Fun Times with the Grandkids

Mommy and Daddy are out gallivanting themselves, and you know what that means!

Fun with Gramma G!

We started out the day making blueberry muffins

 which have been proclaimed to be "the BEST blueberry muffins EVER!" by this little cutie.

Then we headed outdoors for some baseball where Gramma G was the pitcher, tossing balls at this little fellow who managed quite a swing  (and, just for the record, let me mention here that it's not  easy to take a picture and pitch at the same time....at least it wasn't for me! )

and little sister was happy to retrieve the fly balls.

We took a pleasant walk in the afternoon as the weather was just perfect!

Then, it was time to concentrate on some culinary delights for dinner:

Corn on the cob with Chicken haystacks,

which involve piling lots of yummy foods into a stack, then enjoying the results.  They were a BIG hit.

But, the 'creme de la creme' was the home made peach ice cream for dessert.   They patiently waited while the ice cream maker churned out the delightful concoction that they had help to mix.

I never saw two more delighted faces than when I scooped the treat into little bowls for their enjoyment.

Obviously, it was good down to the last drop!

We certainly had a grand time today, but tomorrow will be even more exciting.  

Aunt Amy is coming over in the morning!  And Pap Pap G will be popping in later in the day.  It's guaranteed to be another fun-filled day, no doubt about it!

Knoebels

Yesterday was a fabulous day to spend at Knoebels Park.  The humidity was low, the skies were blue, and the temperature was just right!  You couldn't ask for a better day, and since it was the Fairchild Semiconductor Family Picnic, Marty and I found ourselves making the drive to the happy event.

And, apparently, it was Family Fun Day for a lot of people, because the traffic was horrendous, taking us way over 2 hours to arrive at our destination.

But once we arrived, we were greeted with a friendly smile, lunch on the company, and gratis tickets for both of us to go out and enjoy the day.  How could you beat that?

We used to make the trip to this park annually with the kids, but, alas,  those fun days are way behind us.  And, to be quite frank, most of the rides that the kids thought were fun now look like sure-fire ways to cause bodily harm!  

So, what do two Empty Nesters do at Knoebels when there are no kids for entertainment?

Our first choice was the Haunted  Mansion, always a safe bet,  and just as amusingly scary as always.

Then, onto the antique cars, which seems a bit silly to be driving as an adult when one can drive a car anytime one chooses.  But, the roadway was scenic, the bumps bumpy, and the shaking from the car stayed with my legs for a few minutes afterwards!

We thought the boat ride would be cool, but the line was always way too long.

Should we try the teacups?

No way!  But Marty did take a great photo.  Too bad you can't see our matching Fairchild Semiconductor tee shirts!

The only logical destination for us was the Vintage carousel.

This had always been a fun ride for the kids.  Once through the entrance gate, the kids would always run to get a horse on the perimeter so that they could reach and grab for the brass rings which pop out on a wooden arm after the carousel begins to turn.

Apparently, this was just as fun for Marty, as he wasted no time heading for one of those horses himself,  so that he could grab the brass rings when it was time. 

I opted for an interior horse, which did NOT go up and down.    That was enough fun for me, plus it made it easier to use the reverse setting on my phone,  so I could capture some photos of Marty in action.

He managed to grab five, which obviously made his day.

At this point, Marty decided that he would dare the Phoenix, which he rode alone, as I knew better than to even think about getting on.  And, from the stories I heard from the youngsters coming off the ride, I know that I made the best decision, which was seconded by Marty after he managed to survive the apparent sensation of being thrown from the car during the ride.  We'll see what aftermath results from that experience!

Finally, I gave into riding the Ferris Wheel since the seats are heavy duty with umbrellas overtop, preventing one's riding partner from attempting to make the seat swing like a pendulum.  Now, why would I worry about such a thing?  If you have to ask....you don't know my husband.

While we were waiting in line, I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of getting on this ride:
Straight up:

Straight down:

Not to mention the rotating curves after the descent.  This sparked sufficient fear in my heart just looking at it!

Finally, we were on the Ferris Wheel, enjoying the breeze and the views.  I just knew better than to look down, as I do have an extreme fear of heights.  But distances didn't bother me, and here you can see a wooden roller coaster nestled among the trees.

This photo is testament to the absolutely gorgeous day that we had.

Aahh.....and here you can see Marty's Fairchild Shirt.  

Would I do this again?  Maybe.....but I sure would love to have some little ones along next time.

And, so, I share a photo from the past:

Nothing beats Clowning Around at Knoebels with a kid in tow.  

And, no....Marty doesn't count!

Bird Crazy

Or, should I say "Crazy Birds"?

There has been quite a bit of unusual activity around here lately, so I thought I'd take the time to share some recent entertainment.  Just be sure to keep in mind that it doesn't take much to amuse us, which you may have figured out on your own if you are a regular follower of my blogs.

Not too long ago, I was busily involved in a project when I realized that I could hear birds chirping, rather loudly, somewhere nearby.  Now, that isn't out of the norm around here, and, at the time, I didn't bother to investigate as I was engrossed in my work, and , as evening fell, I became distracted and the noise was quickly forgotten.

Until....the next day....when I was sitting at my computer in the living room and I would have bet money that I had birds in my house, the chirping was so loud.  Curious, I slowly turned my chair around, and lo and behold, I saw this just a few feet away from me.

I'll admit that I did have to stealthy tip toe to another room to grab my camera, but I managed to do so without disrupting mama.

Now, I don't know about you, but I thought that was pretty cool.  Don't think you can get much closer than that!

One thing I learned about little baby birds.  They don't chirp until mama bird shows up.  They keep quiet, nestled down in the nest, and when Mama shows up, those little mouths can make quite a bit of racket!

They were around for a little more than a week, then, one day....the chirping was gone...and when I peeked, there was no sign of them.   Once again we were empty nesters.

I diverted my attention by keeping a sharp eye on the garden to be sure that potential invaders weren't scoping the place out.  I did manage to spot this little guy hanging out suspiciously near the entrance:

But once he figured out that his means of entry had been thwarted by the addition of a metal fence, he set his eyes (or should I say teeth?) into better things.

If there is one thing that we are NOT lacking, it's apples for the taking.   He must have a sweet tooth, because I've spotted him and a friend many times in search of the fallen fruit.  I'll bet he puts a few pounds on by the time the summer is over.

But this blog is supposed to be about birds....

I bought a new feeder for the goldfinches as they didn't seem too happy with the old thistle feeder.

Perhaps they like the color of this one because they are suddenly frequent visitors.

As I was enjoying their delightful call the other day,  I was startled by the rustle of feathers, and when I turned to look, I spotted this creature on my  hanging basket.

Now, this wouldn't be the first time that I had a bird show an interest in that plant.  In fact, I had what I call "Crazy Birds" in love with it when I first hung it up outside.

There must be something appealing in there, as these guys had a field day pecking away at the plant.

And this mystery bird actually grabbed a flower himself while scoping out the other feeders. 

Then, quick as a flash, he flew over to the empty sunflower feeder,  followed within seconds by a friend

who landed so fast that it set the feeder into a pendulum motion!

I've never seen anything like it.  They were busy birds, hopping to and fro, as if in desperate need of nourishment.  One of them even attempted a sample from the hummingbird feeder.

But, despite a concentrated effort on his part, he had no luck extracting the elixir that was just beyond beak's reach.

I don't know about you....but I'd say that was crazy!

And, now there were three of them, although I did not manage to get a photo of all three at the same time, simply because they wouldn't stay in one place long enough to grab a photo!

One of them even joined the goldfinch, who was perfectly happy to share.

Within minutes, they were gone.  Apparently they didn't enjoy what was on the menu.

But, this little guy did!

Call me crazy, but that makes me happy!

Pretty Isn't Always Practical

This was the summer when Marty decided that it was time to get proactive and build a garden fence designed to keep out vegetable munching creatures.

Every year we oooh and ahhh as the plants begin to take off.  And, every year, we face disappointment when we find that despite having a fence, deer have managed to make their way into the garden and help themselves to the tasty leaves, leaving us grappling for ideas on how to keep the pesky creatures out.  And, of course, there are always a few rabbits who manage to somehow get inside as well.

It's hard to feel sorry for the deer when we live in an area surrounded by corn fields with ready snacks for the taking.  And believe me, there is always plenty of clover for bunnies to feed on.  But our varied greens must be very enticing and worth the extra effort because somehow they always manage to be devoured......and not by us!

So, this year, Marty decided that he was going to build the Fort Knox of gardens to keep them out.
I didn't want an eyesore, and after seeing so many beautiful gardens in Scotland, I kept throwing ideas at him until he found something that we could both agree on.

We thought that we'd try the heavy green plastic mesh fencing for a nicer look, and each of the posts is topped with a solar light to keep the deer from invading.

Those lights cast a beautiful glow at night, and seem to serve the same purpose as the aluminum pie plates but without the clanging noise every time the wind blows.  (I'm thinking my neighbors are thanking me for that!)

Then, just two weekends ago, he added the arbor to the doorway.

Pretty nice, don't you think?

The lettuce has begun to really take off and the sweet potatoes are happily spreading themselves, adding more and more beautiful shiny leaves to the stems as they creep along.  Zucchini is flourishing and we have more cucumbers than I would have ever imagined.  Two full months of uninterrupted harvest!

Then.......the inevitable happened. 

I went down to the garden to check for zucchini....... and spotted a bunny.......... inside.  

That certainly made me curious, as he managed to make his way out in a blink of an eye without my being able to determine the exit. After a quick search, I spotted several spots where a bunny could easily squeeze under the fence in the back, due to some heavy rains washing the soil down.  So, I placed several left over 2 x 4 pieces along the edge and was quite satisfied with my blockade attempt.

Unless those bunnies were weight lifters, or knew how to work as a team to move the wood, the quick fix would work until Marty had a chance to put in something more permanent.

Satisfied that my bunny issues were solved, we jumped in the car and headed out of town for the weekend.

I had just finished making blueberry buckle with my two grandchildren, who were patiently waiting for the timer to go off, and we were passing time while watching the hermit crabs enjoy a lettuce salad.

Actually, I'd never seen a hermit crab eat before, and Almond Milk's little arm kept moving as he munched away.  (He's the crab in the front...oh....and by the way, my grandson named them.  The guy in the back is Fred.)

But I digress.....

We were patiently waiting when my cell phone rang and a number popped up that was completely unfamiliar to me. 

I answered and let the woman on the other end speak.  She had a very thick Spanish accent, and I was certain that she had the wrong number and told her so.

I was just about ready to hang up when she said, "No, no, no NO!  Dees ees AGnuse, your naybor.!  (Translation:  This is Agnes, your neighbor) We see bunny in your garden.  Are you home?"

I apologized to Agnes for the error, and told her that I was out of town for the weekend, and told her that I had barricaded the entryways for the bunnies, but must have missed one.  Would she be so kind to let the bunny out?  She never really answered that question, but when we arrived home last evening, I immediately went down to the garden to see what was up.

We found pieces of wood in several places. In fact, it was obvious that Agnes had made quite the attempt to keep that bunny out of our garden.  

It appears that bunnies who can no longer squeeze under the board take matters into their own hands.

Or, should I say teeth?

Holes in the fencing were a clear indication that bunnies are quite resourceful, and obviously, have very sharp incisors for munching through plastic.

And the delectable treat appeared to be beet leaves.

The lettuce was untouched.

Marty placed more barricades around the holes until he could come up with a more permanent solution.

Today, I decided to go down to the garden to take some photos of the damage and, much to my surprise, when I got to the garden, there was a party going on.  I can't tell you how many bunnies were hiding under the zucchini leaves as some made a quick escape, but the largest of the group wasn't so lucky. 

I could tell that he was nervously attempting to locate his escape route.  And, when he headed to the gate, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

So, I told him that I would open the gate and walk away so that he could get out.  I'm fairly certain that my stalking neighbor heard this conversation, and he probably thinks I'm nuts, but, really, who cares?

Little bunny hopped out and dashed off like a streak of lightening towards the back neighbor's deck where I'm fairly certain the bunny nest is hidden.

When Marty came home this evening, he had a roll of 3 feet chicken wire that he wrapped around the outside of the fence.

So much for pretty.  Hopefully, it will serve the purpose.

In the meantime, Red was back, raiding the sunflowers.

Which is OK with me, because I never had any intention of eating those sunflower seeds.

Now, if I find him in the garden devouring my sweet potato leaves....that will be an entirely different story!

Bye Bye Bluebirds

If you recall, my last post described the invasion of ants into my hummingbird feeder, which I would have thought would be a food deterrent in the eyes of the beautiful fluttering creatures.  But, it turns out that my concern was for naught.  A friend of mine sent me a very interesting article that claimed that ants make great snacks for hummingbirds and bluebirds.   

But let's face it, a LOT of ants managed to sneak by both prior to their demise in the sugary pool.

So, I took matters into my own hands and stuck packaging tape, sticky side out, along a 12 inch section of the black pole that the ants used for transit from the deck.

It would figure that as soon as I finished with the tape, we experienced a deluge of rain for several hours.  I never went back out to check to see if the tape was still sticky after the rain.  But, since then, I haven't spotted one ant anywhere near the feeder, or the pole, for that matter.

The next morning, though, I spotted this beautiful creature drinking from the feeder.

Isn't he just gorgeous?

Little did I know, that this glimpse of mama bluebird would be one of my last.

Sometime over the last few days,  the baby bluebirds flew the coop.  That became quite obvious when this downy woodpecker came along to explore the house.

He actually had the nerve to enter and check out the place.  I knew that if there were babies still inside,  there was no way that daddy bluebird was going to let him anywhere near that house.

I was a bit disappointed, as I had hoped to have a glimpse of the family prior to departure, but once again the family had moved on without my seeing.  Oh well. 

I wasn't too disheartened as I found my attention quickly drawn to the back porch.

Look closely below and you can see the female goldfinch busily feeding on the seeds while the male looks on.

Soon, they took turns hopping back and forth between the flowers. digging out the tiny seeds. 

Of course, this excitement won't last long, as the flowers are shriveling up quickly.

I'm just glad that I was able to witness it first hand!