bleeding heart - UPDATE!

UPDATE: I have been informed by a loyal reader that this is NOT a bleeding heart - it's a Turk's Cap. Thanks, Loyal Reader.

Last year I planted a bleeding heart plant that I think came from my Grandmother? Anyways, it's a funny little plant that has done really well this summer, despite the HOT July sun and now waterless August/September. Order of photos is first blooms in August to multiple blooms per head from last weekend.

P.S. the "hummies" love this plant :)

hummingbirds, round 1

I've had many hummingbird sightings this year, which of course has been fantastic for me. Jarrod makes fun of me for always peeking out the window to see if there's been any activity at the feeders, but I think he's secretly a "hummie" lover like myself. Hah! Anyways, I don't have the best camera in the world, which means I have to take 30 pictures just to get 1-2 decent shots of these little creatures. But I admit, I do enjoy waiting for them to zoom by, snack for a few seconds, and then take off for one of our trees. To me, bird watching is much like fishing -- you have to be incredibly patient, but in time it will pay off and in this case, the reward is a great shot! So, bear with me as I've been shooting for the last 5-6 weeks and just now getting around to posting.

The first batch of photos is of the male Ruby-throated hummingbird who has claimed our feeders as his territory. Watching him fight off other males and females has been hilarious...

love this shot I got of him at dusk - much easier to see his red throat!

good music

This year has been quite rewarding in terms of music: discovering new bands, seeing them live and of course, questioning their ridiculous names. FYI - this post serves more as a "memory jogger" for me since I tend to (unofficially) have short-term memory loss -- either that or selective memory. Jarrod - have I missed anyone?

Shows at the Earl: Freelance Whales; Bear in Heaven; Beach House; Wild Nothing; Neon Indian; Lost in the Trees; Plants and Animals; Washed Out

Shows at the Masquerade: Delorean; Miike Snow

Shows at the Variety Playhouse: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros; Tyler James

Shows at the Tabernacle: Band of Horses

Shows at the Atlanta Botanical Garden: She & Him

Shows at the Savannah City Center (think that's what it's called!): The Avett Brothers

Shows at Philips Arena: John Mayer

mi gato

cute

Check out these Easter shots of my Grandmother and her great-grandchildren (my cousins!), Kelsey and Hayden. Look how cute they are with their pastel-colored outfits and fluffy bunnies! By the way, love the last one where it looks like Margot is licking Granny's ear. :)

tulips

As our tour of Belgium and the Netherlands came to an end last summer, I purchased a box of USDA-approved tulip bulbs from a cute market inside Amsterdam's airport. The box said "mixed", so to say I was looking forward to planting season would be an understatement. So as winter came along, I planted around 8 or 9 bulbs in a container and waited ever so patiently for spring. Well, here they are and they're not really that mixed. At least I got 2 non-yellow bulbs! FYI - these pics were taken back in March/April.

love this little bird

This is a Red-bellied Woodpecker and it loves our suet feeder. It's abrupt when it swoops in and it doesn't like to be watched, but I've managed to snap a few pics of it along the way. And for the record, these pictures could be of more than one RBW as I have seen two at the feeder at once. Yeah, it was pretty cool but no pics to prove it. :(

snow birds

Who writes about snow birds in May other than the Miami Herald? That's right - people who haven't blogged in 5 months. Below are some of the creatures who visited my bird feeders during our little spouts of snow this past Jan/Feb.

female Cardinal

Yellow-rumped Warbler

a trio of male American Goldfinch

Eastern Towhee

male Hairy Woodpecker

Yellow-rumped Warbler

female American Robin w/a gimpy right leg

male American Goldfinch (bottoms up!)

out of hibernation

Wow. Has it really been 5 months since my last post? The good news is that I have taken a lot of pictures this year, so bear with me as I'm about to string together some random, possibly out-of-chronological-order posts.

happy birthday to me

Say hello to the world's best birthday cake EVER. Thanks, Bill Rhodes Bakery!

life imitating art

Jarrod gave me a really great birthday gift this year - a stained glass picture of a cat perched on a windowsill watching a bird. And for any of you who know me/Owen, that's one of our favorite things to do! So I decided to hang it on the window that faces our bird feeders....and well, right after I hung it Owen decided he wanted to sit and watch the birds. Good thing I had my camera on me!