Ahhhhh....

My peaceful countryside existence! Not a whiff of chicken manure, no sounds of subwoofers or squealing tires or motorized scooters or blueberry cannons... just crickets and birds. Ahhhhhhh!

Talk to me when snowmobile season arrives, however.

And here we have Miss Hairy Woodpecker, aka pic chevelu. I've seen at least two female hairies, and we have at least one male downy woodpecker frequenting the feeders, as well as northern flickers. And the other day I saw a juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker. I live in woodpecker heaven.

Not sure what knocked the birdbath top off! Some marauding night animal, I suspect.


And here is our sweet Mashka, age 15. She has just been diagnosed with renal failure, poor darling, and has lost a lot of weight very quickly. She has been at the vet's for three days receiving IV hydration therapy, and she comes home tonight. We can't wait. She is Queen of the House, you know, and rules all that she surveys. I believe her look in this photo says, "Bugger off, I'm trying to take a nap!"