No kidding! Out of the mouths of babes!

This morning at the breakfast table my Grandson was finishing up his milk.  As I sat nearby he asked a question of me.

Looking very serious and not joking a bit, he asked: "Papa, are you a  hard to listen to Pastor?"  I am not kidding!  Of course CM was nearly laughing out loud and I was trying to figure out a good answer.  The best I could do was to say, "I am sure that there are some people who thought that,"

As I sat there thinking of what he had asked, something dawned on me...Is this really a question a four year old would ask?  Probably not.  So WHICH ONE OF YOU DID HE HEAR THIS FROM?

What to eat on Friday

Having fresh fish on Friday is something that not only humans enjoy.  For this Great Blue Heron having fish on Friday is an itch that has to be scratched.

The key to success for fresh fish on Friday is to be sneaky, don't move very fast, and have long legs.

And your quiet persistence will pay off.  This little blue gill didn't know what hit her/him.

Fish are best when just caught, but you can't eat them tail first.  You have to maneuver them so they will go down head first, otherwise the sticky things in the back of the fish will get caught in your throat.  That must be what happened to pelicans.

One more turn and voila, it is ready to go down the hatch as quickly as an oyster on the half shell!

This poor little fishy is doing his best to resist this whole thing by bristling and wiggling....

But it is all for naught...down the hatch he goes!

You know how to tell that your fish are fresh, don't you?  When the fish slime drips off your chin!

Nothing better on a Friday morning than fresh fish for breakfast from MacknEllie's Pond!

Goosey, goosey, gander!

Sometimes I have been accused of having a weird sense of humor.  In keeping with that accusation, I decided to give some captions to some backyard pictures.  Here is the "Turtle Parade."  Isn't there always some guy who doesn't follow instructions?

This one is "Stare down." Only the GF residents old enough to remember Dewey Berquist, the local weatherman, will get this one.

You want to try one?  I said this was a "Two headed Gander."

And here is "Goose back rides"  I never realized that turtles migrated from the north this way.

But what really caught my attention was how after feeding in the back yard the flock went into the pond and began splashing around and sometimes completely rolling over.

They would take turns thrashing around and flapping their wings and I was amazed at how loud the "thump, thump, thump' of their wings sounded.

I have concluded that it had to be something related to their preening because all the thrashing ended up with a lengthy preening. 

I just wanted you to keep up with the latest excitement from the south country.

You have to admit that it is more exciting than watching paint dry or movers pack!

Strange Behavior

Since arriving in Little Rock I have caught some strange behavior of the little one on camera.  What is the fascination she has with the bottom of her shoes? 

At first I thought it was just little girl curiosity or perhaps an early female interest in shoes.  But when she did the same thing the next day, I was a bit perplexed.

But the next morning, the mystery was solved.  You see, their back yard is a favorite hang out for geese.  And I don't mean just one or two as you can see.  So what I had chalked up to a little girl's early fascination with her footwear, was really a cautious check to make sure she was not stepping in something she didn't want to.

There is a rule at their house that I now understand: "We wear shoes when we play in the back yard!"

And I guess we know who got the last laugh!

Grands are grand!

We arrived safely in the south country and had a little run and fun time before bed in new PJ's.!

Unlike previous arrivals we even got hugs from the youngest!  Soon the packing and moving fun begin!

Afraid of a Butterfly

This picture isn't that great but it gave me a laugh.  The hummingbird would not land to get a drink from the feeder because there was a butterfly drinking the sugar water.  Finally, after failing to scare the butterfly away with her dive-bombing, the hummingbird landed and the two got along, though at opposite sides of the feeder.

The end of summer brought some good friends to enjoy dinner at Chase on the Lake in Walker.

Another day, another meal at Chase on the Lake.  This time we sat inside because of the windy and cool day.

One last shot of the eagle on his favorite perch.  It wasn't until I looked at the picture that I saw there were actually two of them sitting there.  I get about one picture before they take off.

One last loon picture... this time of a juvenile who is left alone now.  The parents leave several weeks before the newborn who stay and gain strength before following their parents to the gulf or off the east coast of Florida.  I am sure the parents leave their GPS for the kids to find them.  The young stay south for three years before returning to the north and settling near to their place of hatch.

We had two kayak rides before we tucked it in its winter cocoon and headed back home.  The first was on a cool cloudy day.

And the last on a sunny, gorgeous, Sunday evening.  One thing seemed a bit peculiar to me.  Why is my kayak partner wearing her hat on the cloudy day and not on the sunny one?  I don't think I will ask.

So long Eagle Lake until next year, Lord willing.

Summer Splendor

When we returned to the lake the bird feeders were empty.  The birds were so hungry I was able to coax this Chick-a-Dee to eat out of my hand.  Could it be Raymond?  (I wrote a story for the Grands about Raymond, the Chick-a-Dee).

On the way back we stopped at Bergeson Nursery to see the end of summer show.  I wish I could garden like this.  My theory is that nurseries give us the "seconds" and keep the best to show off.

Summer is rapidly drawing to a close.  I wish the beauty would last longer.  But then, there is always fall.

Sunrise on Eagle Lake