Swallow Nest Revisited

First, a big THANK YOU for all your kind comments about my health. I am feeling absolutely fine. Not surprisingly, my endurance is not what it was but otherwise I feel fine. I can do anything I feel like doing. My diet is not severely restricted but I need to steer clear of things that might mechanically or chemically irritate the stomach, no fresh raw veggies (bummer), and no caffeine or wine. My blood work yesterday was quite good with my hemoglobin continuing to rise toward normal.

The entire episode seems surreal now. After six days in an ICU bed attached to IVs, automatic blood pressure monitoring, cardiac monitoring, pulse oximetry monitoring, automatic alternating pressure leggings, etc., I have never felt such comfort as when I slip into my own bed at night. Life is indeed good!

A couple of days before the "incident" I went down to check on the sparrows. They were still incubating at the time and not at all happy to see me.

Oh rats! Here she is again.


Go away lady!

Hmm guess I told her.

I can't believe she is still here.

All right. I'll give you one good pose and then you're out of here.

I hope to get down to the dock soon to see if the little ones have hatched.

I really missed our birds while I was in the hospital. We have more fledglings than I recall in a long time. Little titmice, goldfinches, chickadees, and nuthatches are fluttering all over trying to figure out the feeders. Yesterday I saw a towhee feeding his fledgling. What a treat.

Six Days and Five Units of Blood Later...

It's been a rough week! I've been in the hospital following a totally unexpected gastro-intestinal bleed. I had no idea I even had an ulcer. I am much improved after six days in the hospital, five units of blood, two endoscopic procedures and a week of being away from my husband and lovely dogs.

I'm feeling well but may not be blogging as frequently as usual for a while. I've got a lot of your blogs to catch up on and I have missed you. Hopefully, I'll be back to whatever qualifies as "normal" in a few weeks.

These lovely flowers are from my children. A diverse and colorful arrangement, it gives me joy to look at it. The Golden Girls were so happy to have me home. Ever since I got home this afternoon, Ellie has come to my chair about every 15 minutes to lay her head on my knee as if to say, "Mom, I'm glad you're home." I pat her sweet head and say, "Oh Ellie, so am I. So am I."

I do hope you have a wonderful weekend. I repeat my advice from last week to look for discord in your life and try to resolve your differences with others. This horrendous week has taught me that we have no idea what our future holds. One day all is well and the next you are in ICU lucky to be alive.

Ironically, the bleed-out occurred on my birthday. After I was on the road to recovery my daughter asked me if perhaps my warranty had expired with that birthday. We have a strange sense of humor in our family. Believe me, it helps.

Have a safe and happy celebration of our independence. Embrace your loved ones and don't sweat the small stuff. Most of it really IS small stuff.

Fridays are Golden

Our dogs lead very predictable lives. Both of them have little rituals much like toddlers. We can never recall how these began, but there they are. For example, Lucy must always get her collar on first when they are going out for a walk. And when they come back inside, Ellie immediately jumps on the grooming table while Lucy lies in the hall. The moment Lucy hears the click of Ellie's regular collar, she knows Ellie is finished and it's her turn.

If the doorbell rings, both dogs run to the foyer and place themselves in a "sit" while waiting for my husband or me to come and answer the door. First we must use the sign or say the word "stay." Otherwise they will break the sit, perhaps because they did it themselves.

One of their persistent rituals occurs at lunch. While we are having lunch, each dog is lying around snoozing and waiting. The instant my husband carries his dishes over, each dog will open her eyes not moving a muscle.


Lucy opens her eyes.



Ellie opens her eyes, but doesn't make any move to get up.

My husband starts downstairs and Lucy immediately jumps up and follows him. Ellie lies in the same position until my husband calls her. She slowly walks to the top of the stairs and lies there watching.

She becomes a little more alert as she sees Lucy in the hall with her collar and leash.

She won't get up until my husband calls again. She does a big stretch.

Finally she starts down the stairs.

----------------We have no idea how these rituals began and why they seem so important to the dogs. But they continue day after day. They become humorous to watch since they never vary at all. It must be reassuring to have these little events in your life that don't change.

---------------Can this really be the last weekend in June? I can't recall a spring that has flown past as quickly as this one. Wasn't it just a week or so since the migration? And now the fledglings are feeding and the adults are preparing for another brood. Wasn't it just a week or so since we saw our first spring flowers? And now they are all spent. Weren't we just complaining about the cold? And now the weather says summertime.

----------------Because the time is a-flying, we must look more closely at our relationships with others. Our time is too short to spend on petty grievances. If there is discord in your life, be the first to step up and try to make it right.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND. STAY SAFE AND HAPPY AND DO AT LEAST ONE THING THAT BRINGS YOU JOY.

Feeding the Pileated Fledgling...Kinda, Sorta

We've been watching the Pileated Woodpeckers feeding their one fledgling for several weeks now. Invariably they feed the baby on the other side of a tree, or with the leaves obscuring them. Thus no photographs.

The parents are bringing the little one closer to the suet, perhaps as a step in teaching her to feed herself. Finally, an opportunity to photograph them.

The "little" woodpecker flies to the tree with her mother.

She turns around and opens her mouth in anticipation.

Drat! Mom feeds the baby all right, but positions herself directly behind the fledgling. You must look closely to see that there are in fact two birds.

There are two birds in this photograph as well.

Here they are...mom and baby. We have noticed that the fledglings appear to have completely dark eyes with hardly any sclera visible. The adults appear to have a more clearly defined iris and sclera. We have researched this and haven't been able to find anything at all to confirm this casual observation. If you know anything about this, I'd appreciate the information.

The fledgling clings to the tree waiting for more food. I suspect that this little woodpecker will be feeding herself soon. I hope I can capture her attempts to fly to the suet.

Ellie is Six

Ellie's birthday yesterday was eclipsed by Father's Day so we will pay tribute today.

We had a Springer Spaniel once and I thought she was the perfect dog. We got her when I was pregnant with our first child and not working for the first time in my life. All those raging mothering hormones kicked into gear and I spent a lot of time with this wonderful puppy. When she died at age 14, I vowed never to have another dog. It would be too much like trying to replace a child. It became apparent that ours was a family that couldn't be without a dog, so we got another Springer Spaniel. She was a wonderful dog, very different but far from the perfect dog. She shared our home for 13 years and we grieved once again.

We had always loved Golden Retrievers so we did a lot of research and found Dick and Chris Reents at Dichi Goldens. After visiting them, and completing forms and interviews much like adopting a child, we were given the opportunity to purchase one of their beautiful dogs. And when our turn finally came, we got our Ellie. Dichi brings the dogs into their home for whelping and this little girl somehow crawled under a freezer and sustained some lacerations, one over her eye. We were given the opportunity to "pass" and get the pick of the next litter. We fell in love with her at first sight and decided that was the dog for us. We were given a discount, although we never told Ellie she was "marked down."

We named the little puppy Dichi Sirius Eleanor Rose. The kennel name is the first part of the registered name. Sirius is the dog star, and Ellie's mother was named Star. Eleanor Rose was in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman I have always admired.

As we drove home with little Ellie asleep on my shoulder, the old love and bonding rekindled and I just knew we once again had the perfect dog. Nothing in these past six years has disputed that. Ellie proved to have the hallmark Golden personality, intelligent and eager to please. Training her was a breeze. She picked up the commands quickly and consistently followed them.

You can still see the darkened scar near her left eye. But hardly anyone notices because they are looking at her beautiful smile.




Ellie's mother, Star, is described by Dichi as "the perfect Golden personality -- intelligent, loving and people-oriented, with great sensitivity to the emotions of the human beings around her." Many of her offspring are companion or therapy dogs, and our Ellie has those same characteristics. She is very sensitive to my moods.

Ellie's father, Kona, received his AKC Championship points at age two, not an easy feat for a breed as popular as Golden Retrievers. Dichi describes him as, "a happy-go-lucky dog who likes nothing more than strutting about the house & carrying his stuffed toys in his mouth---talking to you the whole while! He is so much fun!" The same was true of our Ellie until she learned that she could tear apart the stuffed toys by finding a weak spot. Now she carries tennis balls in her mouth, "talking" the whole time.

She is lovely and graceful running the trails.

Some might criticize us for getting a dog from a breeder when there are so many abandoned pets who need homes. I think it is wonderful for people to adopt from shelters, but I make no apologies for going to a reputable breeder. All Dichi dogs are checked and registered for hip, shoulder, and elbow problems as well as eye examinations. We received a five-generation pedigree and the breeder tracks his dogs carefully. That's no guarantee, but a good indication that the dog will not suffer from those problems common to the breed.

---------------I do so love both of our dogs, but Ellie has a special place in my heart. It's as if she knows me well and understands and accepts me unconditionally. She is everything a dog should be. Just before she goes out for the final time at night, she comes to my chair with two tennis balls and we have a little "chat." My husband gets up early to walk both dogs. After breakfast Ellie lies in the hallway outside the bedroom, waiting for me to get up. As soon as I step out of bed, I can hear the thwack, thwack of her tail on the hardwood floor. When I come out she greets me as if I am the most important person in the world. It gives me the same thrill every day, even before I have had my coffee. I hope that everyone can at one time have a dog like Ellie...one who instinctively knows your moods, who is so easy-going and so loving.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE! YOU GIVE ME MORE PLEASURE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.

Honor Him Today

When God Created Fathers

by Erma Bombeck

When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame. A female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping. And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him childsize, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy. The angel shook her head sadly and said, "Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on ponytails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats." And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day, yet small enough to cup a child's face."

And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders. The angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do you realize you just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?" And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?" And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross or scare off mice at the summer cabin or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words but a firm, authoritive voice and eyes that saw everything but remained calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"

The angel was quiet.

Fridays are Golden

There are so many wonderful things about living in a small town. The Transylvania Times is our local newspaper, published twice a week. There are no comics in our little paper. Truth be told, we really don't need any. Several laughs can always be found in the "Letters to the Editor" section. Other articles also bring forth chuckles. Here is something in yesterday's paper that caught my eye and made me smile because of its simple truth:

"The Dunn's Creek Baptist Church 'Kiss a Pig Contest' to raise money for a climbing wall for the church playground has been changed to 'Kiss a Goat Contest' because they could not find a pig and Aaron Masters has a goat."

As much fun as we have with the newspaper, it is brief and soon over. The fun we have with the Golden Girls lasts all day, every day. Here they are running down the driveway. They had been outside for less than five minutes, yet when they saw me they ran over as if they hadn't seen me for days. Now where else do you get that kind of loving attention simply for being there?

The girls have a little fracas, but it is very short-lived. It's just too hot to do much wrestling.

Finally they rest, looking like bookends.

We've had some very warm (almost record-setting) temperatures this past week. The air is heavy and quite uncomfortable. Afternoon thunderstorms (some of them severe) have been the order of the day. Fortunately, neither of our dogs is upset by thunder or lightning. In fact, they love to sit with us on the screened porch and watch the storm.

They ultimately get bored with the storm. Ellie plops on the floor looking a bit depressed.

Lucy keeps vigil at the deck door. She loves watching the rain splatter on the wood.

Father's Day occurs this Sunday on the Summer Solstice. In the US we are rapidly approaching the longest day of the year, although we will have plenty of light for several months to come. Summertime will be "official" soon and we will quickly forget our complaining about the cold weather as we complain about the heat.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND. HONOR THE MEN WHO PLAYED SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR LIFE, BE THEY YOUR FATHERS OR OTHERS. HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY WEEKEND AND PUT YOUR STRESS ON HOLD FOR AWHILE.