Pekingese Madness

Our big goal on April 4th was to plant some lettuce in containers. Originally, we were going to buy bags of dirt to fill the tubs but we stumbled upon a pile of nice black dirt on the dike running along the back of our property. Where we live it's hard to find anything but heavy dense clay so this was a real find. It was too wet to drive the mower so we dragged a little wagon to this spot, shoveled in the dirt, and then dragged it all the way to our backyard. We were proud of ourselves after we filled the containers with the black gold and planted the lettuce seeds. Gena, my partner, was so thrilled with it she was admiring it from the back window when she frantically screamed for me to come back and look at "something". I thought it was a rare bird but this is what I saw.

Dolly, our pekingese, was having a grand ole time digging in the dirt. We no longer have cats hanging around, so other than the cottontails looking for a nice meal, we thought we were safe. We should have known--you are never safe with a dog like Dolly. She also thought the dirt was exceptional and made a nice bed in it.

Comments

Frog and Butterfly

We have some very large bullfrogs on our property and yesterday I saw three sitting in the shade of a maple that grows on the edge of the pond. I wanted to get a photo of one of the monsters and while I was fiddling around with my camera and trying to get into a good position, I noticed something sticking on its skin near the frog's mouth. I figured it was a blade of grass but when I finally got a closer look I saw it was a spring azure butterfly. I couldn't believe the frog didn't eat it's friend. Blame it on the extreme heat or the frog had just ate a very large meal. We are in a moderate drought so there is the possibility that the butterfly was getting a much-needed drink off the frogs moist skin. Much better than getting your feet muddy near the edge of the pond. And yes, I do plan on using this photo for a drawing/painting :)

Pied-billed Grebe

Yesterday morning was not nice weather-wise but I decided to go out with my camera despite the ugly conditions and try to get a photo of a pied-billed grebe. This grebe has been hanging out here for the past week and unlike most waterfowl who fly away before I can get close enough for a photo this duck stays put while I walk my dogs around the marsh. Pied-billed grebes are very small so even though they don't fly off it's still very hard to get close enough for a good photo, even with a super telephoto lens. With a diving duck such as this I try to creep closer when they dive for food. You can never be sure where they will pop up but I got lucky and this one surfaced in front of me fairly close to where I was standing. In this photo you can see the large chunky bill of the grebe. With this stout bill this diminutive duck is capable of crushing and eating crustaceans and fish. Pied-billed Grebe I'm fairly certain this is a male pied-billed and I'm hoping he is t

Pumpkin Head Ghost

Like most of you, time flies by for me. I'm a part-time medical courier and every April in the same doctor's parking lot I look at the date on my route sheet and feel relieved I won't be driving in snow and ice for a few months. In November I'm sitting in the same parking lot and wondering where the time went and how can I possibly do this job for another winter. Spring bird migration, sitting on the deck carving, mowing tons of grass, swearing at the mosquitoes and deer flies; it's all over in a flash. What can make the time seem to go even faster? Designing and carving holiday items. It's tough to think about Halloween or Christmas in February, June or August but I've learned the hard way I need to work on Santa Clauses and pumpkins year round. An added twist is you never really know when they will sell. In 2013 I didn't sell one Halloween carving but in the summer of 2014 I sold three. A serious collector is always on the lookout for something new

Robin Arnold Art

Search This Blog