Hatched!

The babies must have hatched yesterday some time after noon or early this morning. I can't tell if they have all hatched or not. They don't even have their down growing yet. And they are all snuggled together and laying on top of each other. They also seem to be laying face down because I don't see any open beaks.




This is mommy bird keeping a close eye on me. She flew around me making her clicking noises. She's quite tiny! Anyone know what kind of a sparrow this is? I've never heard her sing, just "click" at me.

Scary!!

I was driving down 212th Street, in the valley, behind a truck that was carrying a load of stuff. I couldn't tell what it was exactly. Suddenly as he was going over the railroad tracks, something flew off the back of his truck and landed not too far in front of me. I was able to stop! It was way too big to drive over it. I got out and saw that it was a thick board with a very heavy metal pipe on top of it. Several cars were honking at me to "go", but stopped when they saw me carrying the big board to the center island. Then I got a thumbs up from the driver right behind me.

I also noticed that the driver of the truck carrying the load of loose materials had turned around and came back for his board. I think in the future he will be a lot more careful about his load and it reminded me of how important it is to pay attention to these kind of things!

Guess I'll have something to be very grateful for in my prayers tonight!

Mark Has Skin Surgery, Again!!!

The last two days Mark has been having some pre-cancerous skin cells removed from his eyelid. They did it in two sittings. The first doctor removed the questionable skin cells, and the second doctor stitched him up. They had a different doctor stitch him up because he is an aesthetic skin surgeon. After the first surgery, they bandaged him up pretty good so as to keep mild pressure on the eyelid. Looks impressive, huh?






They only removed about 1/2 inch from the eylid so the stitches didn't take very long. He was under anesthesia so no pain during the surgery, but he is experiencing some mild pain now! He has been dealing with skin cancer for 30+ years now. He is very conscientious about having his skin checked regularly. So over the years he has had around 50+ surgeries! (I'd guesstimate!)

Birds and Babysitting Grandkids

Remember the bird nest and the 4 little eggs? While watering it (carefully, I thought) I accidentally knocked it over and two of the eggs fell out. I couldn't find them, but Mark did and scooped them up with a spoon and put them back into the nest. One of the eggs was a little cracked! The mama bird was going crazy at first, then just perched on bush and waited!



The next day when I looked there were only two left. At first I thought she had disposed of the two eggs that had fallen out. Not so ... after a few days Mark and noticed that she had not been around for a few days. I took the nest out and noticed that it was the cracked egg and one other that was left. I'm guessing she must have moved the other two eggs somewhere else. But, I'm not sure! I'm tryng to figure out how such a tiny bird could transport two eggs to another location!



Then Mark noticed that there was a bird flying in and out of another planter I had hanging on the back deck! I looked today and sure enough there is another nest and four new little bird eggs! The birds surely like the flowers!



However, this time they are safe. You see, the flowers are plastic and silk. (I usually put them out in the winter just for color). Hopefully, we will see little birdies soon.



Now on to the grandkids. I'm always amazed how busy little ones can be. Here are Emily and Ryan! In less than 30 minutes they had played with playdough, created some art projects with glue and scissors, had a snack, jumped on the trampoline and played in the sandbox. Then they started all over again! These two are very good at keeping themselves entertained and only needed help once in awhile. Therefore, I was able to do a lot of laundry. And, by the way, so far I love my new washer/dryer.

Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Lady!

Mildred Hannah Hillam Stringham turned 93 on July 13th!

She has been such an influence on our family! Our children had just as much fun visiting her, grandpa and the farm as they did at Disneyland! She's just the kind of grandma every child should have. And I have a long ways to go to be as good, patient, and loving of a mother-in-law as she. She has yet to meet three of her great grandchildren, Jennibelle, Catie and Emily! She has met Brian's wife, Mary, but SADLY I have no photos of the occasion!

I remember her as the hardest working woman I know! She was always cooking, cleaning the house, canning from her garden, working on the farm or doing church work! I always appreciate the story about her when she and grandpa were wanting to buy their farm. She would only eat 1 meal a day to help save money! She always told the men folk that she would eat later! They were able to pay cash for their farm! Now that is a lesson in staying out of debt! Now we know where Mark was so well trained in matters of money!

Amy's Visit With Mom, Dad and Rose!!

Just a short review in pictures of our visit with my sister, Amy! She accompanied her husband on a business trip here. We're at Rose's in Olympia. It was a delightful day!

Hanging Planters and Laundry

Every year I buy a hanging planter for my front door. I love flowers and plants and there are some beautiful hanging planters to be found in this area. I work at keeping the plant watered, fed and looking nice.






Every year, I see a few of the flowers starting to die. This year when I spotted the first wilted, brown leaves and dried up flowers I knew exactly what was happening!




When the birds build their nest, the roots right under the nest do not get water and soon dry up. So, I need to water it more carefully, trying not to disturb the nest, yet get water as close to the roots under nest as I can. I hope I can revive the damaged plant and keep it looking nice. While I am doing this the mother bird is going crazy, flying around me and making clicking noises! This is her home, her babies and she does not want me near it. Maybe next year I should just buy a cute bird nest and hang it there.


The Decision Has Been Made




Okay, after one week of doing my laundry at a laundromat, we have chosen our next washer and dryer. It was a hard decision -- well mostly for Mark because he is more careful about his purchases. We tried to find the best quality, the best deal, best energy saver, but, it really came down to what would fit in our laundry room. We only have so much room between the wall and the door. We have ordered it and depending on which warehouse it is in we should get it within a couple of weeks. Thanks to all for your suggestions. It helped to know what features are the most important!

The plus side of the laundromat -- four loads of laundry done in 70 minutes. You also meet all kinds of people there and I like to people watch. I had complete strangers helping me take the laundry from the car to the laundromat and from the laundromat back to the car. Do I look that old or are there just some really nice people around this neighborhood?