From b&w to color

All the flowers are really starting to flower now. The rhodies are doing their thing with multitudes of color. The fruit trees are covered, some of them already over and the trees along the roads, which up until last week looked stark and bare, are wearing their spring mantles of soft green. More animals are out - the farms on Beaver Valley Road have numerous lambs and calves and on the road here, the quail have returned. And every day, we see several bald eagles out fishing and being chased by the sea gulls. We also have the migrating Canadian geese that look so like the Egyptian geese we had swimming in the pool in South Africa. The hummingbirds have returned and the kingfishers are as noisy as ever. We've even seen the otters out playing.

Yesterday I went for a wonderful walk out along the beach. It was a minus tide so it was out for a long way. The only footsteps were mine - and hundreds of birds! The beach is littered with clam shells and oyster shells and if I had dug, would have had buckets of clams in no time. There is even an area of mussel beds that I had no idea was there.

On the way back, this little bird was very noisy and anxious to attract my attention, running around on the ground, and falling down like his wing was broken. I was very careful and told him not to worry, I wasn't going to hurt him! I found out that he is a killdeer and it is his way of protecting his nest and offspring. Such a pretty little fellow - I will take my camera next time I go.

Today the lady comes to help trap Mickey, our almost-feral cat. Mickey started showing up a couple of months ago. He was very shy and didn't let me near him. Gradually he has become friendlier and I have been feeding him. But he is a "whole cat," un-neutered and typical male, is out catting around and causing havoc. He is friendly with Hinckley and Harley, but of course wants to come inside, but he can't because he sprays - ugh! So I found this group, Olympic Mountain Pet Pals. They bring a trap and we bait it with good food, and then when is caught they pick him up and take him to one of the local vets who neuters him and then he can either be returned here where I would continue to feed him, or they will take him to the shelter and find him another home. He is a big boy, with a bobbed tail and brilliant yellow eyes. He is funny - when I whistle for my two to come in, he comes running too.

Business is still slow and I have a suspicion that it's because we changed our name and we are not well-branded. People like the name-recognition factor - WalMart living. It's not ok to be individual any more. Oh well, maybe I won't be living here too much longer to worry about it.