fences were high and strong...

I remember this guy was more curious than mean...but, still...he did bark if we got too close... and I wasn't about to put my hand through there to pet him... darn it... cuz that fluffy head just begs for petting doesn't it?

Kind of reminds me of some of my bears.... with that cute big shnozz...


Check out all sorts of interesting fences here and hey!  why not add one of your own?

I'm participating...

...in the Good Fences fun at The Run*A*Round Ranch.  Check it out.

Every Thursday people link up and post fences and gates.  There are some beauts.  After I link up, I'm off to check out fences....

Debbie forced my hand.  I mentioned that it's raining cats and dogs here and a paltry +6C with a gusting wind at about 30 kph...well, I didn't tell her about the wind actually ... and, she said...."get out there, girl" ...  Hhmpff   ...  obviously, she knew me.  I'm not sure if it's a challenge when folks do that to me ..or if I feel 'guilted' into it, or what.. ...either way, I just had to do it, didn't I?

Here's the little story.

We have had an unfenced yard for over 20 years... it's a bit like living in a fishbowl really.  Whenever I was out there mowing or weeding or just wandering around, neighbours would be driving or walking past and my arm got tired waving and I wasted a ton of time talking to them if they stopped.(some of them can talk forreevver).   It took a whole lot more time than it should have to tidy this yard.  Finally a year and a half ago we finished up renos on the house; did the outside and the yard, and then, decided on fencing it.  What fun!  Now we have our own little park area... and on the plus side, we don't have to see all the neighbour's "stuff"... and the falling down fences on the opposite side of the alleyway, and, the garbage on garbage day, and the myriad of sheds in the other neighbour's yard, etc..  It's beautiful...and, even in todays rainy gloom, it looks so pretty and green and clean.... and, my new crab-apple just happens to be in full bloom!

They probably don't exactly call this one a "Good neighbour" fence....but, it makes my neighbours look pretty good to me!  And, one guy across the alleyway tore his old thing down the following month and has since put up a lovely one much like this... c'mon, the rest of you neighbours, take note!