Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Love is a many splendored thing, so spend some time with your loved ones to create memories that will be treasured forever.

Mousy encore

Someone recently asked about Mousy...a well-meaning question, but one that I could not easily answer without showing you.
Mousy is now missing his entire tail, his stuffing was escaping from two large holes, which I sewed back together, his whiskers are non-existent, and his ears are holey.
Yet, he is still loved by you know who.

Sometimes the poor thing is bitten to pieces..........

........and sometimes he is loved over and over.

So how is Mousy?  He is still hanging on. Thanks for asking.

And the beat goes on......

As the election campaign heats up, the neighbourhood has been inundated with several motorcades of both political parties "advising" us which party we should vote for.
I found myself tapping my feet and singing along to some of the catchy tunes that are being broadcast by the loud speakers on the trucks.
The weekend was a lively time, and Sunday afternoon was no exception.
Both parties, namely the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) were out in full force. 
The BLP colour is red while the DLP's colour is yellow.
The BLP motorcade passed by with several trucks and cars in their complement.

The LOUD speakers (do you see the size?) on truck number 1

Faithful BLP supporters follow on truck number 2

 Truck number 3

More faithful BLP supporters dancing and waving flags on the truck while the announcer on the loud speaker encourages us, the voters to vote "Red because things dread."(dire)

I was not in time to take photos of the DLP's motorcde, but believe me they were doing their thing too.
How many more days of this?  Oh yes, nine more to go!!  

The arrival of Brownie

Today, marks exactly one year that Brownie came to live with me.
After "Mums" was placed in an elderly hospice, there was no one to look after her dog, and so I ended up with Brownie.

It was a sunny Saturday morning when I collected him.  Scared to ride in a vehicle for the first time, he settled into a corner in the back of Beast and shuddered all the way home.

Arriving, I gently lifted him out, while reassuring him it was okay. He quickly ran into the back garden, and started snooping around in every nook and  cranny.

 I'm not so sure about this big garden thing

He seemed to like the cool of under the bridge, and spent quite a while sniffing around under there.
When he got to the dog house however, he was a bit apprehensive to go inside, but did venture to the entrance.
My daughter was of the opinion that since the dog house may have held the recent scent and spirit of my bow wow clan, he may have felt uncomfortable.  I think she may have been right, for no matter how many times I cleaned it and encouraged him to eat his meals inside, he was not having any of it.

This visit seems to be taking forever.  Is this where I'm going to be now?

After a bath, he was as happy as a bug in a rug.  His tail was not droopy anymore, and he actually gave me a few tail wags. I knew that everything was going to be okay.  This was a BIG change for him, and it would take some time to get accustomed to his new home.

Still uncertain of the camera, but still taking a moment to pose for me.

Note the dirt on his elbows and under his neck after rolling around in the garden with half-dried hair following his bath.

Okay, I've looked all around....where's my lunch?

I am so happy that he came to live with me.  He has been my life saviour.....rescuing me from mental depression, I'm sure.
It has been a very interesting year for both of us.
I have observed him experiencing new things for the first time just like a baby. From his wonderment of the feel of tiles under his feet, slipping and  sliding at first, to his discovering that he could push aside the curtain at the door with his body and walk outside whenever he wished. 
The hum of the vacuum and the noise of the tv no longer bothers him, and he has learned that inside the house is not his private ensuite.
What a great pal he has become, he keeps an eye on us and makes sure that we are not in any danger, and warns us if we need to be alerted.  He is truly a treasure. 

Thanks Brownie!!!

Nesting

The Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) loves to build its nest near street lights.  This practice makes it easy for them to munch all the insects that frequent the lights at night.
Is this really so?? Let's have a look, shall we?

What's that I spy with my little eye?

Could it be?

Nah,  couldn't be

Really?

Yes, there it is, the well constructed nest of the Gray Kingbird all wrapped up in some abandoned cables on the utility pole.

On a street light pole, none the less.  How ingenious is that?  Build your house right next to a buffet-style restaurant, you can't go hungry, even I would not have thought of that.

Yesterday, however, the crew from the telephone company were out changing over to newer cables (to accommodate more data), and tidying up the many unused cables in the area. There were actually two extra lines coming into my property that were no longer needed....snip, snip and they were gone.
When I checked back later in the evening, the wires on the pole were neat and tidy, but alas, the Gray Kingbird  nest had also been removed.

  All neat and tidy....no sign of the nest

I had been hoping to witness the birth of the babies, and watch them as they learned to fly.  Maybe if I check around carefully, I'll come across another nest nearby.  Wish me luck.