We are fortunate to live in a kindly neighborhood . . .

Ruby-throated Hummingbird in action

Wood Duck in our neighbor's back yard.

 How lucky I am.  I have never seen a Wood Duck in my life and I have a photo of one. I was walking close to home because the rains had let up enough for me to walk between the drops when our neighbor stopped his truck to tell me that there were Wood Ducks in their back yard. I hurried home to get my camera and boots and he showed me where they were. I could only get three shots and this was the best one.  I had to take it at quite some distance and yet I still scared them into the woods. This is normally lawn but with about 4" of rain since yesterday it is a beautiful pond.

And I was also lucky because the female humming bird stopped to rest before attacking the feeder. I find this amazing. We were going to go to the Birdman Cafe for a muffin snack before heading for my Magnificent, Meandering, Matchless, Muddy Mississippi but the rains were too hard and incessant all morning so we stayed home. I had to be content with munching on handfuls of mini chocolate chips and pecans. I must admit it was a great snack. P&D's Pop had made sausage, egg and cheese on toast for breakfast which was a perfect start to what is now a partly sunny day.

I realized why my days had been running along so smoothly lately. For four days in a row I didn't have time to look at the Advocate - I ceremoniously threw the paper out at 7 each evening. I don't read garbage after 7pm - it's much too annoying. Because of the rains I sat down to read the paper this morning. Now I'm depressed. Really - I kid you not. So I have already thrown the Advocate out. We should cancel our subscription but we've never not had a newspaper delivered to our home in over 54 years. I just can't seem to break the habit. My mother was a linotype operator at the Hartford Courant when she was a young woman; she set type by hand at  the Moosup Journal; when I was in my teens she was working at the Norwich Bulletin and when P&D's Pop and I married in the 1960's she was working for the Providence Journal. Having a newspaper in the house is a part of me. P&D's Pop says he can go without it but I don't believe him. It's part of his routine; he reads what amuses him so it doesn't get to him - I am a glutton for punishment - I try to read everything. That's my problem. So I imagine I'll be junking the Advocate daily - well - except if I need to see what the UCONN HUSKIES and LSU TIGERS are doing in Basketball.

Quote:  The ingredients of health and long life, are great temperance, open air, easy labor, and little care.   ___Sir P. Sidney

Quote:  Wisely and slow; --they stumble that run fast. _____Shakespeare