Wild Life

This has been one crazy day.  I had a chiro appointment this morning, did an errand, then went to see the musculo-skeletal doc about what he might be able to do to help my ankle heal.  With Medicare ready to hit my door on Thursday, I had to scramble to find out what treatments have to start before then so they're covered under the "regular" insurance and then make appointments.  So I spent quite a time on the couch icing my ankle (because seeing two ankle-manipulating docs within a couple hours made it hurt, and it's still hurting) making phone calls, taking notes, and then trying to get all my medical ducks in a row while I'm still "young."  For two more days.
 
On to what I see out the patio door.  There's a female hummingbird that's really hanging around the back yard.  She's at the feeder, at the door, checking out the grape jelly, seeing what's going on in the honeysuckle, and resting in the apple tree.  You see how fast she is.  I snapped and snapped the shutter because she doesn't hold still.  She's the greenish blur to the right of the feeder.

 
One of the squirrels figured out how to hang to have easy access to the suet.  It didn't chase away the downy woodpecker when he came, just grabbed some yummy fat and nibbled away.




 


I was right to accuse the chipmunks of being in the tomato plant.  Caught the culprit at the scene of the crime.


 

Durwood said that he's seen a nuthatch at the platform feeder and now I have too.  It can't possibly get something to eat hanging from the bottom.  It figured that out fairly quickly and investigated the top where the seeds are. 


 
This morning while on the phone making a plumber appointment to have the leaking washer hose replaced, a pair of orioles came for a visit.  They're not as fast as hummingbirds (what is?) but they sure are skittish.  The female didn't stay long but the male perched on the feeder for a bit of jelly and then flew over for a drink of water.



Turns out it wasn't a leaky washer hose.  There's a split in the back of the Y-connector from the spigot to the hoses for the deep sink and washer.  The plumber didn't have a brass one, or a flimsy white metal one either, so I get to go around to find a brass one and then fix it myself.  That was worth $20.

I didn't write last night.  I spent the evening on the couch trimming pattern pieces and watching Calendar Girls with Helen Mirren.  It wasn't until the end of the movie that I realized that the other lead actress also played Molly Weasley in all the Harry Potter movies.  I did see right away that the actress whose husband was  cheating played Mrs. Crawley in Downton Abbey.  I felt quite smug for recognizing them--and not being shocked that they weren't playing "themselves."

Time to ice my ankle again.  The new doc says 4 times a day and I have to wear a compression sock.  Ugh.  They're hot and ugly.  But I want to get better so I'll do it.
--Barbara