Runaway Bunnies

On the way back from the garden, we always watch for deer and other critters. I rarely get a good shot of these critters, but it is fun to see them and give it a try.

 Two deer were hanging out at the back of a field. Bad thing was, along the road, the fence row is grown up in trees and weeds. There was one little hole and Hubs found it.

 When I raised my camera, these two bunnies were posed perfectly. Not so much when I took the shot.

Linking to Saturday's Critters

Celandine Poppy. I found this little flower while walking through Douglas Hart Nature Center. It wasn't familiar to me, so I dug out my Illinois Wildflowers book, which says it isn't common in this area. It likes the southern most and northen most counties. Well, what is wrong with central most? Guess this one decided to give our area a try. The roots were once used to make yellow dye. Who knew?

Linking to Today's Flowers

Friday!!!

It's Friday! Woo Hoo!

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Linking to Weekend Reflections

As Hubs and I were trekking through the nature reserve, we happened on to this. The Bat Cave! I knocked, but Batman wasn't home.

Happy Friday!

A Blue Fence Post

The Illinois River

I'm not sure what this pavillion is used for, but it provided shade for the grands and daughter while I took massive amounts of duck and geese pictures. They used to complain about my taking so long, but now they merely accept their fate.

Lots of blue fencing.

How about a blue fence with a pigeon behind it.

Blue fencing everywhere.

Linking to Good Fences

Angry Birds and a Little Hodge Podge

It seems like the only birds I can get close enough to take pictuers of are these angry old red-winged blackbirds. 

 Mrs was hanging out showing me her pretty chin.

Mister was yelling at me.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday




1. What news story are you following right now? 

The Oscar Pistorius trial and news about the VA. Hubs is a veteran, thus the interest. I think it is terrible the way our veterans are treated after risking their life for their country. 


2. What's the last thing you wanted but didn't get?

One of those mega expensive cameras. For the price, they surely travel to the location by themselves, scope out the unusual birds, and bring home a magical shot. I'm still dreaming. 


3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...when did you last have a hamburger? Other than your own kitchen or BBQ grill, where is your favorite place to go for a hamburger? And for all you non-meat eaters out there...when you're invited to a cookout what is the one side dish you hope is on the menu?

Hubs cooked burgers on the grill on Memorial Day. My favorite place to eat a hamburger is Burger King. Not THAT Burger King, but the mom and pop store in Mattoon, IL. Our Burger King has been in business since 1954. A lawsuit was filed over the name. The 1968 court case between this restaurant and the larger Burger King is a well-known case in United States Trademark Law. The court ruled that THE Burger King could not use the name in a 20 mile radius of Our Burger King. So, the little guy won one for a change. 60 Minutes even came to town to do a story. Now they are famous.


4. How have your priorities changed over time?

My house is no longer my priority. I have no problem taking off on Saturday morning to do something I want to do rather than spend the day cleaning. I get to it when I don't have anything better to do, or when I'm expecting visitors. There was a time you could eat off my floors. Now, not so much.


5. What's a favorite memory with your grandparents?

Getting off the bus at Grandma's house every Wednesday after school. Grandma would make dinner for me, with a special dessert, and then we would retire to the living room and watch The Virginian. 


6. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being fantastic!), how good are you at multitasking? Share an example.

Before adult A.D.D. set in, I was very good. Now I seem to be spinning my wheels some days.


7. How would you summarize your highs and lows for the month of May?

High—warm weather and flowers.
Low—I turned yet another year older.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Sorry to end on a downer, but I have a friend who has been battling cancer for a long time. Yesterday, she was taken to the hospital. Worried.

Linking to Wednesday Hodgepodge

Rubbish Tuesday #4

It was off to the garden last evening. We didn't plant anything else, but Hubs finished tilling between the rows. We still have pumpkins to plant. We like to put pumpkins out in our front yard in October—with a FREE sign. They go fast.

On the way down to Bro O's farm where our garden is, we pass this house. It has looked like this for as long as I can remember. It looks like it is painted gray from this shot, but it doesn't have any paint at all. It does have a very good roof. A very nice couple lived there. First he passed away, and then she followed. After that, his brother would drive down from the Peoria area every weekend, in good weather.  They stayed in the house. Now he has passed.

It appears someone else has moved in. Probably a relative. There is a red pickup truck parked in the machine shed.

The yard, and it is a very big yard, is always manicured, in sharp contrast to the deteriorating house.

 This is Bro O's very old back hoe. It still works and he uses it frequently.

An old log chain.

And I found this old weather vane in the implement shed. Only a farmer would have a tractor weather vane, right?

How do you like that fancy dancy door he has put up on his machine shop? It is a leftover from a home rennovation.

Another Crabby Critter

After the squirrel gave me a tongue lashing (see the post below), probably because there were babies in their nest and LL and Fergus were being too noisy, I got another scolding last evening down at the garden.

Not by a squirrel this time, but by a red-winged blackbird. I was minding my own business, putting tomato plants in the garden when this guy kept flying over with his mean bird chirp on. After I finished with the tomatoes, okra, yellow squash and zucchinni, and while I waited for Hubs to finish tilling a row for the hot peppers, I got out my camera. Here he is trying to decide whether or not I dug the 410 out of the gun rack or if the contraption pointed at him was harmless.

Guess he thought he could scare me away with this red shoulders. Little did he know that if I really had a 410 and was of the sort to shoot birds, his goose would have been cooked. Fortunately for him, I don't shoot birds with anything other than my camera.

Since the Mister wasn't having much luck scaring me away, Mrs decided to give it a try.  She wasn't successful either, but Hubs had the garden ready for more plants, so I left them alone. Mister, however, kept flying over with his crabby on.

Linking to  the Bird D'pot