P.S. to ANNA'S HUMMING BIRD

I was so happy to receive this reply from Scriptor Sentex among my comments. I thought others might be as curious as I was about who Anna was.So with Scriptor's permission I repeat his information here.

Scriptor’s Info on Anna’s Humming Bird 

 I hope this isn't too much information, Chris:-

René Primevère Lesson (20 March 1794 – 28 April 1849) was a French surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and herpetologist. He served on Duperrey's round-the-world voyage of 'La Coquille' (1822–25), during which time he collected natural history specimens including a number of new species. 
Quite often the first person to identify a creature or plant as a new species gets to give it its scientific name. In this case Lesson also gave it its English name, naming it after Anna who had the important role of Mistress of the Household to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Lesson's king, Napooleon III. 
It was quite common in those days to dedicate books and discoveries to royalty and other important persons, often in the hope of patronage or pensions. 

Do visit Scriptor's Blog  HERE.  It is called Rambles from my Chair and he always has interesting posts as well as photos of his very cute kitty, Ivy.

It seems a little strange to have our humming bird who is quite common here, named after someone who lived two hundred years ago and who probably never saw a live one in her life. We have two in particular who are arch rivals for access to our feeder and attack ferociously when the other approaches to take a few sips.I just refilled the feeder this afternoon. It takes a cup and a half of sugar water (one part sugar to four parts water)to fill the feeder and it lasts approximately a week before needing to be refilled.

The clouds are building up for a thunderstorm -- unusual for us on the coast at this time of the year, but I will rejoice if it comes because then I won't have to haul out the hose to water the front  yard (garden).  I did water the back yard yesterday, which is actually a bigger job than the front, but if it does rain I will have to run out to bring the bird feeder tray under cover before it gets flooded.  Seed is expensive!  Whoops!!   Had to do just that.  Big fat drops of rain coming down.  Hope it will be a good rain.

Because we get no rain usually from May to November, watering becomes important if you want to keep your plants and bushes alive.  It is so funny for an English person like me to get excited about rain, but this is only the second rain we've had since we moved into this new house in March.  When I was teaching school it was so funny to see the children get excited when the first rain comes.  It's like British children the first time it snows.

Oh dear!  Scruffy doesn't like the sound of the rain.  He is hiding behind his kitti-litter box where he went when we had fireworks on July 4th.

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Wednesday 24, 2013

I had the above post ready to be posted on Saturday, when I was hit out of the blue with a very nasty gastro-intestinal episode and had to be hospitalized for three days.  Getting over it now, but of course they want to do all kinds of follow-up testing.  In the mean time I am now home recovering from not just the episode but all kinds of jabbing and poking, intestinal X-rays and the effects of three days with no food, only ice chips and three nights with no sleep.  SO nice to be home!  I have slept 17 hours since getting home last night.  No confirmed diagnosis, but it doesn't seem to be anything serious.

My next job is to post for ABC Wednesday before it is too late.  I will take a short nap and then put it together.  Fortunately I have the photos already and have the rest of it already in my head.   
See you in a couple of hours.