Puttering and Bird Watching

It's been three weeks since I've been able to putter in the yard. First the flu kept me on the couch and then we had a huge rainstorm. Not that I'm complaining about the rain, we needed it so badly. We have more rain coming in tonight so the skies were grey all day. It is another warm storm so it was a comfortable 60F outside.

The pastures are turning emerald green and the streams are still running with clear water. Kersey jumps in as soon as we let the dogs out of the barn in the morning.

We've stopped feeding the donkeys hay. They have plenty of green grass to eat and they don't need to gain anymore weight. They are not happy about this and bray in the most pitiful way when they see the hay cart going by. Or when we walk to the barn. Even when I step out the side door to grab an armful of wood. I'm sure all the neighbors think we are starving them.

I spent some time pruning the rose bushes along the front porch. While I trimmed back the rosemary and the sage, Sedona kept watch from the middle of the front lawn. Kersey wasn't interested in anything but her bone.

One of the best things about our property is the birds. There are birds everywhere; woodpeckers in the trees, quail in the pasture, sparrows, hawks and Canada geese. I bought a book to help me identify the birds awhile back and I installed a very cool app on my phone (Merlin) that helps me with identification too. This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count (sponsored by Cornell University). I decided to take part so I spent the better part of an hour sitting with a pair of binoculars, my bird book, my iPad and my gardening journal. The "rules" of the bird count ask for a minimum of 15 minutes birdwatching but I was having such a good time that I kept going. ...I have a feeling this could be very addicting.