Ants

Some people think they're creepy, some people get itchy when they talk about them, and some people, like me, find them totally captivating. Ants. The little skittery creatures with six legs, big black eyes, and large rear-ends. Ugh. That sounded freakishly like spiders. But they are not. They are far from. Ants are incredible little things (not to say that spiders aren't incredible too...they just...you know...). Anyway, at first glance, they're just thin legs and red/black abdomens, flitting around in groups. But when you look a little closer, like I did today, you discover that they, and their lives, are complex and fascinating. They follow patterns, rules, guidelines. They build intricate homes from practically nothing. When one needs help moving a bug, or, say, a bread crumb, another will come a'running to assist them. As they travel through their busy day-to-day schedules, they somehow find a chance to stop along the way and have a friendly little chat with their buddies, antenna to antenna. 

These creatures were the reason I left the house today, armed with my camera and a growing determination to capture them going about their business. I stayed out there on the porch for about twenty minutes, capturing thirty or forty pictures and leaving with only two or three reasonably good shots. Those ants are so FAST! It was a miracle that I managed to get a close-up of a few of them at all. What I'm really aiming for, however, is to capture an 'ant moment', as I call them. An ant moment is when two or more ants meet up along their path and talk to each other for a while, faces close together. I want a picture of an ant moment so bad! I'm going to do all I can this summer to get one. But for now, here's the shots I have so far. 

This photo I got last summer - this started off
with one ant who recruited three others to help
them; two at each end of the bug. Amazing! 

Jimbo

Over the past week, Jimbo has been an absolute nuisance. SHE WILL NOT STOP ESCAPING. Every time we turn our backs, in less than an hour, she's escaped the pen AGAIN! She doesn't go anywhere once she's escaped - just hovers around the perimeter of the pen, quacking anxiously to her sisters. Tell me this Jims - if you hate being out of the pen so much, why do you keep slithering under the fence?! Plus, it isn't like there isn't a completely psycho-for-eating-little-creatures dog nextdoor (which is only a few feet away from the duck pen). 
Anyway, this afternoon, we decided enough was enough. We dragged log after log to the pen, stapling them around the bottom of the fence. Finally, we were finished. I swear, I will be in complete shock this time if that ninja duck manages to slip under her fence. 

Wabble

Wabble is delusional. Extremely delusional. It isn't like this hasn't happened before, like the ducks haven't brooded on their unfertilized eggs. But this time, Wabble is the only one who's been laying on her 'babies' all day long. For days, before we get the eggs out of the Quack Inn', we'll find that Wabble is back in her house again, eyes glazed as she protects her little empty eggs. Poor thing. Last time this happened, Waffles ending up laying on top of Wabble, who was on top of the nest of eggs. Then Waffles actually dragged straw on top of Wabble until she was nearly completely masked underneath it! What weirdos. I swear, Jimbo is the only sane one left.
I am very ashamed that I forgot to mention the ducks' 2nd birthday on Sunday. How can you forget to do such a thing? Maybe the fact that it was Mother's Day distracted me. Anyway, the ducks had a cheerful day outside in their pond on their birthday - rambunctious little ducks as always. It's hard to believe that they're already two! 

Last July: Waffles
and Wabble smothering their
nest

Seriously?

Heat

I have come to realize that many of my blog posts have to do with sunshine. This time, not only is it sunny, but it's warm, too! Can you believe it? It was so warm in the sun today, I could feel my skin sizzling. I even went so far as to lather on some sunscreen (the oh-so-familiar smell of summer). We set up the trampoline, took the goats for a walk, and continued to do more work on the new deck. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky!


Yesterday, Smudge, much to her utter mortification, had a bath. Her absolute worst nightmare. She's been long since due for a bath, and her naturally greasy, smelly fur did not help with this matter. So Mum dragged her out onto the patio and bathed her under the warm spring sun. It must be something psychological, because bathing like that doesn't exactly seem too frightening. Especially since Smudge swims willingly all summer long! 

Springy Sunday

I took eighteen pictures today. I just couldn't resist! I wonder how people used to manage way back, taking pictures so sparingly the way they did. It was so beautiful outside, the air sweet and blossomy, the plants lush and sprouting...there was no way I could restrain myself from taking pictures. And I'm glad I did. I spotted so many things today!

I managed to snag a few pictures of deer. Actually, 'manage to snag' sounds like it was difficult. It was anything but. In fact, the deer were so friendly, they didn't even lift their heads as I stepped up to take pictures! 

As I was walking the goats down the road today, in the ditch (of all the places - at least it was a wide ditch) I spied a mother duck and her babies! The mum was quacking anxiously, and her babies tore away from us the instant we came into sight. Their peeping noises reminded me of Waffles and Wabs and Jimbo when they were little ducklings. Aww...

At the beach we saw some amusing seagulls and a very unphotogenic eagle. I kept trying to take pictures of it, but it was turning its head away. Eventually, it flew off into the distance. The little creep! 

Why did the robin cross the driveway?

To get away from scary Coko,
of course!

Whatever this bush is called,
I love it!

Dogwood: I <3 B.C.! 

What is that seagull doing?!

Party on the rooftop!

Distant eagle

How can you not adore deer? They are the cutest animals! (although, that's what I say about nearly every animal...) 

Escapee

It's always Jimbo. Always, Jimbo is the one duck who decides to take a rebellious (and foolish) mission through the chicken wire. This little dilemma only started happening last weekend, and it hasn't stopped since! Last night, when I went out to close the ducks into the Quack Inn' for the night, Jimbo just happened to be in the little fenced-off space inside of the pen (there is a square of fencing inside of their pen fenced off so that the grass can regrow). She was flipping out, anxiously quacking away in the hopes that her sisters would come and assist her (but they didn't - they decided to stay in their duckhouse like ducks with actual common sense do). I climbed over the fence and cornered her, much to her mortification. She was flapping wildly and pressing herself into the fence. Poor thing. I got her into the Quack Inn' without a trouble. She must have found a gap in the chicken wire. 

The next morning, however, just minutes after they were released from their house, I found Jimbo in the little pen again! She was freaking out, desperately trying to escape when she saw me getting closer (since when did my face become so scary?). I got her over the fence, found the little gap, and pulled the wire over it. GOSH. What a dunce of a duck. 

Last weekend, though, she was even more of a dunce, and found her way out of the whole outer pen, and into the forest! What shall we ever do with that rascal?!

Aside from Jimbo's crazy adventures, I'd like to announce that it's MAY! It never really feels much like actual spring until May comes around. Everything is popping out - the flowers, the leaves, the frogs (who have been out for ages already). I'm sure the silly billies will be very happy when they can start gnawing down on some fresh maple leaves! 

Rain, rain, go away

...come back another day.
Not.
I'd rather you just not come back. All week, it's been unpleasantly damp around here. Not too rainy. Just...soggy. Everything is mossy, green, and wet outside. Except for the near-bone dry snail I discovered slinking around in the woodshed yesterday. I didn't get any pictures of the animals or Mr. Snail or anything today, sadly.
Waffles was acting absolutely insane yesterday! She was quacking like a hawk was preying on her, or something. I kept going to check on her, but she would only quack louder as soon as I came into sight! What a silly goose. Or duck, I should say.
I'm very much hoping that tomorrow will be sunny again, as the weather foresees. I'm thinking of starting a spring to summer project, where I take a picture every day (or maybe every week) at the same time in the evening, to see how things brighten up between spring and summer...