The first is a baby red bellied woodpecker at one of our feeders. He doesn't have a red belly at all but it's head gets red. If the hairline is receeding, it's a female - this one is too young to tell yet. Not to be confused with the Red Headed woodpecker - whose head is a deep red and it's body black and white. Hoping to get a good picture of that one soon. We also have another woodpecker - a Downy who is much smaller than the other two but just as pretty.


DH just came back in. Here's Momma Woodpecker.


This one is kind of cool I think. Look closely at the end of the hummer's beak. That white thing protruding out is it's tongue. It pokes the feeder (or a flower) with it's beak and then sticks it's tongue thru to lap up the nectar. This is one of the little guys who is ferociously (and I MEAN ferociously) guarding "his" feeder. DH said he was whipping his tongue in and out and it's really much longer than appears here. We know this is a boy because only the males have ruby throats and also - girls would share There were 2 males out this morning - this one and another guy who were literally body slamming each other - you could hear the thumping. Sometimes you can also hear the click of beaks as in a swordfight. And they are only about the length of my index finger - and I have small hands.



And here's Mr. Moulting Cardinal

Hope you both do well in the play Suzi - sounds like a lot of fun - what a great activity to get you up and out of the house. How did you get into acting?

Hello Ceejay - I know how easy it is to have 24 credit cards and not want to close any of them. Not any more tho. I follow Suzi's advice now.

I'm off to hit the treadmill upstairs. Shrimp on the Barbie for supper tonight with some fresh fruit and veggies.

I'll try to check in later.

Here's a link to DH's pictures on Webshots if anyone is interested.

http://community.webshots.com/user/g3forme

I'm still trying to get my groove on! Reading about women who are brave, take charge wonders who seem to have so much order and good sense in their lives. The kids are at different schools this year, opposite sides of town. Don't get me started about how eye crossing that scenario is going to be. No awards for punctuality this year I'm being sucked under by schedules and the routines of mommydom. Sigh, I miss summer already and it hasn't even really gone. I adore puttering in the garden and watching the butterflies and bumbles.

Happy-wonderful pics! Give hubby a big high five from me for his good eye and shutter finger Made me smile hugely.

Shad-gosh, I'm sorry the job has you so frustrated but kudos on the shopping. What fun! Glad you found some goodies to cheer you up.

PW-yeah, I'm not a poster of numbers either. Wonderful bowl, what are you going to put in it? Fruit or flowers? I thought of you the other day when I say a book about writing...Bird by bird : some instructions on writing and life by: Anne Lamott. I ordered it in at the library but it hasn't arrived yet, just thought it was something that might peak your interest Wool jacket sounds very posh. DS will always be your little boy, no matter what life choices he makes. What is his room going to be designated for now that he is making a home away? A knitting nest/painting studio for yourself?

Suzi-Drama! Lights! Action! so you get to watch your man be the bad boy? How is that? Are you seeing another side of him? Very cool that you are involved in the theatre, good to exercise those creative talents.

Holly-I hope you can find time for the exercise. Making yourself a priority in all the stuff of life is a toughie. I keep trying My MIL wanted me to can my tomatoes. I chose to boil them into sauce, ziploc and freeze That boiling water stuff and popping lids scare me Good job finding the cucumbers, nothing like the home made pickles, always tastier

Ceejay-nothing to report? Did you eat a banana to keep your potassium levels up? How much water did you manage? Scales nice? is that an oxymoron? Glad you saw something good in them

Madcat-comic books! Did they have any of the Star Sapphire, Green Lantern mags? She was so evil Last comics I read were Garfield and Archie

MEL- ((((Be well!))))

Woot to everyone lurking and reading

Busted by happy...

Had a great weekend. It rained Saturday and Sunday but yesterday the rain was late. We went on a long ride yesterday before the rains hit late in the afternoon. I ended up with a sunburn. Well worth it. DD and her DDsweetie spent the day at the zoo. They had a nice day too.

I had a great run on Saturday. I've been running at least an hour once a week lately. I have to get out early before the heat and humidity gets too wretched. I'm trying to increase my time every week. I'm not sure what my ultimate goal is. I don't know if I'll ever be able to run a half marathon, but I'd love to dream about it. My current dream: I'm working towards two hours.

to all!

Happy - such lovely pictures. Gotta love those birds. Funny that they are so territorial hey.

Painter any goal, small or large is the ultimate. If you achieve then you simply make the goal again. You know you achieved it once so twice isn't a problem. Good luck with the BMI.

Suz - good to hear that you are enjoying the new car and zipping about from place to place. The teenagers will now be wanting to get their lessons and p plates so they can have a go too!!!
Break a leg in the dramatic event!!!

Meadow - as usual, different and interesting graphics. I did have a great time shopping. Not one of my usual pastimes. The troppo-ness must be affecting me more than I thought.

Tig - sure you will get back into the swing of running again. You've done it before. Aiming for a full marathon??? The New York Marathon or the London Marathon???

Things are swinging around here. The guys on plant need help. They try to get it, the best way they know how. However as per normal, they are impeded by HR. Today one of them came to me to book some time. I'll go out there on Friday morning to help them out. Nobady else is talking to me, even my e-mail is silent. Haven't had a mail all day except for the broadcast service degradation e-mails. Makes for a very quiet time. Tomorrow I have no courses at all. Do I stay at home, or do I come in and sit here for 4 or 5 hours and do nothing on the offchance someone may need my help. I have to make the decision shortly since there are only 2 cars between 3 people and the others have courses to run. I mailed my 'leader' this morning about booking flights home - she is ignoring me. Maybe she thinks I will change my mind and if I don't have a flight booked then I will have to stay!!!! Could be an interesting discussion if we ever get around to speaking to each other!!!

Mel is getting better and now has (I think it is part of the rosacea) a cyst forming on one eye. Fortunately this one is on the outside of the eye. The last one was internal and required surgery - if I read the post right. She will be back as able. Meantime if we forget any birthdays it will be Mel's fault - right? I know Suzi has one coming up. Not sure on anyone else.

Okay, well I guess I better go find something else to do. I've whinged enough here.

Hello to all,

I'm still exercising. I'm pacing myself at 6 miles per day per bike ride which equals a 20 minute ride and do a weight routine, even though the weights are only 5 to 8 pounds. Did 100 crunches last night and believe it or not I'm not sore.

Sorry to here about Mel. Shad if you will IM me her telphone number I'll try to call her.



Have a good day.

Wanna be a size 10.

K. Just checking in. I had a long post written and *ack* lost it. I'll be back this evening (with luck) to try again.

It's a quiet old world all around I guess. Not much news here either. The world is still spinning and people are still doing strange things in it. Life just goes on and on and on.

Had a call from DS2 last night which cheered me up. Not that he had a lot to say but just reporting in to state that all was well in the normal world. He has been around collected the mail, paid a bill for me and checked out the house and watered the plants. His partner who was laid of from her job a week or so ago has got a new job so they are both pretty chuffed about that. DS1 is chugging along nicely and the plans for the DB2's 50th are beginning to move along. It seems we will have the (almost) entire family here for the shindig. One DB2's old friends - now resident in Florida - has sent me a mail to say that he may get over for it as well. That is one thing that will be kept under wraps until the day, for sure.

Ceejay - I don't have Mel's phone number here. I'm just using e-mail to keep in contact. I don't know whether she has a listed number or not.

Okay - I'll go check out a few other threads and then get set for a very boring day. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. Catch up soon.

Hey y'all,

I tried calling Mel for an hour and a half after I got home. Line was busy, perhaps she was on the computer. After that I got to cooking dinner and by the time I finished cooking, ate it and cleaned it up it wasn't too late here but I remembered she is an hour ahead of me and perhaps it was indeed too late for her. I think she is not the night owl that PainterWoman and I are.

So sorry to hear about the untimely death of Steve Irwin. I told DH he died doing the things he loved and he lived his life that way. It is a noble thing that not many of us can claim. Call him a bit over the top if you like, but I think he did much to bring attention to Australia and the animal kingdom in general. Enjoy your new post in that great big preserve in the sky mate. *salute*

Shad, it sounds quite boring where you are. And you are not one to sit around idley so I hope they come to some satisfactory resolution for both parties very soon. Perhaps you should start writing your own beginners guide to the mysteries of SAP on the side. Start with a translation guide - in the real world we call it an invoice, in SAP land it's a transactional process - of course that is wrong but I can't speak SAP, therefore I can never get a logical answer to my questions. I will buy your book - and if you co-author it with Madcat, I will buy at least 2 copies. Sounds like plans for DB's big day will be a fun event for the family. Hope his friend can make it to the party.

Ceejay - good going on sticking with the exercise. I hope you do get to a size 10. We will expect pictures. Really, we will.

Nice to hear you are back running again Tig. And that you have been out riding. Be careful of the sunburn. Use sunblock. Don't need those premature wrinkles now.

Woot back at you Meadow. I see you are in the league with my sister of Moms who are NOT happy to see school start up again. Hope your schedule is not too hectic. Time for a cup of tea and a glimpse of a fall flower, colored leaf or pretty mum - I mean flower mum, not our Moms chrysanthemum - I'm sure that's not right.

I did good on food today, not good on exercise. Came home a bit late and found that DH had taken an offer of some guys driving around who were willing to dig up the flower beds and re-mulch the front yard. I set some cool water bottles out for them, talked to them a bit and DH showed me his latest discovery. Out in the front flower bed was a HUGE yellow and brown spider. I think it's a harmless garden spider - at least that's what the landscape guy said but I'll do more checking later. I went into the house to get dinner started. Put some pork chops on to marinade and then realized they are supposed to marinade over night. Oops. Plan B. Season up some chicken for the grill. Try calling Mel several times in between all of this. By then it was kind of down to the wire and I ran out of time. I didn't really feel like exercising at 9pm tonight - been having some trouble sleeping as it is. So I should have gone to bed 30 minutes ago as I set the alarm 30 minutes earlier for the morning routine.

So I'm going to sign off for now. Hellos to the rest of the chicks. See you in the morning.

And we are good with birthdays until mid October when Suzi kicks off the next round.

Hello it's morning already Off to bend and stretch and tote and lift and haul. Step lively now.

Back to school is bitter sweet for me. I miss my kids terribly but very happy to have the others go back!!!
DS hates summer. Too hot to play outside(for him) and he prefers school. More to do, his friends are there, he likes learning stuff, he likes routine and structure.............so he is happier. Hockey has started. Gymnasastics for DD next Fri. Last yoga class last night. Need to figure out if I can do the next session. Dealing with some church conflicts........
Getting back into Avon mode!!!!!
Busy, busy, busy....happy so far!!!

Kids fed, cobbler in the oven, having a big salad with romaine,chicken, swiss cheese,yellow peps, cucumber, celery, carrots and a blue cheese vinagrette!!!!!! YUM!!

Cobbler, ummmmmm. Did you find a South Beach friendly recipe? If so, please share. Cobbler is the best, no matter what fruit is inside of it.

No! LOL!! I wish. I have 2 servings of carb a day with SB phase 2. I only use it as a guide. I had cereal for breaky. And the cobbler as a snack. I had salad with protein for lunch and will have meat and veg for supper.

I make my own recipe for cobbler.

I had peaches left over from canning. I had bought a bushel. I used about 20 peaches. Blanched, peeled and sliced. A half cup of sugar, cinnamon,nutmeg.
Topping- 1/4 c butter, 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c sugar. I use oats when I have them.
Bake 350 for an hour. Makes a 9X13 pan. I just fed 7 bowls to kids and it is only a 1/3 gone.
Moderation helps . hubby will eat most of it.

Happy - you have changed your avatar. It's cute. Love the S/C/G weights as well. Well done you.

Nothing new up here. Went to gym last night and belted out my frustrations on the rower, bike and treadmill. Then showered, changed, trundled off to dinner. Nice piece of steak for dinner. I usually choose chicken or fish, but this smelt good and tasted good.

Came in this morning to go out on plant and help the guys on a one to one basis, but the system is broke. Now we have to wait for it to be fixed and I can go back. There was no point in hanging about and waiting for it to come up and the guys are busy so here I am back for another bout with computer and trying to belt out some cheatsheets on how to...... (do anything) in SAP. Maybe I should send them across to Happy for her files as well. These are really general things everyone should be able to do. I'm surprised they haven't done it already.

Okay - up and at 'em Atom Ant.