nasturtiums

alas: my hummingbirds have left me for warmer pastures:(...i always plant nasturtiums near the deck to attract them as close to house as possible: they are so cute. and the nasturtiums are so pretty! nasturtiums (and hummers) bring back lovely memories of growing up in berkeley, where they bloom year-round. this variety is called 'alaska mix' and has wonderful variegated foilage.

footprints in the sand

went to the beach today...saw these footprints: pterodactyl? no...blue heron, i hope!

bird watching

i have been working on my laptop out in the yard all week now: its been hot but pleasant! i can tell summer is winding down because im seeing birds i havent seen in months suddenly super busy. the bald eagles have the nerve to try and get the osprey to drop its fish; the titmice, with chickadees in tow, are back; saw the kingfisher for the first time since may; the hummers are humming, and the summer tanager sits by himself above my bird bath! i saw a black-and-white warbler wrestling a cicada; a yellow-bellied sapsucker sucking sap and an indigo bunting taking a bath. i have never seen one of them before: they look like a blue cardinal! i couldnt snap a photo fast enough, but i think these earrings from one of my etsy shops represents! tweet!

finch seed socks

my mother-in-law turned me on to these seed socks: it attracts goldfinches like crazy! warning: it also attracts squirrels.

robin's egg blue

a robin has nested in the overgrown variegated euonymus next to my porch. i scare her every time i open and close the gate, so i am trying not to do that!