The Cooper's Hawk

I was walking in the alley behind our house going to visit Erica who lives one house down across the alley from me. I spied this amazing creature, hunting. I think he is a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Does anybody know for sure? How about that face, looks very serious about his quest. I have seen hawks overhead and further away in trees before, but this was very exciting seeing him or her so close up.

We also have quail who use our alleys for their territory. sometimes I see a whole family of quail with their feather hats running down the alley, diving through our wooden fence or crossing the street. We also have coyotes. Julian sees them all the time when he walks at 330 or 4am. Yesterday they were chasing a cat (CC's free look-alike) and the cat held it's own! We live in an old orange orchard, but we are close to the canal and desert areas so we see a lot of wildlife.

Let's take a shower

This is Merlin and I in the shower. Yes, Merl thinks he is a person, so of course he takes a shower each day. We have a walk in shower and walk in he does, each and every day! He walks through the shower several times while I'm showering. When he's through, he is truely Mr. Clean because he is dripping wet! He walks through and sits right in the middle of the bath matt, so by the time I'm through singing in the shower I get to step out onto a wet matt.
All the while, CC is watching, thinking, "no way are you getting me in that water!" Anyway this is our morning bonding time. Merl in the shower and CC watching every move I make. Up there on the counter helping me brush my hair, put on my makeup, purring all the while.

Happiness is relaxing on the sheep skin!

Kildeer

This is the Kildeer, a water bird, taken at my school. I just read my sister's comment and she had to look it up also when she saw one the first time. Thanks Sis, that really made my day. I guess we are both such desert rats, water birds are a rare breed to us!

Snow Days

We went up to Flagstaff and went sledding down the hill on my flexie flyer. I got it for Christmas a few years ago and sometimes am forced to go sledding on my own, or join the neighborhood kids. It was so great to have Rowan and Dilly there sledding with us! When we were deciding to buy our townhouse, I looked at the hill on the golf course and said, "that's the perfect sleding hill for my future grandchildren! We'll take it!"

Farmer Ayraud's garden

This is a small hot pepper from my garden. Jules cuts them up, mixes them in with dill pickle relish which he eats with every meal. I also have snow peas, had bush beans (till they froze), various kinds of lettuce, brocolli and tomatoes. To keep the tomatoes and peppers from freezing, I draped them with large Christmas tree lights and covered them with sheets, making a little mini hot house. Snow peas aren't as frost sensitive and do well just covered with a sheet. We've had quite a few freezes this year. My big crop of course are the oranges, I am picking and starting to juice now.

Rowan and Lisa. Rowan and Star.

Rowan talking with the Simpsons.













Rowan and Auntie Star having a sleepover. Oh, the number of times we read Dr. Seuss books! The favorite was, "Horton hatches the egg." I said what I meant and I meant what I said, an elephant's faithful One Hundred per cent! Star said Rowan smells like peaches, how's that for a Georgian girl?