Just Curious....

A year back Steve took down this bird house because an animal had tried to claw its way into the nest. I had forgotten about the bird house until last week when it caught my eye.

I went to pick it up and to my surprise I could see two small eggs inside.



The other day, I went out and picked up the bird house and brought it to the upper deck. It didn't take me long to get the latch undone. The trickier part was to get the door open without crushing the eggs.

After taking some time Steve and I were able to get the eggs out; to our surprise they were in really good shape. We do a lot of backyard bird watching, but we have no idea about their eggs. Nevertheless, it was fun to dig out the nest and eggs and take a peek at their handiwork.



Isn't it amazing how these little creatures build their nest? This was a fairly large nest and quite compact. Every twig, feather, piece of plastic, and dried grass was knitted together perfectly.

And as you can see Levi was there to check everything out too! The birdhouse has been cleaned and we hope to get the opening plated and the house hung up by springtime. Just in time for another family to move in.

Spiders Everywhere: Indoor and Outdoor

Over the last five years I have come to notice a ritual that takes place in my family room every August. Almost every evening, without fail, I will see a very black, eight-legged spider move quickly across the family room floor.

I always thought spiders came out in October due to the colder weather but that is not true,but a myth.

I decided to Google why spiders appear in late August/early summer and to my surprise Washington.edu had a blog about common myths.

Truly it is a myth that spiders come into your house when the temperatures drop. Most house spiders (indoor spiders) never go outside to live, while outdoor spider never come inside to live (and if they do, they will usually die). Isn't that reassuring.

So could I conclude that the very same species that crosses my family room floor every year lives in my house somewhere? So you might ask, why then do I only see them appear in the month of August? Well that is because they are wandering around looking for a mate. I was told a few years back that it was the male spider running from the female because she kills them after the mating season. As I see it, if they cross my path he's dead either way.

Meet The Neighborhood Cat ..... Socks

Meet Socks, truly the neighborhood cat. This little gal showed up in our backyard over the summer. It took us quite some time to figure out who she belonged to but in the meantime there were many of us (primarily my next door neighbor and myself who took to looking after her.

This morning, as I let Levi out to do his morning sniffing, we found Socks in the planter. This seems to be her choice of residency when she is left out all night long and needs a place to hunker down. I am not necessarily happy that she picked my planter, but what is the gal to do when her humans leave her out all night?



Immediately, Levi's sense of curiosity kicks in and he slowly approaches the cat. As many times as I have told Levi to leave her alone he always has to go and "check her out". And as we have found out,(as Levi has been swatted on the nose)she has some very sharp claws; so we tend to be very careful when we approach her. Don't we Levi?



This morning Levi caught her off guard and she was startled at first; but once she realized it was just Levi, and that he isn't much of a threat, she settled back down into her warm spot.



Socks is a beautiful cat and although you can't see her feet, you can probably guess how she got her name; all four of her paws are white. Occasionally, Steve slips up and calls her "Boots" and the neighbor renamed her "Jesse", since she seems to respond and like that name better, as the story is told.

Socks is pretty much welcomed around for the most part, but I do get a bit disturbed when she swats at my dog and tries to eat my birds.

One morning I came around the corner just in time to see her catch a bird. I grabbed Levi and tucked him under my arm and down the stairs we flew. I screamed, "let go of that bird, you are not eating him on my watch". All I could see was a spread of feathers coming out of her mouth. I sicked Levi on her and she dropped that bird and ran. Thankfully, the bird was still alive and Levi thought it was all a game.

Unfortunately, Levi and I can not guard the birds 24/7 and we have found the remains of one or two since she's been around. I can say on Socks behalf, that she is super quick and I suppose if you had to fend for yourself most of the time, you would have to learn to survive.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this story about our exceptionally friendly neighborhood cat...Socks.

God's Canvas

Truly the sky is God's canvas. I never get bored with the beautiful sunrises, the colorful sunsets, the marine layers that infiltrate our evenings throughout the year, the double rainbows and the sound of the waves crashing onto shore. God has given us such a beautiful place to live. Thank you Lord.