The Biggest Bird

So pretty much the biggest bird in the area stalked through my backyard this afternoon. It isn't a big as the African Marabou Stork that was flying around the area last week but it was pretty darned big. It's a hen turkey, maybe the same one that nested in the lilies last spring. She was checking out the area on top of the retaining wall then jumped/flew down onto the lawn and walked off.

 

The other amazing thing I saw was the Christmas cactus has sprouted three buds. Christmas is seven months away (thank heavens) but the plant doesn't seem to care. I noticed that shortly after I drench the plant and let it drink as much water as it wants, it throws out buds. Could this be connected? I don't know but I'm not arguing.

 

The lawn mowers came today. He zipped around like a crazy man, even encroaching into the renters' side far enough that she texted asking if they had to pay for it. So I went out and talked to the guy with the string trimmer to make sure they didn't mow the other side, just mine. I don't mean to be selfish but I provide the renters with a nice mower, so they can do their own. I'm not their mother. Just the landlord. Also you can see the baby leaves have popped out on my little maple tree. Yay! Leaves!

 

This Robin has become a regular visitor, standing under the suet nuggets feeder, watching the crumbs fall and then pecking away at them. I saw a Bluejay on the ground under the cob corn but it didn't fly to anywhere I could try taking a picture, darn it.

 

 Today's drawing is of a Bat. I didn't color the wings realistically. Instead I used a bunch of purples to color them in. I like it.

 

Tonight I finished the ribbing of Scrap Hat #4 and started the six even rounds before the crown decreases. I'm almost out of the blue chunky yarn but I have another full skein of it so I think I'll dig it out even though the hat is supposed to be made of leftover yarns. I'm the boss of this hat. I can change the rules. (We don't need no stinkin' rules!)

 

This morning I had a 2-hour Zoom with cda critiquing each others' writing trying to get her 20-year-old historical fiction novel to a point where it can be published. We keep finding places where she needs to add info which must be frustrating. Then after lunch and shopping for bananas and grapes (can't run out of fruit!), I listened to four more audiobook chapters. Only five more to go! Which is good because sitting here listening and reading along I'm hunching over enough that I have a crick in my back. It hurts. I'll be glad to be done. I try to sit up straight, like I am now, but it doesn't seem to work when I'm reading a book.

--Barbara