Strutting Peacock

 We were amazed by this peacock who seemed to love strutting around as we took his photo. When he started fluttering his feathers at an approaching Guinea Fowl we couldn't believe our luck at witnessing it. He is so beautiful and he knows it ;-)

A Night Out

 My son, Mike and his wife Malinda

Twin won tickets to this comedy club

My daughter-in-law Ermalinda or as we call her in real life, Twin

Happy Mothers Day

Thank you to my children for making this a great Mother's day!

My Poor Garden

I do have some beautiful spring flowers like this bleeding heart and some lovely tulips but my garden really suffered after our desperately cold winter. Two of my climbing roses look dead. I have had them for years and one of them is suppose to withstand -40 degree temperatures. The hybrid teas look peaky but at least have new growth. There was an article in yesterday's paper about this winter's effect on roses and she encouraged waiting in hopes that they will sprout new growth. So, I pruned all my roses back today and will wait and see.
My grass is another story...it looks pitiful...especially the front. I fertilized my lawn in hopes that it would be revitalized and there are spots here and there that are green but in all... bad news. It seems all my neighbor's lawns are green and healthy and the bumper crop of dandelions this spring seem to be unaffected by the winter.
Thank you to Mike and Amy who sent me Bordine's gift cards for Mother's day. Can't wait to spend them at my favorite garden center. Thanks in advance to Tim who is coming tomorrow to help with whatever I need done. We will go out to breakfast and then hit my "to do" list.
I think Spring is finally here as I shut off my furnace 2 days ago and put in all my screens. I will be late setting up my porch this year because I have to paint the porch floors front and back.
A very Happy Mother's Day to all the mother out there in blogger land!

Welcome Home Birds

Trappers Run Trail, Lake Erie Metropark

Three years ago I went on, what I call, the Mother's Day Bird Walk and I got hooked on birding. This is the best time to see migratory birds and the best season because the trees are not leafed out yet.

It was unfortunate that only 2 of us showed up for the walk because the birds were out in full force this  beautiful spring morning. All the "real" birders are in Ohio for the biggest week so there is no competing with that....none the less we had a great walk.

Here are some of the birds that we saw.....beside some of  the regulars (Northern Cardinals, Jays and Robins) 

1. Warblers: Yellow-throated, Black and white, Yellow, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Northern Parula (heard) and American Red Start

2. Tree Swallows, Black-capped Chickadee, Baltimore Orioles, Red-breasted Grosbeak, Pheobe, Cat bird, Downy Woodpeckers, And a Northern Flicker feather.

3. Also a Osprey in a tree with a fish under it's talons

Thank you to Lake Erie Metropark's interpreter, Paul, who is the best birder that I know.

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
This is my best shot ....again I must complain about the lack of a good lens. Everything was too far off  :-(

 Here is the Osprey

 Carolina Wren...hey, I'm not in Carolina anymore...surprised to see that this little one followed me home.

 Of course when you are on the trail you see other things besides birds...here is a toad that I almost stepped on. He really blends into the surroundings.

As usual ..... one of the parks "tame" deer waiting to see if we have any food. Looks pretty good after the winter that we had

Swamps of Magnolia Plantationm

 It was never clear to me if these were small lakes or swamps but it was very beautiful there. The gray Spanish moss doesn't photograph very well but the azaleas are so pretty. I had taken so many photos that it is difficult to choose which to post. It was a wonderful day there.

Beautiful Brookgreen Gardens

 I wish that I could see Brookgreen Gardens in every season. I know that in the summer they plant hundreds of Caladiums in the Live Oak Allee and during the Christmas holidays they have "the festival of lights" but the spring is the best because of all the beautiful Azalias and flowering spring trees...fruit and dogwoods
.

 This, I believe, is a Red Buckeye and when in flower it attracts Hummingbirds. A couple from Atlanta pointed the hummers out to me and I spent about 30 minutes watching them and trying to get a picture...no luck there.

Don't know what this bush is but it looks like strings of beads. Not often that Google lets me down. 

Beautiful statuary and everyone is  placed so it is a photo opportunity!