A Walk on the Wild Side

It's March, can you believe it? 

I'm not happy that the year is flying by,

but the signs of spring I find around me make me want to dance.

The Hollow is coming back to life.

Most branches are still bare, but the redbuds are getting the party started.

Mourning doves are back, greeting me on my morning walk... 

...and cooing their mournful song from the trees.

There's been enough rain to keep Max's favorite pool open.

And he's not the only one enjoying it.

Adventurous and hardy Prairie Verbena is always one of the first to emerge and last to disappear.

American Robins have decided they like the Hollow and are lingering a bit.

Our little front yard (home of the bird feeder) is becoming a popular hang-out for the neighborhood critters like this squirrel.

I don't know why this Mexican Jay is giving me the Evil Eye.

A small party of fluffy American Sparrows arrived and posed for me. 

I'll share more of them tomorrow. 

What signs of spring are you finding?

Linking up with

and

Walking in the Country with Boy and Dogs

Middle son came home a few weekends ago. 

 I had a rare Sunday afternoon free of work or other obligations... 

...so of course we took a long walk with the puppies (and my camera.)

Doesn't this look like an oasis?

Robins and yellow flowers...

...spring must be just around the corner! 

Daniel took me on a path I'd never walked before and showed me these huge vines.

Amazing!

I spotted the hole in that tree and took this shot with my zoom to get a closer look. 

It reminds me of, ahem, certain body parts. Am I the only one? 

It kind of goes along with the tree in this post, doesn't it?.

Does anyone know what these little pom-poms are? I love them. 

It's like the tree is having a party.

Belle lounging in the dirt

Daniel, the sweet and kind and funny...and all grown-up.

Sigh.

P.S. Many thanks to Hilary at The Smitten Image for bestowing a Post of the Week on this post and this post of mine! Two in one week! You can only imagine how big my head is right now! Be sure to visit Hilary, see her beautiful photography, and read the other Posts of the Week. 


Linking with Lissa's

Down at the Swimmin' Hole

We're having spring/summer-ish days here (I'm sorry, Northeast!)

 Max needs to go swimming to stay cool.

Our little pond is so much better than one of those little plastic things you get at Walmart.

Belle would rather stay on the side, thank you very much. 

She's a dirt dog, not a water dog.

And she loves Max.

Waiting his turn to go in the pool, um, I mean pond.

My house, reflected.

Work of my artist-husband. More about this HERE.

(Do you see the water birds? 

I knew when I saw these at Goodwill, we'd find a place for them.)

Wild Things, Part 2: Rae's backyard

Doesn't it seem strange that I encountered more wildlife in my friend Rae's suburban backyard last weekend than I have in the past six months near my home out in the "country"?

First, there was this bunny.

Okay, I do spot bunnies near us, but they're always on the run (from the puppies.) 

Any photo I take is a blur of a white tail, if I'm lucky enough to get that much!

I appreciated this one standing still for me.

Would you believe a killdeer has nested right smack dab in the middle of Rae's backyard?

She's a little upset in this photo...

...because she's protecting these...

...from this!

Rae wouldn't normally aggravate an animal (that's why they're all living in her yard!) but she knew I'd want to snap a shot of the beautiful eggs. 

Thanks, Rae and Ms. Killdeer!

Okay, it's obvious these aren't real fish, but they're still pretty wild, aren't they?

Rae's dogs are only wild when there's a pool and a ball involved.

Here's Molly, showing perfect form...

The ducks were the best models, though. 

Most of the time this one could be found on her nest, hidden away in some tall grasses beside the pool.

She finally took a break and I captured a shot of her eggs.

And then a few of the lovely couple going for a morning swim.

The missus is the one with the fancy hair-...um...feather-do, of course.
(Oops, I've just been corrected. That's actually the mister! I guess in the bird world, that figures. He's the flashiest, for sure!)

Stay tuned for Wild Things, Part 3: My parent's backyard