# Take your time, and enjoy the surroundings



## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Yep, so very true. I have a pack of 6 squirrels that visit my yard throughout the day to bury acorns and eat the sprouts that come from burying them. I set the GoPro up in the yard in an attempt to get video of them in action. The entire time I had it out there, only one squirrel would come around. Took the camera back out of the yard, and they all came back. 

Last week, I had a baby Blue Jay learning how to find and eat insects with the mother bird close by at all times. For those 3 days that I did see it here, I stayed out of the back yard and let them carry on. On the 3rd day, while watching out of the window, I also saw a baby Cardinal and a yellow bird (unsure of what it was. Canary?) all in the yard at the same time. 

Late at night, I get a visit from a possum and a rabbit. Both never go more than 10 feet from the back fence, so I don't see them as a problem.


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## Amateuralex (Mar 17, 2012)

Cool! I see all sorts of hoofprints etc around here, but I don't see stuff too often. Chipmunks, hedgehogs, lots of bunnies, and I occasionally see the deer that leave all of the tracks.

We heard a lot of coyotes last year, but we never saw one. They are sneaky!


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Found this caterpillar a month or so ago:



These are my favorite. They're everywhere here. If I come across one, I step out of its way because it likes to eat insects. That makes them my friends. :laughing:


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## forcedreno2012 (Nov 9, 2012)

Yes its nice to stop and smell the roses now and then. 

We have a daily squirrel NASCAR race along the top of our fence. We have 2 of them and one will start on one corner and the other starts on the other corner and then they chase each other along the fence. Every now and then one of the cheats and cuts through pit lane across the yard to catch up. Hilarious watching them. The dogs get a kick out of it too. 

Robyn


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

We love the wrens as well...they rent out our numerous bird houses
every spring. First the sparrows come and build the nests in the houses,
then along come the wrens, kick out the sparrows and take over the houses,
after the sparrows do all the work.  Their song is magical...

We love all the birds and feed them all year long. We feed black oiled
sunflower seeds and thistle for the American Goldfinch. We have milkweed
to attract Monarch Butterflies. 

It's so fun to turn your backyard into a backyard retreat. Nature is wonderful.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

r0ckstarr said:


> Yep, so very true. I have a pack of 6 squirrels that visit my yard throughout the day to bury acorns and eat the sprouts that come from burying them. I set the GoPro up in the yard in an attempt to get video of them in action. The entire time I had it out there, only one squirrel would come around. Took the camera back out of the yard, and they all came back.
> 
> Last week, I had a baby Blue Jay learning how to find and eat insects with the mother bird close by at all times. For those 3 days that I did see it here, I stayed out of the back yard and let them carry on. On the 3rd day, while watching out of the window, I also saw a baby Cardinal and a yellow bird (unsure of what it was. Canary?):no: all in the yard at the same time.
> 
> Late at night, I get a visit from a possum and a rabbit. Both never go more than 10 feet from the back fence, so I don't see them as a problem.


 
probably a goldfinch


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

DexterII said:


> My wife in particular loves wrens, so we have a house for them in the front yard, and a few years ago, with some material left over from a flashing project, I even outfitted it with a copper roof. Most evenings, we sit down on the porch for a bit, and she keeps watch, but no wrens at the house yet this year. Last evening, I noticed the reason, when a chipmunk stuck its' head out of the hole. And not just any chipmunk. This was the most disfigured chipmunk that I have seen, its head and neck were not right, its' color was not right, and its' eyes were too large, not to mention that we have dozens of chipmunks around, and I have never seen one nest above ground. But, what else could it be. So, off she goes for her step ladder, to see if there are young in the nest, and if not, would have dislodged it. The big one scampered out quickly, and disappeared up the locust tree as she set the ladder up. I saw it, but only for a moment, and was certain that it was sick, as it looked even worse once it was out of the hole. Just as she opened the side of the house, and peeked inside at was at least one young one, the mom chattered a bit, so we both looked. A flying squirrel! I've seen many of them, but always fairly deep in the woods, and always at night (usually while snipe hunting!). So, that explained why the darn thing looked so odd, and, needless to say, the side was carefully closed on the house, and we will try not to disturb Rocky any more. You never know what you might find lurking around the yard.


 
I have not been on a good snipe hunt for probably 50 years:laughing:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Rockstarr, Those are great shots...
Yes, It mostly was American Goldfinchs that you spotted. If you get an
upside down thistle feeder they will stay in your yard all year. The bright yellow color is their breeding plummage...In the winter they turn brown.

Here's our finch feeder










This is our squirrell proof feeder, We feed black oiled sunflower seeds
that attract year round a variety of birds, such as cardinals and a variety of woodpeckers.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Two Knots said:


> Rockstarr, Those are great shots...


You've got some great ones as well. :thumbsup:


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

This is in my back yard. I made this back in December with the squirrel(s) I mentioned above. The video does have sound. That is how quiet it is here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO1EwNjqzd4


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

That is so cute rockstarr, why does he keep running away after he snatches a 
nut? We put up a DIY bird feeder just outside our kitchen window this past winter, however, the squirrel took it over. He comes up everyday to chow
down on bread, biscuits, old cookies, crackers or whatever we put out there.

If I have nothing in the feeder he sits there and looks in the window. I'll
try and get a video of him tomorrow. 

We also have possums as one was an outdoor pets a couple of years ago we named
him Pogo...what happened is -- we have a trap set to trap raccoons for relocation to keep them away from our pond...Many times we catch possums, but release them in our yard as they are no threat to the pond....one little guy decided he liked the food and came every nite to get fed and then slept in a bucket in our storage cabinet. He was adorable...


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I don't know why he runs away. I set the camera up and then went somewhere else while the camera was running each time that I did it. 

Just curious, what threat is a racoon to a pond? 

Also, I used to have a racoon as a pet that we raised from a bottle-fed baby with its eyes closed. It was even trained to use a litter box like a cat. After about 5 or 6 years, it's wild nature came to it, and all it wanted to do was be aggressive towards everyone. It started sleeping on the porch at night instead of inside, due to its aggressive behavior, and eventually wandered off into the woods without coming back.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

A raccoon will go fishing in a pond and eat all the fish. 

We've been real lucky that we never had an attack, but many
pond keepers do... We catch about one or two a month and take
them for a ride to a lake near our house. 

We keep fish food outside in mayo jars, and often go out in
the morning to find the jar opened and the fish food gone...
They're definately little bandits.  

My friend is a raccoon and possum
rehabber and said that if we leave dog food out for them, they won't bother
the fish, however our fish are koi, they are big and friendly....they are used to
dogs...so, I'm afraid they would swim directly into a raccoons opened mouth. :yes:


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I never knew they could catch fish. If you leave dog food out for them, then they will be back with all of their friends every night.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> I never knew they could catch fish. If you leave dog food out for them, then they will be back with all of their friends every night.



Absolutely!


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Found some more mini-dinosaurs earlier this evening in my yard.

This one was in the process of going from brown to green.



..and a baby.


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## forcedreno2012 (Nov 9, 2012)

R0ckstarr...some amazing photos there. What camera are you using...its like you can reach out and touch them.

Robyn


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

forcedreno2012 said:


> R0ckstarr...some amazing photos there. What camera are you using...its like you can reach out and touch them.
> 
> Robyn


Thanks! You should see the photos in a larger format.

It's a Pentax K7 and the D FA 100mm lens.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

rockstarr, amazing shots...Have you matted and framed any of these shots?

I am a amature photographer and have gotten lucky with several
shots (point and shoot) ... I love taking pics of my koi.
One of them I framed and hung it by my desk. 

I could imagine a grouping of your little critters with matching matting
and frames on a wall in your home. :yes:

I going to post a few of my favorite backyard wildlife and flower photos, does this still 
fall under the heading of -- Taking the time to stop and smell the roses?


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Here is the photo of our butterfly koi "Terminator"

This photo was taken in October of 2003. 
She's now 15 years old.

The bottom thumbnails are the afore mentioned Pogo.









I just shot this...we made a frame with the jig saw to mirror waves.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

This is from August 2005
I spend hours photographing our fish, they are such willing subjects.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I bought every plant which attracts hummingbirds and now they are coming here. First time I thought, "what's that big bug" then as it got closer I realized it was a hummer. I've also planted many, many shrubs to attract birds and looked out one day and thought there was a chicken in my yard. It was a Bobwhite. A favorite was a Baltimore oriel passing thru. Now am trying to attract Painted Bunting.

Outside of the screened in porch is a patio which I lined with flowering plants.

If you put safflower seeds in your feeder the squirrels will stay away but cardinals and woodpeckers and all others like them. I have a flock of about 8 cardinals which hang out here. Plus mockingbirds, blue jays, finches, and warblers. 

On wren houses I remember hearing not to cut the opening bigger than a quarter or other birds will get in. 

Besides nectar plants for the butterflies you need hosts plants for the larvae. I have passionvine for the zebra longwing, milkweed for monarchs and fennel for swallowtails.

Everyone loves my porch. Something about nature is very peaceful and relaxing.

I enjoyed reading posts on how others enjoy their yards and promote wildlife.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Two Knots said:


> rockstarr, amazing shots...Have you matted and framed any of these shots?
> 
> I am a amature photographer and have gotten lucky with several
> shots (point and shoot) ... I love taking pics of my koi.
> ...


I've framed a few and had them on the walls before. My mind changes so much that I end up taking them down months later. 

I am self taught, and started out with a point and shoot camera in 2006. There is nothing wrong with that. I still carry a Point and shoot everywhere I go (I have 2 of them). You can get some great shots with them, just as you have shown. Your Koi and the frame both look great. :thumbsup: 

Keep all of the photos coming. I am sure myself and others would like to see them. I think photos fit the theme of this thread very well.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

rockstarr, your photos have me thinking about getting a new camera.

startingover, our monarchs.



















we raise our Monarchs in various containers...It's educational for the little
visiting tourists to see the transformation from egg to catapillar, to crystallis,
to butterfly.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

We raise the eggs in various big jars and containers.

I have lots of Monarch photos, however since photobucket changed it's
format it's so slow and I can't seem to find them. Even in my camera files
I have thousands of photos. what a pain...
Here is the Max, laying around soaking up the sun while we work; whose
the smartest here!?!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Here's two more I found...a home grown Monarch, after the release.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Wow. That is very cool that you raise them! I'm enjoying your photos as well. Thanks for sharing them!
(Check your PM's)


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Wow. That is very cool that you raise them! I'm enjoying your photos as well. Thanks for sharing them!
> (Check your PM's)


If you plant milkweed they will come...as soon as they hatch the eggs on the leaves -- pick the leaves and put into a container with a screen on top;
keep it moist and soon you'll be releasing Monarchs in your yard.

Here is our frog "Budweiser" we raised him from a tadpole.
This photo is from my files. (not photobucket)

the first one is from 6-24-12
the second one is from 9-24-11


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Is it really that simple to raise a butterfly? How do you keep yours moist at all times?

That's a very nice looking frog you have too.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Is it really that simple to raise a butterfly? How do you keep yours moist at all times?
> 
> That's a very nice looking frog you have too.


 
After the butterflies lay their eggs on the milkweed, pick the leaves
and put them into a big jar...we used a 5 gallon water jug jar and also
that wooden case that a big candle came in (we removed the candle)

Then put a piece of screen on top with a rubber band and just sprinkle
some water in every day or every other day as needed. They love it moist.
They'll eat the leaves -- as the leaves get eaten dump more in...
After they turn into crystillas they'll hang from the top and then they'll
turn into butterflies, then you release then and you'll be in butterfly world. :yes:
The first 0ne is the candle holder 'nursery.'
the second one is the water jug.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks for the information. I may give this a try sometime. They make excellent photo subjects, as you have shown.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

This is Budweiser as a tadpole...We gave his buddy to our son
for his pond. We raised him up in an aquarium until he was big enough
to go into the pond.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Little tourist from 9-9-11...as you can see they remain somewhat tame.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I know this thread is about nature in the back yard, but here's a few photos from a local duck pond a couple years ago. I used to go out there and feed the ducks 3-4 times a week with some feed that I got from a feed store nearby. The ducks got so familiar with me, that some would let me pet them, and most of them would come running towards me as soon as I got out of my car.


This one got lost from the pack and was cheeping away. Cheep! Cheep! Cheep! After I shot the photo, I lured it back to the pack by throwing little pieces of feed about a foot ahead of it, one at a time.


This one told me that I was getting too close.


This duck hatched in 2007. We kept up with it, and watched it grow up. It is still there. We named it Pepper.


...and another Muscovy.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Two Knots said:


> This is Budweiser as a tadpole...We gave his buddy to our son
> for his pond. We raised him up in an aquarium until he was big enough
> to go into the pond.


Awesome. How large is your pond? Does he ever leave the pond on his own, or does he always stay with it? Is this the same pond as the Koi?


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Oh my, that first shot is adorable. I love it. He so sweet.
You should make generic greeting card out of that photo.

We have a DIY pond shaped like an irregular shaped
horseshoe and we have a biological pond (18 feet away)
that is 200 gallons. Budweiser is in the bio pond, perhaps this season
he'll wander into the main pond. The koi are 15 and 16 years old...
and between 18 to 24" long. So he may run right back to the little pond
after seeing the monster koi!

This couple landed into our pond one day in 2003 after sitting up on
our Pergola discussing what a prime piece of real estate they just discovered. It was so cute, too bad that I had to send the hound out to chase them away. (they could pollute a pond in a day or so)


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Startingover said:


> Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing.


 
Startingover, Be careful what you ask for, between rockstarr and me,
we have thousands and thousands of photos. :yes:

This is our frog Mike...he was hand tamed and would beg for the worms
that we tossed to the fish...The head knot said he would shake his head and front legs back
and forth to get his attention when he was doling out worms to the fish; he said that he
was saying, "hey Cliff, I'm over here!"

This pic is from 2003 after he caught and
ate a bird pondside.  He was so full and fat that I rolled him around with a stick.
The next day we relocated him to the lake.

the wings are sticking out of his mouth...










This is the last pic of fat Mikey, taken before he was dumped into a pail
for relocation. 
You know what they say, "give a frog a worm and he'll want a bird!"


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Crazy that he ate a bird, and even more surprising that he actually caught the bird!


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

DexterII said:


> My wife in particular loves wrens, so we have a house for them in the front yard, and a few years ago, with some material left over from a flashing project, I even outfitted it with a copper roof. Most evenings, we sit down on the porch for a bit, and she keeps watch, but no wrens at the house yet this year. Last evening, I noticed the reason, when a chipmunk stuck its' head out of the hole. And not just any chipmunk. This was the most disfigured chipmunk that I have seen, its head and neck were not right, its' color was not right, and its' eyes were too large, not to mention that we have dozens of chipmunks around, and I have never seen one nest above ground. But, what else could it be. So, off she goes for her step ladder, to see if there are young in the nest, and if not, would have dislodged it. The big one scampered out quickly, and disappeared up the locust tree as she set the ladder up. I saw it, but only for a moment, and was certain that it was sick, as it looked even worse once it was out of the hole. Just as she opened the side of the house, and peeked inside at was at least one young one, the mom chattered a bit, so we both looked.* A flying squirrel! *I've seen many of them, but always fairly deep in the woods, and always at night (usually while snipe hunting!). So, that explained why the darn thing looked so odd, and, needless to say, the side was carefully closed on the house, and we will try not to disturb Rocky any more.* You never know what you might find lurking around the yard.*


Outside?!? We found one running around our living room Christmas night a few years ago. It was lucky we saw and caught it before the dogs noticed it. 

It was so cold that winter we kept it in a hamster cage. It would take grapes from my hand. Then in March, when it started to warm up, we set him free.

They are soooo cute! I know they are out there, but I haven't seen any since.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Is that photo indoors?


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Amazing..you guys and your cameras are amazing...


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

A frog CAUGHT a bird and ate it? Wait till I tell my bird friends. A cousin, in Ohio, had koi but said a mink got them.

These are the best koi shots I've seen. Their fins are so graceful. Very lovely.

This is a wax myrtle, sitting by the house, which I grabbed to plant. The mockingbirds started screaming and I couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed the fledgling sitting in the shrub. 

Most of the migrating birds are extra shy so I can't get good shots. The birds are an ever fascinating source of entertainment. There's a little downey woodpecker which lands on top of a sheppard's hook then slides down level to the feeder and hops over. It looks like it's on a stripper pole.


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

r0ckstarr said:


> Is that photo indoors?


Yeah, its in my bathroom. This ain't a brick house, its a *BRICK * house. I'd let him have the run of it once a week while I cleaned his cage.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Blondesense said:


> Yeah, its in my bathroom. This ain't a brick house, its a *BRICK * house. I'd let him have the run of it once a week while I cleaned his cage.


I thought it was indoors due to the lighting of the picture. That's very cool. How did you get it back into the cage without it putting up a fight?

The squirrels around here are easy to sneak up on if you move extremely slow with every movement. This one was so busy eating that he didn't even know that I snuck right up on him until he heard the camera click off the first picture. Then I hurried to refocus and grab the picture of him looking like he was about to jump on me. Then I backed away in fear that maybe he saw his reflection in the lens and would jump at me.





The cemetery is a great place to observe wildlife as well. This one was just laying around.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Oh man, that last one is cute...It looks like he had a hard days night!:yes:

Actually, the squirrells are a pain in the butt around here.
We have too many. They wreck havic with the bird feeders and
bird houses. We have three squirrell proof feeders and only one squirrell
feeder, but it's hard to keep up with them cause they eat so much. 

I think if we were to just kick in another four bucks a week to what we already 
spend on bird seed we could afford a sail boat!:laughing:

He used our entire BBQ cover for nest building material one fall.
I took these shots from inside the house.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

A baby Blue Jay.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Two Knots said:


> Oh man, that last one is cute...It looks like he had a hard days night!:yes:
> 
> Actually, the squirrells are a pain in the butt around here.
> We have too many. They wreck havic with the bird feeders and
> ...


 I would have made squirrel pot pie out of that one, for sure:yes:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I know...:yes:

Look what he did to my once beautiful duplex bird house.
He gnawed out a huge hole, then moved his girlfriend in! :furious:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

We made a new one last June...reused the copper roof and door
awning. 

Gardening tip...The grape vine rope was purchased at Michaels
arts and crafts about 15 years ago...We wound it up and down the
pole to provide a place for the clamatis to climb. 

Also, in the winter, it's a great place for the birds to land when they
want to survey the property before going to a feeder.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

chrisn said:


> I would have made squirrel pot pie out of that one, for sure:yes:


 
Well there ya go Chris..You were wondering why everybody has been turning down your dinner party invites..


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Two Knots said:


> We made a new one last June...reused the copper roof and door
> awning.
> 
> Gardening tip...The grape vine rope was purchased at Michaels
> ...


 
I love that idea !!

It looks beautiful..


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

rockstarr, lounging squirrel is hilarious! They are kinda cute. I can see a nest in a neighbors tree. I've heard they have more than one nest so if one gets dirty they move to another. 

Two Knots, That's my favorite color clematis. My family in Ohio have them but I don't think they grow down here in Fla. LOL at the birdhouse where the GF moved in  You have beautiful birdhouses. That's something I haven't had time to think about since I bought my house. I have one but no one is interested in it. I found half of a white birds egg in the yard yesterday. Not sure whose it was or what happened but I'm blaming racoons from the wooded lot across the street. I turned the back flood light on one night and racoons were eating bird seed on the ground. 

That baby blue jay is so cute looking at the fish but knows the fish is bigger than him. I spot baby blue jays by their stubby little tail.

I wonder if you put nesting material, yarn, bits of cotton, out, if the squirrel would leave your grill cover alone? After reading this hint I put bits of ribbon in one of those wire suet holders, for the wrens, but the only thing that happened was a strong wind blew the ribbon out and all over.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Thanks Creeper, The grapevine roping is more natural looking than using string
as it does remain bare in the winter. 

Startingover, we do put out lots of stuff in early Spring to encourage the
birds to nest in our yard. We use a lot of the stuff from the dryer vent,
they love all that cotton.
Also, we hang hemp roping in the backyard for the
Orios; they pick it apart and carry off the strings to make their nests.

We love watching the nesting birds in our backyard, they leave the houses
and fly to the feeders get their food then return to the feeders...they live
in the lap of luxury whilst enjoying this all rent free! 

Our favorite nesters are the cardinals. Because they like to nest in shrubs
and we have a lot of shrubs surrounding our property. 
The young don't fly for a long time, they hop
out of the nest and hop back and forth -- all around the shrubs surrounding 
the perimeter of the property all day long, 
while squalking for their parents to feed them. They get as big as their
parents and the parents still feed them. 

Our favorite backyard critters are the chipmunks...
they never disappoint to provide us with endless hours of entertainment.
they can manage to get the seeds from the squirrell proof feeders cause they're
so light...we also sprinkle seeds on the paths and around the ponds for them.

I'll go and fetch my favorite chipmunk photo for ya'll...

ok, here we go...
I call this "Watzup!"

This is our hound CJ. He was the 'head of security' around here.
Sadly, he's not with us anymore.

Can you spot the chipmunk leaning on the rock with his left hand
holding himself up while staring down the hound?


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

How cute!

Awesome pictures everyone!

I have three sunflower seed feeders, a suet feeder, and two hummingbird feeders, all which keep me entertained. 

A few weeks ago DH noticed a bird eying our collie's tail, so I put out two old suet feeders, one filled with collie fluff, and the other with 1/4" strips of quilting scraps for nesting material.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Blondesense said:


> How cute!
> 
> Awesome pictures everyone!
> 
> ...


oh how I wish we could get hummingbirds & bluebirds!

my girlfriend and cousin have a collie...they bark like crazy when they
see you...that's how they say hello! I always say to them, " what's the
matter Timmy fell in the well?" :laughing:

also, their hair comes off like tumbleweed...I'm sure the birds love it!


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

hummingbirds like red. Look up their favorite flowers, in your zone. I got rid of my feeder. Too much trouble, changing it every 3 days and boiling syrup. They come to my flowers. 

Do you have a gardener or do you take care of all that yourself?

Had to look hard but found the chipmonk. I had lots of them in Ohio. One day found one had gotten into the birdfeeder and was laying in it shoveling in the seed. They're so cute with that little tail sticking up.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Startingover said:


> hummingbirds like red. Look up their favorite flowers, in your zone. I got rid of my feeder. Too much trouble, changing it every 3 days and boiling syrup. They come to my flowers.
> 
> Do you have a gardener or do you take care of all that yourself?
> 
> Had to look hard but found the chipmonk. I had lots of them in Ohio. One day found one had gotten into the birdfeeder and was laying in it shoveling in the seed. They're so cute with that little tail sticking up.


 
I just mix 1/4 cup sugar in a cup of water, cold. They seem to like it, as do the damn bees:furious:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Startingover said:


> hummingbirds like red. Look up their favorite flowers, in your zone. I got rid of my feeder. Too much trouble, changing it every 3 days and boiling syrup. They come to my flowers.
> 
> Do you have a gardener or do you take care of all that yourself?
> 
> Had to look hard but found the chipmonk. I had lots of them in Ohio. One day found one had gotten into the birdfeeder and was laying in it shoveling in the seed. They're so cute with that little tail sticking up.



We take care of all our gardening ourselves...the head knot is a compulsive
gardener...all our kids (three) share his love of gardening. 

We have tons and tons of flowers in the backyard and lots of red, we also
used the sugar water as well... We bought trumpet vine cause 
we heard they love trumpet vine...but no luck 
We've only seen them a few times but
they don't stay around.

I'm trying to talk him into putting in less flowers this year, and letting
the ground covers and perennials shine...he said ok, but we'll see...
he's always at the nursery buying flowers.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

chrisn, you can dilute it 5:1 and the bees won't be so attracted to it, but hummers will still drink it. I didn't know you could give the syrup to them cold. Maybe the boiling is to keep it from getting moldy. But also even changing the syrup every 3 days it was getting to be a nuisance to clean the feeder as it would get mold in it. Also, online, you can order hummer feeders with bee guards and also an ant moat at the top. I'll look for the link. They are very curious and it's good to let them see you outside. Last month I was watching a nest on ustream. It didn't look any bigger than a walnut half.

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow of the flowers on the end of my patio and my butterfly garden. (nothing to compare to two knots).


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Startingover said:


> rockstarr, lounging squirrel is hilarious!







Two Knots said:


> Can you spot the chipmunk leaning on the rock with his left hand
> holding himself up while staring down the hound?


Do you have a larger image size? I'm on a 28" monitor, and it's still kinda small to me.

Edit: Nevermind. Found it!



creeper said:


> Well there ya go Chris..You were wondering why everybody has been turning down your dinner party invites..


I didn't turn it down. :thumbsup:

...and now for a different type of wildlife. This evil monster chased me when I got too close. He was opening and closing his beak while running at me. I don't think I have ever run so fast in my life. I almost tripped and nearly went right over the side of Pier 19.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Amazing photos rockstarr, did "Angry Birds" get the idea from you!?!

I'll have to go through my archives from last summer; I don't have many
bird photos, but do have many fauna and flora pics. :yes: and pooches too!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

A Kestril...an unwelcomed guest in our backyard.

Shot this from inside our house with my 10x optical zoom.










one of my favorite shots of my butterfly koi...These two are my baby mammas.
They both have a kid that looks exactly like them..
this is from 9- 3-2003.










Nov 21, 2004










Surf and Turf...6-30-01


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

All great shots! The last one is my favorite.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Are you sure this is a kestrel? It is some sort of falcon.

ewww, what is it eating?

Never thought of fish as being curious but this one seems as interested in the dog and the dog is of him. Cute.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Startingover said:


> Are you sure this is a kestrel? It is some sort of falcon.
> 
> ewww, what is it eating?
> 
> Never thought of fish as being curious but this one seems as interested in the dog and the dog is of him. Cute.


Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure. I thought it was a Coopers hawk,
but someone corrected me and said it was a Kestril...It's eating a bird.
We know when it's around the yard is suddenly silent.

These koi are extremely curious. We call them our water pups for good reason. 
They are hand fed and don't mind being petted and rubbed under
their chins. The are extremely friendly and curious. 
They are also always hungry and constantly beg for food. They are used to fighting the dogs
for food as the dogs love the the fish food as well.
One year I put a bell on the edge of the pond on a stick with a string
attached and floated the string in the water... naturally curious they pulled
the string and the bell rang... I would throw the food in when the bell rang.
I had to take it away after a couple of days cause the bell rang all
day long! 



















The Bostons belong to our sons, but they seem to be here as much as their at their own house. I have one here now for the three day weekend.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

fish ringing a bell? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! I don't know anything about the intelligence of fish, but they must be from what oceanographers and ppl studying marine life say how sharks and other big fish hunt in pods and traits they develop to survive. 

Thought it was just your dog but all dogs must be interested in watching the koi.

How much maintenance are all the plants along the pond? Fertilizing, weeding, replacing and etc? It's so beautiful I'd want to spend all day out there and never get anything else done.

off to google photos of kestrels. brb


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

You were right. I think it's a Coopers Hawk. The kestrels have those dark cheek stripes and are more rusty brown.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Startingover said:


> fish ringing a bell? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard! I don't know anything about the intelligence of fish, but they must be from what oceanographers and ppl studying marine life say how sharks and other big fish hunt in pods and traits they develop to survive.
> 
> Thought it was just your dog but all dogs must be interested in watching the koi.
> 
> ...


The beds are planted with various ground covers and perrenials. It fills in
rapidly in early spring. There is no weeding  cause there is no room for weeds to grow! 
He plants a lot of annuals in pots and buries the pots in
the ground covers. He uses the dirty filter water to water the flowers and plants. 

Our property gets a lot of shade, thus it's hard to get roses to flourish...
so he plants roses in pots and moves them around following
the sun.(how compulsive is that?) It's been cold and rainy this spring, so the roses are behind
and not blooming yet.
He also installed an underground sprinkling system
so that we don't have to water manually.

His only disapointment is it is very difficult to grow lilies in a koi pond,
(after the koi get big) as they love to dig in the roots and eat the plants.
He keeps trying though...

Ok, I was looking for this pic before and got side tracked...

The head groundskeepers rose garden.

They say roses don't like company...haaa..too bad for the roses.
In the pot is duck weed, the koi love it like candy, we give them a 
couple of scoops everyday.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Almost stepped on him. 

I tried flipping it back on its feet 3 times, but it kept flipping itself over again. I came back a while later to check on it and he was gone.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Rock :
thats the nicest thing I ever heard. Retired Guy is going to love you. In fact all you guys in this thread are the greatest. You are my new besties, I love you all and its not even valentines day.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

creeper said:


> Rock :
> thats the nicest thing I ever heard.


You must hang around a lot of mean people if that's the nicest thing you've ever heard. :icon_cheesygrin:

Thanks. :thumbsup:


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

And ..he redeems himself and contradicts the statement...meanie

I"ll bet you don't know many peeps who would be willing to flip a Junie Bee (as my kids call them) over not once, but three times.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

oh man, I hate creepy crawlers. I like lady bugs, dragon flies, butterflies,
tiny little bugs. But, big creepy crawlers terrify me. 

We have big June bugs here too..not as big as Texas June bugs, I'm sure


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Two Knots said:


> oh man, I hate creepy crawlers. I like lady bugs, dragon flies, butterflies,
> tiny little bugs. But, big creepy crawlers terrify me.
> 
> We have big June bugs here too..not as big as Texas June bugs, I'm sure


I know what you mean, especially since Junie Bee's were once grubs wrecking the lawn, but that close up changes everything. Poor thing..look at the stress on its cute little face..


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

creeper said:


> I know what you mean, especially since Junie Bee's were once grubs wrecking the lawn, but that close up changes everything. Poor thing..look at the stress on its cute little face..


oh yeah, poor little thing...you should see the stress on my cute little 
face when I see one! 

One hot summer night, I walked into my bedroom and one humongous June bug
buzzed by my head, it sounded like a 747 jet!
...I screamed as if a horses head was on my bedpost!

I flew out of the room, and screamed all the way down the stairs...
The head knot came running and said, What's wrong, what happened!?!...
all I could say was ..." bug, big bug, our room!" 

He said, " A  bug!!! You nearly gave me a heart attack,
and you're screaming over a  bug!!! 

He went upstairs to get it, seconds later he came flying down the stairs
himself, shouting, "oh my gawd, where's my shotgun!?!"


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

creeper said:


> ..look at the stress on its cute little face..


I need to make video when I use that lens. He was turning his head and looking at me. It was like he was begging to be flipped back over. The world is a much different place through the camera lens. I prefer that world.



creeper said:


> And ..he redeems himself and contradicts the statement...meanie


Just being humerous.



creeper said:


> I"ll bet you don't know many peeps who would be willing to flip a Junie Bee (as my kids call them) over not once, but three times.


I don't know many peeps period.




Two Knots said:


> ..not as big as Texas June bugs, I'm sure


You do know that, that picture is actual size, right? :laughing:





Two Knots said:


> oh yeah, poor little thing...you should see the stress on my cute little
> face when I see one!
> 
> One hot summer night, I walked into my bedroom and one humongous June bug
> ...


HAHAHAHAHAHA!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Originally Posted by *Two Knots*  
_..not as big as Texas June bugs, I'm sure _

You do know that, that picture is actual size, right? :laughing:


yeah, yeah, I know, yer June bugs in Texas are so big
that they have June Bugs!!!  ..and the June bugs,
that the June bugs have, have tatoos that say, "you should see my ride!"


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Sometimes, we put one on the bottom of each foot and let them carry us around like a very slow pair of roller skates.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Sometimes, we put one on the bottom of each foot and let them carry us around like a very slow pair of roller skates.


haaaa...I bet you walk them on a leash too... woof woof!


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

When the bulls at the rodeo get tired, we ride June Bugs instead.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> When the bulls at the rodeo get tired, we ride June Bugs instead.


I believe it...:yes: Everything in Texas is larger than the rest of the country. 

I've been to Texas once...Dallas and Fort Worth, we went to a gun show and the highlight of my gun show experience was that Jack Palance
was there. He was amazing looking. He looked larger than life...extremely tall and his chiseled face was awesome.

I was delighted to be at the gun show and 
sharing the same space with Jack.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

And now for a post about a Green Heron to get back on topic here.

I had never heard of, or even noticed that this bird existed until 3 years ago. I was throwing bread to some small Perch at the duck pond, and this bird kept getting closer and closer to me. I tossed him a small crust of bread and he picked it up and tossed it in the water in front of him. He started pushing it around in the water back and forth. 

Wondering just what he was doing, I sat back and watched. A small perch came up to get some of the bread he had, and he snatched it out of the water. I couldn't believe that I just watched a bird go fishing.

I tried for almost 2 months (3 days a week) to try to get a shot of him with the fish in his beak, or at least showing him pulling a fish out of the water. He was either too fast for the camera, or I just missed the shot all together. 

He got so comfortable with me being there, that duing the last few weeks, he would come right up to my feet and wait for me to toss him a piece of bread. Eventually, I stopped seeing him around the duck pond. I don't know if he moved on to a different spot or what. He just quit showing up. I never did get the picture I was after, but I did get these.











I found this video on Youtube showing a different Green Heron using bread as bait to catch fish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVtFcQXbRWI


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Amazing


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Awesome pics!

The quality of this pic doesn't compare with the ones y'all have been posting, but I want to share the story that goes with this. 

I had just planted a tree (in hot, dry Oklahoma) and had the hose dripping on it when I noticed this guy taking a drink. After the hole filled up with water he would dive in, paddle across to the other side, pull himself out, turn around then dive back in and paddle across again. He kept this up for quite some time. 
It's hard to read the expression on a turtles face, but I swear he was having the time of his life!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

oh mon, those heron shots are amazing. 
You sure you're an amateur photographer?

Once a baby heron showed up at our pond, I ran out and scared him 
away and he never returned.
Herons don't like to land in heavily treed areas.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Blondesense said:


> Awesome pics!
> 
> The quality of this pic doesn't compare with the ones y'all have been posting, but I want to share the story that goes with this.
> 
> ...


That's great! I would have enjoyed watching him play in the water too!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Blondesense said:


> Awesome pics!
> 
> The quality of this pic doesn't compare with the ones y'all have been posting, but I want to share the story that goes with this.
> 
> ...


I love turtles and wish we could have one in our pond, but he'd nip
at our fish...but it sure would be cute to see him sunning himself
pondside on a rock.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

All of the pictures in this post were shot with one of these Point and Shoot camera's. 



I carry at least one camera with me everywhere I go. Either a P&S or a DSLR. You never know when you may see something you want to take a picture of.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

yikes, great bugs...

Here's our lonely lily...most get eaten by the koi.










Is that a reflection of a United Airlines 747 in my pond?


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

Those are great. I like the fish swimming by!


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

r0ckstarr said:


> Those are great. I like the fish swimming by!


Thanks...You know I haven't taken any pics this year yet? I'm way behind.
Hopefully, This weekend I'll be on a shoot! :yes:

I know you'll like this one ... a favorite of mine.


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## r0ckstarr (Jan 8, 2013)

I'm curious to know what Dexter thinks of all of this, and what has become his/her thread. I don't think they've posted since the initial post.



Two Knots said:


> Thanks...You know I haven't taken any pics this year yet? I'm way behind.


Yeah, almost 6 months behind! Better recharge your batteries before you use the camera. :thumbsup:

Those are some nice looking fish.

--------

As a change of pace, how about some pictures of the actual surroundings?

One of my most favorite places to go in Texas. Pedernales Falls. I can, and have spent entire days out there doing nothing but climbing over the rocks to see what scenery was behind them.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Beautiful photos. They look like something the kind that are on calendars. I love the last one of the tree roots. Looks surreal. Viewing nature like that is amazing. The first time I saw the Grand Canyon it brought tears to my eyes, it was just so majestic.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

r0ckstarr said:


> I'm curious to know what Dexter thinks of all of this, and what has become his/her thread. I don't think they've posted since the initial post.


It's all good. Glad to see the interest that the post inspired, and enjoying the pictures. Just a busy time of year, so have looked in some, but not a lot of time to post lately. In between regular work, just finished up a real nice wheelchair ramp for a gal, so that she can move her daughter back from a home to her home, a long one as the first floor is out of the ground 48", so landing with a cutback halfway, and a perfect tie in to the driveway. And, with that done, we've started two Habitat homes, so it gets busier, as I typically do a lot of the layout work and like that, and lead crews of volunteers as I am able.

Back closer to topic though, the wife and I thinned out some trees on the property the last few weeks of winter, cut and got rid of about 10 cord of wood, then mounted the shredder on the tractor, and made probably 6-7 yards of mulch out of the branches, so had a lot of time outdoors to enjoy the seasonal transition. Have a mink hanging around now, and they are of course fairly elusive, so each sighting is very appreciable. As for "Rockette", yup, she's still in the nest with her young one(s), so we're glad that we didn't cause her to relocate, but only catch a glimpse of her once in a while, as she starts peeking out the hole about dusk. Plenty of deer, turkeys, coyote, and like that around, and wish that I could keep up with you guys on posting pics. I do have a digital camera, and in fact still have a real nice 35mm, which I used to use a bit more, but grew up with an old, cumbersome by today's standars, Argus in the home, which of course we kids weren't to touch, and mom and dad didn't use much, so while I enjoy photography, I never really got into the habit of grabbing a camera at the right times. Anyway, yes, very much enjoying the stories and pictures.

Well, off to the lumber yard. Am working on a project that requires a bit more than just nailing some boards in place, and their in house expert was equally baffled, so I have an appointment with one of the regional guys in a bit. You all have a good day.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Bless your heart Dexter for all the nice things you do. :yes:

Great photos Rockstarr, you're getting better and better. :thumbsup:


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