Six months have passed since Sweetie the Stray came into my world in a real way. He had been around the neighborhood and in my yard before that, but I didn’t "adopt" him until this past summer. He’s still an outdoor cat because, well, he is still a sprayer, and frankly he kind of freaks … Continue reading Sweetie the Stray: Holiday Update, 2021
Photos and Critters
The Simple Pleasures of Backyard Birding
Some days are quiet in the backyard with only the regular backyard birds doing unremarkable backyard bird things. If I pay attention, though, there are moments worth capturing. Like this lone Inca Dove sitting on the patio near a puddle after some rain. I thought it might be injured because it let me get so … Continue reading The Simple Pleasures of Backyard Birding
Dia de los Muertos in San Miguel de Allende (pre-Covid)
Two years ago in 2019, I was celebrating Dia de los Muertos in the high desert central Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende. This year, however, I find myself sequestered at home since a Covid positive test result found my household. Yep! So, quarantine it is! Nobody is going anywhere to celebrate anything! We … Continue reading Dia de los Muertos in San Miguel de Allende (pre-Covid)
Gilbert Riparian Preserve
Situated to the east of Phoenix, Gilbert is one of the many municipalities that make up the sprawling Phoenix metro area. Once known as the hay capital of the world, Gilbert began its urban sprawl in the 1970s and its growth doubled every five years from 1980 - 2000. The current population is over 270,000, … Continue reading Gilbert Riparian Preserve
Hawk Squawk
“THUD!” “Yikes,” I thought, “another pigeon flew into the window.” Then I heard the Hawk Squawk. Every bird in the yard chimed in to sound the alarm and didn’t let up. They were alerting each other that there was a feathered predator in the vicinity and to seek cover fast. I had come to recognize … Continue reading Hawk Squawk
The Birds Will Save Us
I had no idea there was such an abundance of bird activity in my backyard until I purchased a camera last year and started looking out the window with intention. Like so many other people during the pandemic, I was seeing what I had been missing while away at work. The number of resident bird … Continue reading The Birds Will Save Us
Trends
Not being one to jump on any bandwagons, trends have never appealed to me. If it’s all the rage, I’m probably not doing it or buying it or seeing it or listening to it. I've missed out on some things that way, I admit, but the idea of getting on board with something because it … Continue reading Trends
Sweetie the Stray
It was still 104 degrees at 5:00 pm. Apparently, September was not going to deliver much relief from the oppressive heat. No surprise, really. “Enough already,” I muttered to no one. “It’s too damn hot.” I was sitting in the backyard keeping Sweetie company while he ate. Sweetie is the stray cat that’s been making … Continue reading Sweetie the Stray
The Perry Page 