Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
I’ve thought about photographing this sign many times while walking Ellie past the baseball field to the dog park, but never have. I was struck by how lovely the park looked on a foggy winter night but the camera was at home, so after we finished our walk Ellie settled in on the couch while I grabbed my camera and headed back out.
A female northern flicker visits our suet feeder, part of a family that was visiting in December 2012. You can see the semi-circular arm of the feeder (and our house) reflected in her eye.
One of the northern flickers that visit our suet feeders, in this case a male of the red-shafted variety that are the norm here in Oregon. I removed the screen from my office window and shot from inside with my telephoto lens sticking out of the open window, all while making sure that none of the cats made a bold escape while I was preoccupied watching birds.
I had some time off coming in December but took one of the days a bit earlier than expected when I woke to snow coming down. I sent a quick email to work to let them know I wasn’t coming in as I wanted to take Ellie out in however much snow we got. I always enjoy seeing Ellie in the snow, as it reminds me of the day I started thinking about getting a dog while playing with sweet Porter from next door.
The snow stopped falling right after I decided not to go to work, so there wasn’t much on the ground when we went on our walk to the dog park in Irving Park, but we had a good time nevertheless. I brought my camera (the little EOS M, just stuck it in my coat pocket) and took a few snaps of Ellie enjoying one of her favorite activities, snapping sticks in half with her jaws.
Chomp chomp!
Last fall I experimented with taking pictures out of my office window of the birds that visit the backyard, such as this female flicker at the suet feeder. At first I tried shooting through the glass but the pictures were far too soft, so I opened the window just enough for the big telephoto to fit through.
The smells and sounds of the outdoors brought the cats over to investigate, one by one, but I shooed them away so I wouldn’t have to worry about them jumping through the opening to freedom, sweet freedom. Scout grunted when I pushed her back, looking puzzled. We were so rarely at cross purposes that she had to be sure I hadn’t mistaken her for one of the other cats. She tried for the window again and I gently pushed her back, then again, and again, before she finally wheeled about and walked out of the room with her tail raised high.
She asked for so little, but what she wanted, she wanted. Usually what she wanted I was happy to give her, but even I sometimes had to tell my beloved Scout, “no”.
As soon as I closed the window and returned to the couch, having forgiven my insolence, she jumped onto my chest and purred.
She was the best.
A couple of years ago we started a hummingbird garden in memory of my mother-in-law. Many of the plants were chosen specifically to attract hummingbirds, while others were selected to expand it into a wildflower garden, plus we added a young dogwood to round things out. We also picked up a pretty little birdbath since we hadn’t had one for years, not since I accidentally knocked over our cheap one and broke it. A number of birds, such as this American robin, have been enjoying the bath ever since.
Purple coneflower is one of my favorites in our garden and we have a vigorous patch at the edge of our back patio. I deadhead them during the summer to encourage new flowers but at the end of the season I leave them be as I knew birds were eating the seeds in the dried-up cones during the winter — I just didn’t know which ones, as I had never seen any birds on the dead flowers. I had assumed my seed-eaters were finches but just discovered their true identity: dark-eyed juncos.
Junco plumages vary across populations, this is a female of the Oregon race which we commonly see in our backyard, she’s perched on one of the coneflower stems.
We’re all waiting on pins and needles here to see what Apple announces on Monday at their Worldwide Developer’s Conference. We’re so anxious we can barely sleep! Well maybe not all of us. And in fact this picture of Lady Em was taken last summer as she tried to beat the heat by catnapping on the glass table on our porch as she and I enjoyed a nice day in Portland.
I suppose everyone thinks their dog is the best dog in the world, which is rather unfortunate, as we actually have the best dog in the world. Three years ago today, we added this wonderful girl to our family. At eight years old, the gray has spread further around her mouth and to her eyebrows as well, but Ellie is the same lovable goofball she was the day we met.
What a blessing to come home each day, met by Ellie dancing in joy!
The dog park section of Irving Park is surrounded by old oaks and maples so a couple of weeks ago I took Ellie up for a photo shoot in the fallen leaves. One of us was a little bored by the lack of running and/or hedgehogs.
Boolie 