Bluebird!

 

Last week I finally got a chance to do what I have been waiting 3 years to do - take a picture of a bluebird. They are a common bird around our neighborhood and the local park, and I often see them on walks, but they do not visit our backyard very often. This is most likely because of Miikka - he is very territorial towards birds in his yard, so much so that I have had to remove the bird feeder because it drove him crazy. He barks at the robins and jays that are brave enough to visit as much as he does the squirrels. Sigh.

But last week, while Miikka was asleep inside, one lone bluebird came for a quick visit. I almost didn't grab the camera, because I was convinced he would be gone by the time I changed to my telephoto lens. But he didn't fly away, and I was able to get several decent shots through the windows.

We didn't have bluebirds in Bellevue when I was growing up, although there is a Western Bluebird species, so until we moved to Arkansas, I had never seen one outside of pictures. I think they are one of my favorites to spot, and I always give an excited little "bluebird!" cry whenever I see one.

Speaking of bluebirds, you should all go out and read The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose. She is a naturalist, artist and writer who has a wonderful blog, in addition to this gorgeous book. I requested a copy for my birthday, and then read it like dessert - a little at a time - to make it last longer. The watercolors and drawings are fantastic, and the stories are amazing. A grown-up version of all the animal rescue stories I devoured as a kid.

Why, hello long weekend!

Oh, I am so looking forward to this long weekend. I have very few plans, and we aren't traveling. Benjamin is playing in a tennis tournament, so I am sure I will be spending plenty of time watching him - I'd rather be playing myself, but oh well. Since it is supposed to be middle-of-the-summer hot this weekend, I should probably be grateful I am not playing!

Other than that, maybe I will get through some of the boxes in the garage, or maybe I will bake cookies. I need a hair cut, and the garden could use some work (the parts that aren't completely parched at least). And there is always the popular option of sitting on the couch, reading a book. Ahh...

Mishmash

I do realize I haven't written much lately - life is just puttering along and I haven't been taking pictures or recording much of it. The weather seems to be settling in to summer mode - hot and dry - which means that apart from the vegetable garden, everything is drab now. The flowers that made spring so picturesque are gone, the "lawn" is mostly brown (since there isn't much grass left in our lawn, that means the weeds are dying. Oh well. Maybe we will get around to fixing the lawn next year, or at least finding a better solution than letting the weeds take over), and the shrubs are settling in to the "just trying to survive until fall" mode. I've started watering things regularly, and Miikka had his first play date with the hose sprayer the other day. He was The Happiest Puppy Ever. One of these days I really need to get a video of him playing in the spray and put it up here for your viewing pleasure. That and a video of Kirby chasing Oliver...

This past weekend, we finally bought ourselves some proper adult furniture for the bedroom, to replace the ratty dresser we've had since college and some matching nightstands. (Funny story about that dresser - Benjamin and I each bought one for our respective apartments while we were dating - almost identical, except that one went together better than the other. During one of our moves, we decided to get rid of one. Guess which one we kept - yup, the even crummier one. Oops.) The dresser will now go to the baby's room and get a changing table top put on it. It isn't very good for lots of grown-up clothes, but it can surely handle diapers and onsies for a couple of years. Baby won't know the difference. As much as I have wanted to transition away from college and grad school furniture, it has been hard to do, probably because I am rather a cheapskate. Not about everything - heck, I have a $400 pair of boots in my closet (that I LOVE and wear all the time in the fall and winter), and our food budget is pretty high for two people - but definitely for furniture. I think I just don't like to spend so much money on any one item, especially one that just sits there, like a dresser. But it was time. And since we bought decent pieces, they should last for a very long time, which makes the price worth it. Now we just need to get around to painting the bedroom (and the rest of the house), buy some proper chairs for the kitchen table, and a recliner for Benjamin's study, and we will be truly grown up!

My tennis team has been given a place at the state tournament next month. I am happy for our team, but kind of bummed out that I won't be able to play. Even though I knew this was a possibility when the season started, it is still bittersweet. Since I was out of town last year I missed that tournament too; this year, at least I will be here to cheer my teammates on. And maybe bring cupcakes.