THE SAGA OF HENRIETTA ++ +THE END

I just finished talking to my neighbors.
I asked them "Did you catch the chicken?"
They laughed and said "Yes. No more chicken!"
I told them I hadn't seen her for a couple of weeks and I thought for sure a coyote had got her.
I didn't like to ask them what they did with her. I'm not sure they speak English too well, but they assured me she was gone. I'm hoping they took her out to the ranch which one of the children told me they owned.

So that is the end of the saga of Henrietta....However, yesterday I saw what I thought was a baby ground squirrel, but when I looked closer I saw that it was red/brown and sitting up on its haunches, nibbling some seed. It had large round ears almost like Mickey Mouse ears. and a long thin tail -- much longer than a normal rat's tail. Of course it was gone by the time I got my camera. I found a photo of something called a giant wood rat on the internet that looked close to what I saw, at least the ears do. But I thought rats only come out at night and this was the middle of the day. Who knows, maybe we will have another saga going on.

Plumerias and Birds

Two winters ago our plumeria which we had nurtured from a six inch stub to a four foot tree succumbed to the winter and we were quite sad.

However, we have some friends who are just great gardeners and he had several plumerias and gave us one last summer to replace the one we'd lost. Great friends to have!. It was in full bloom about three foot high with four branches each sporting beautiful blooms.

I carefully babied it throughout the winter, covering it with a light cloth any night the temperatures went below 40.

It survived and now we have our first bloom with a cluster ready to open on each of the four branches.

















The first bloom -- so perfect!



















Meanwhile, I woke the other morning to a clunk, clunk, clunking. It was too erratic to be made by a human.

It happened several times through the day. Bailey was quite excited about it. Then I discovered what it was. These two pictures are not the best -- first because I had to take them through the window and second because I need a new camera that can do zooms closer.





















Barry had put a pot of flowers on an old plastic planter, shiny gold in color, to raise them up above some other pots to be more showy.

I guess our towhee or his mate find their own reflection fascinating and spend several minutes at a time pecking away at his image until you would think he had knocked himself silly!

















Hope you can see him through these rather blurry and dark pictures.

Beautiful San Diego Bay

Still no sign of Henrietta. I think she has really gone this time. My main hope is that the neighbors reclaimed her and that she didn't come to a nasty end.

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We went down to San Diego last week to Tom Hamm's Lighthouse for their famous lunch smorgasbord. We took our friends of many years who are retiring this month and are taking their RV around the country, as many retirees do. They have been planning for this for a long time, but of course they hadn't planned on the gas prices!! So they will do just half their trip for the first leg of their journey.

But then again, why do we need to leave San Diego? It was a gorgeous day. Summer in San Diego is 75 degrees most of the time and usually not too much humidity.














Beautiful San Diego skyline. The Coronado Bridge is mid-right almost lost in the skyline, behind the aircraft carrier.
















Just enough breeze to practice 'going round the mark' for these little day-sailors.


















See that bank of grey cloud above the horizon (which is actually Coronado Island)? That is what keeps our coastline so cool. It comes in most nights and the temps drop into the sixties. We don't bother with air conditioning. Have to wonder why any of we San Diegans go away for vacations!

By the way: I spell 'grey with an 'e', the English way, because I think it looks better. Sorry. No other English-isms for me, except I simply CAN'T use 'gotten'. My English teacher would turn over in her grave!!

The Demise of Henrietta????

At last I'm back!

But sadly, it seems that Henrietta is not. She has been missing for a week now. The last time I heard anything of her was about a week ago at around ten at night. I was at the computer and had the den door open. I suddenly heard a short squawk from Henrietta and then a loud clap/bang kind of noise. It sounded a bit like a wooden box slamming shut. I've stopped running outside to see what has happened since I can't do anything to help her so I just let it go. But I haven't seen or heard anything of her since. Moth assures me that he hasn't done anything to trap her-- and I believe him, because he honestly didn't know what to do to get rid of her (anything humane that is!). We've decided that perhaps an owl got her and what I heard was the clap of wings. We have a couple of big ones around.

The other possibility is this: In the past two weeks the grand parents of the children next door (to whom Henrietta really belonged) came up from Mexico. We have seen them cleaning up the yard and driveway, so perhaps they set a trap for her and have now reclaimed her -- which is certainly fine with us, especially Moth!

HOWEVER...we have found no sign of feathers anywhere, except in the two places she liked to hang out sometimes, but when Moth was cleaning up the yard today he found these.....

.

..in an old wooden planter that had some plastic bags in it. So if she has gone, she has left us a legacy. No, we're not going to eat them! We have no idea how long they've been there and the weather has been hot!

But please note, there was not a single feather to be seen anywhere around. So maybe she will surprise us and come strutting out of the bushes one day soon. We shall see.

(Never let it be said, but the truth is, I miss her!!!)

To All my Computer Friends...

I'm still here, and so's Moth, Bailey and Henrietta-- as well as the furry vacuum cleaners. I have had some major projects pending and they, and a few more, have all decided (out of my control) that they must be done this week. My Bible Study on Hosea starts this week. Much preparation needed for that; my quarterly article for my home town newspaper was requested ASAP; I was asked to do a fairly large proof reading job for the church; I'm substituting in the church office on Friday; our computer must have back up installed to a separate hard drive; I have already spent five hours working on Moth's lap top computer which has Windows Vista -- 'nuff said!!! -- and my note book has to have special hardware installed to enable a flash drive! Since I am not a computer whiz, nor do I have the money to farm out the computer stuff, these last three projects are enough to drown me without the others.So I promise I will be around to see you all very soon. I miss all the photos and fun.

THREE PROUD MARINES

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

...AND ARE WE PROUD OF YOU!

These three marines attend our church along with a good many others , as well as those from all branches of the services. I took this opportunity to take this photo just for today!

WE SALUTE YOU!
GOD BLESS YOU!

Henrietta -v- the Squirrel

Henrietta and Squeaky the Squirrel

We now have two or three squirrels visiting our yard because of the birds seed I throw out. They come along like furry vacuum cleaners and inhale everything in their path. Henrietta has taken great exception to this. She already bullies the Mourning Doves and once in a while gives the little birds a peck, just to keep them in their place. However, the other day I heard some squawking and there was Henrietta strutting determinedly down the path towards the squirrel. She attacked first but the squirrel stood his ground, and attacked back. For one split second there was a scurry of feathers and fur and then I could see that they were nose to beak and one was hanging on to the other. I don't know who had a hold of whom but it only lasted a moment and then Henrietta withdrew into the bushes and the squirrel kept on munching.

Squeaky the Squirrel -1 Henrietta - 0

On that particular day we had two squirrels, multitudes of sparrows and finches, one Bullock's Oriole, a Cassin's King bird, Henrietta the chicken, and a rabbit (quite a large one), but when he saw me on the patio he decided not to risk coming any closer.
The word is now out about free meals. I have had to move the seed up to the tray on the feeder so that the squirrels can't get at it.
The Cooper's Hawk came back to look for a tasty dinner, (not my seed I'm sorry to say). He dropped down behind the fence and I walked towards it to get a closer look. Suddenly he flew up to perch momentarily on the fence about ten feet away from me, then swooped off right over my head. I don't know who was more surprised me or the hawk! It is definitely a Cooper's Hawk. I showed my photos to the people at the bird shop, "Birds Unlimited" and they confirmed it. Too bad I didn't get a shot of him flying over my head.

Yes, Henrietta is still with us. Barry offered a bonus to our Mexican friend, Felippe, who comes to clean up the bushes once in a while, if he could catch her. But he couldn't! She runs too fast and flies too high.