A trip to the Beach and Poetry...

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE!

We took a trip to Huntington
Beach State Park this afternoon.  For more pictures, please go to our TWO HAPPY blog site where I have posted some very colorful ones.  Hubby had been in the house so much except for doc appointments and it was so good for us both to escape for awhile.  While there we took pictures and I wrote a poem...

Huntington Beach 5/30/2011
      by Kerrie O'Hearn Marquart

Under a sprawling Cedar tree
We found a place for us to be
In shade and fragrance we abide
While relishing nature on every side.
The Brown Pelicans overhead as they glide
   Just above the gentle waves...

We sat here 21 yrs. ago
The day before Hurricane Hugo.
I was crocheting under the trees
And you took pictures while
    enjoying the breeze
And we had no idea the storm
....was brewing over the sea!

But here we are again today
Almost in the same old place
And I love you even more
As I gaze upon your weathered face
And I think how blessed we both are
   to be in this beautiful place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember all the Servicemen who are keeping us safe and all of those who have given their life to make our nation free.  Send a card or a package or just an encouraging card to someone who is far away and missing home is hard....

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...

Gosling Rescue Cartoon

HI THERE!  Since there are no pictures of my turtle/gosling adventure, I have drawn a cartoon of it!  The turtle has been raked ashore and is upside down and yet he holds that poor little gosling's leg in his crushing jaws!  After this, he rolled back on his feet and I gave him a good thump on the back with the rake and he finally released the poor Canadian Goose baby!  I was in my bare feet of course (bad habit) and all that splashing and crashing in the water soaked me with mud and water-ha!  But at least the gosling AND the ugly snapping turtle both survived.  Whew!

Thanks for all your comments!

Pinks and adventures!

Happy Pink Saturday everyone!!  We had company from back home this week and they brought us the most beautiful plant with pink blossoms!  Just in time for Pink Saturday!

It is called a Sun Parasol  and is a Mandevilla hybrid.  It is a climber so hubby planted it in a larger pot by one of the metal trellis supports on the overhang of the den roof.  We will be able to enjoy it there best!

I love the blossoms, they are so large and beautiful and the leaves are wonderfully green and hearty looking.  It is an annual but the giver said her Mom winters them over in the house!  I shall try that.

   I also have a picture-less adventure to tell you about in our back yard critters!!  My youngest daughter works from home and was typing away when she heard a big fuss outside.  She went out to see what was going on as the 2 Canadian Geese parents were squawking and squawking!  Lo and behold, a huge Alligator Turtle had one of their teen goslings by the leg and was trying to drag him under the water.

   My daughter called her good old Mom when efforts to free the babe with a shovel beating on the back of the armored turtle.  I got the garden rake and while he kept trying to pull the little one under and out deeper in the lake, I kept raking him nearing to shore, leg in his jaws!!  It took me several tries and the frantic parents hissed at first and then must have realized that I was helping and stood back watching.  I finally got the turtle and the gosling up on shore but the turtle even when rolled on his back hung on to that poor baby!  I gave the turtle a couple of sharp whacks on his shell and fi-nal-ly!...he let go!  The parents were so happy and the poor little fella went limping off with them just a peeping away over his trauma.  The skin was not broken on his little leg at least and when the parents knew he was safe, they rounded up the other 2 teens and all went off but on shore, not in the water!! They have not come back to our lake since and I don't blame them!

   I know that some will think I interfered with nature taking its course but I could not let this little creature get drowned.  My mother instinct kicked in and I heard nor saw nothing around me until that little gosling was free!  My daughter later told me that a neighbor 2 houses away clapped when the turtle gave up-ha!  I had just cleaned up and had clean clothes on and in my adventure I splashed mud and water all over my self.  I hosed off before going into the house and then cleaned up and changed all over again.  I know I cannot save every little one but at least this one was happily back with the family!

Don't forget to link to HOW SWEET THE SOUND, our lovely hostess for Pink Saturday that is celebrating its third year!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY PINK SATURDAY Beverly and Everyone!!!

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...

A Visiting Anhinga...

Anhinga:Common in fresh-water, swamps, ponds, and lakes where it spears fish.  Often swims with only head and neck exposed.  Long straight bill, long tail and white wing and back plumes differentiate it from cormorants.  usually seen singly but may soar very high in flocks. 28" long wing span 47".

I never cease to be amazed at the diverse abundance of wildlife in our backyard!  We are blessed with our own wild managerie with everything from Coyote's to Otters!  And everything in between-ha!

Yesterday, we had an Anhinga settle in on the bank to dry his wings.  He had been diving, spearing fish and eating them.  Anhinga do not have oil on their wings as other diving duck and waterfowl have so they must take breaks to dry their enormous wings so they do not get waterlogged.

The Arrival.

The move to the table.

The next move was to the back of the Adirondack chair.

A little preening here and there never hurts while you are drying out and looking at the water.

He appeared sleepy at times and even tucked his head in his wing...

I was amazed at how he curled his webbed feet around the top of the chair to grip and balance.

 

Spreading his wings to dry! and those amazing gripping feet!

The sun set and still he stayed on--altogether he must have been there for 3 or more hours.  I finally went outside and walked right up to him, what did I have to lose?  I used the flash and he stayed right there until he was ready to leave.  What an adventure!

Master of his world...

Still drying his wings.  I have seen them in groups at dark on the larger lake in our community huddled on the banks for the night.

    He was not the least bothered by my presence, no fear.  I thought when I used the flash he would be gone in a flash-ha!  But no, he posed!

   I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did!  I never know until I download them to the computer if I have a good one or not.  I just snap away and hope!

Thanks for coming, have a wonderful day!

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...

Canadian Geese with "teens"

Hey Blog family! Sharing these beautiful Canadian goslings who are growing up so fast!  They are all legs and feet but ever so precious!

I love this time of year when all the fowl and birds are nesting and raising their young!   What a joy to be able to have our own "Animal Planet" right in the back yard!

They follow their Mama and Papa wherever they go and are now in a gangly adolescent development, all feet trying to grow into themselves-ha!

Goin' home to the bank to take a snooze...

Whenever I am feeling blue, These wonderful creatures cheer my day.  Who could be sad when observing these wonderful little balls of soft fluff!

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...

A Sly Fox

On Saturday, we had a most unwelcome visitor!  A fox!

   First he ran through our back yard by the lake.  Then he went around the lake and lay down on the grass on that side just opposite us.
   He does not look healthy at all with patches of fur gone and his tail was not bushy.  He was quite pitiful looking and scary as you do not know if wild animals are rabid.  And this was quite unusual daylight activity for a fox.  I am sure he was probably looking for the ducks, geese and their babies as he really looked like he was starving!  Our daughter took these pictures with hubby's camera and the telescopic lens.  He watched us on our bank taking pictures-ha! He stayed on the bank for about 20 minutes, sometimes laying his head down as though sleeping and then he got up after awhile and ran off.

   It is sad that progressive construction in our area has taken away the natural habitat of all the wild creatures.  The land our community was built on was wild and a natural nesting place for Egrets, Herons, Canadian Geese, Mallards, Raccoons, Otters and many other creatures.  How they have managed to survive here in a tourist area that is constantly growing is a miracle in itself!

I truly wish that something could be done for them.  One year when we had baby raccoons abandoned by their Mother or she may have been killed, by the corner of our front porch.  They were nestled right down into the stones there.  We tried calling the humane society and they said IF they had a man out in our area they would stop and get them.  They never came.  The next morning, the 2 babies were gone, they had left of their own accord. 

It is a blessing that we get to observe most of this wildlife up close and personal but like the Fox, there are times when I feel very sad for these creatures who are trying to survive in a predominately cement world.  But as always, I am sharing with you all the good, the bad and the ugly of nature.

Have a most wonderful day, do something nice for the wildlife near you!  Hugs and come back soon!  For a spiritual message go to http://kerrieshomejournal.blogspot.com The Shadow of Peter

Moving away...

♥KERRIE♥

My wild heart to yours....

Pink Saturday already again??

Wow, the days just fly by lately even more than usual!!  Pink Saturday has arrived!!  Don't forget to go to the founder at How Sweet The Sound for the full list of Pink Saturday participants.

Martha Washington Geranium I just bought last week, it is so beautiful!

This is my cousin's beautiful grandbaby!!  Isn't she gorgeous?

You can be next on the Pink Saturday list!  Just go to How Sweet the Sound to participate.

Thanks for coming and do come again soon.

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...

Canadian Geese and Goslings...

The Canadian Geese couple came today with their 3 babies!!  The parents remember us every year and know we are safe to bring the babies up into the yard.  I called to them and the Male listened for awhile and then came up with Mama and the goslings running behind!  Beautiful.  Such gorgeous little creatures and such proud parents.

All creatures great and small, the good Lord loves them all...
And so do we!!

Thanks for coming to visit and please come again soon!!

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...

Early Morn with Isabella the Ragdoll Cat

Isabella, our Ragdoll and I were the first ones up at dawn this morning.  After a little food and water, she jumped up to look at today's world.  She does not know about the Royal Wedding or that Osama Ben Laden has been killed but I think I did hear her meow, "USA! USA!"
  I enjoy the early morning before the trash man starts the noise of the world, and the only sounds are the singing of the birds all around.

Yesterday, we had a crisis with the baby Cardinals!! Our daughter almost stepped on 2 babes that had fallen from the nest.  She told us and my hubby went to the rescue of picking them up with garden gloves on and returning them to their nest. Something must have caused the branch that is quite low to the ground, to shake them from their bed.

Their eyes are not yet open and as you can see, they are just getting definition of their wings.  Hopefully they have no critical injuries as they opened their little mouths when they were approached.  The one that did not fall out of the nest had a wing caught in the nesting material and had to be freed.  Safe once again in their tree branch cradle, the Mother came back and was sitting on them---Happy Ending!

I know that most feel that Nature should not be challenged but we could not just leave these wonderful little creatures to their fate if left on the ground.  We gave them a second chance.

Some children are like that sometimes, they fall from the nest but they are still loved and deserve a second chance.  Words of Wisdom from Grandma Kerrie :*)  I hope you enjoyed our thoughts for the day and we wish you sunshine, peace and a glorious Monday!  No blue Mondays here!  PS: The Cardinal Babies are alive and well this morning!

HUGS,

♥KERRIE♥
My heart to yours...