Hummingbird Wars

Good morning, my friends. It was another day of beautiful weather here in Escondido. We had a lazy morning, and then met up with our friends Debi and Jim for lunch. 

Before that, though, we were treated to the arrival of the hummingbirds. When we stay in a place for more than just a few nights, we hang a hummingbird feeder and a seed feeder on our window. We were delayed for a week while Mike fixed the slide, but we hung these feeders about a week ago. There's been no activity at the seed feeder yet, but the hummingbirds discovered their feeder yesterday.

At first, there was just one, but then there were probably about three of them warring over the feeder. If you've ever had a hummingbird feeder, then you know how territorial they are...and they use language that would make a sailor blush!

The kitties watched inside for a while, but then Smitty thought he should go outside and act as a mediator.

Sadie kept watch from her catio, meowing orders, and making suggestions for an end to the conflict.

They didn't have much luck ending the hummingbird wars...hummers gotta hummer, I guess. Nevertheless, they were awarded the "Nobel Puss Prize" for their efforts. After the medal ceremony, they enjoyed treats of valor.

From there, we headed to Carlsbad, California, for lunch with Debi and Jim. Coming over the crest of a hill, we could see the Pacific Ocean. When we lived here, we were never thrilled by the sight of the ocean. It's just there...like the mountains at home. At home, we live 60 miles inland, and so we've renewed our ability to be thrilled by the sight of the Pacific Ocean.

We had a late lunch, and visited with Debi and Jim. It was good to see Debi up and around after her unexpected hospitalization. And since this was a "pie shoppe," we had pie too. I had banana cream, Mike had Dutch apple. I didn't take any pictures except of the blooming poinsettia outside the restaurant.

When we left the restaurant, we stopped off at our other friends' home, Deb and Tom, because they received some mail for us. Mike had to return a radio that wasn't working properly, and he had the replacement sent to their home. I really should put "replacement" in quotes because they returned the exact same radio. We know it's the same radio because it has the same serial number as the one Mike returned. And, you might not be surprised to know that the exact same radio has the exact same problem it had when he returned it to them. Hmmmm. So Mike sent an email back to them saying, basically, WTF? We're still waiting to find out WTF is.

While we were there, I took a couple more pictures of the blooming things in their yard. This is a blossom from a pretty hedge growing along their fence line. My phone tells me this is "Bower Vine."

And you might think you were in Hawaii if you saw all the hibiscus blossoms in their yard. Just lovely.

So, this being MLK Day and a holiday for many, we're going to take a day off. We need to make a quick trip to the grocery store. I've washed a load of jeans, and I have one more load going. Later this afternoon, I'm thinking I'll get out my sewing machine and do a little sewing. I've already selected the Gumballs blocks for today's project...this one:

All the pieces were cut and kitted up before we left home. If I'm remembering right, I have just two more rows of five blocks each to make. When those are finished, I'll be able to sew the quilt top together. (As I'm writing, I can't remember if I brought the whole project along, or just the blocks that need to be completed.)

So that's our day. If you've enjoyed this post, you can thank Sadie for her behind-the-scenes editing and input.

If it weren't for my cats, I'm afraid my spelling, punctuation, and capitalization would be atrocious. 

Okay, so off I go. I think I'll be finishing up my slow-stitching piece this morning, and so there's not a minute to waste.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Good morning, my friends. I told you we were going to take it easy yesterday, and boy, did we. Even the kitties napped most of the day. The only somewhat productive thing I did was to get outside with my Olympus DSLR, mounted with a 50mm 1:2 macro lens. So, if you're looking for me to say something pithy today (as if), you'll be disappointed. Instead, I'll just show you some of the things I saw on my walk. Here's the thing about macro photography: to my mind, it's about extreme close-ups, texture, and shape. Also, the depth of field is very narrow, and so I can only get about one inch of depth in focus in any given image. The rest will be in blur. It can be both good and bad...the blur, I mean...but mostly I like it.

So here's what I saw on my walk. I'll post these mostly in the order I took them. Also, I'm learning as we go, so I'll be inviting The Google along on this journey. This first one is a banana tree leaf.

This is the flower I showed you a few days ago. It's called "Mother of Millions." It's a succulent native to Madagascar.

This is what the plant looks like.

Bark of whatever tree is growing around here. An oak, maybe?

This is a geranium.

This is another type of ice plant, different from the one most commonly seen around these parts. The flower looks almost like a straw flower. My phone tells me it's a "Coppery mesemb."

Okay, now these geese were pretty funny. They were across the creek from me...a distance of about 20 feet. The second we laid eyes on one another, they started honking furiously. I was sorry I'd scared them, and they started walking down the embankment to hop in the water and swim away, one presumes.

Sorry, guys. That was terribly rude of me to walk around here, I know.

Only, they just swam over to me, as if we were old friends.

And then they followed me...clearly looking for a handout.

Got any Cheetos? Doritos? Fritos?

I was unmoved by their pleading honks, and moved on. Next, this is an ornamental grass someone was growing in a pot.

This is the bark of a eucalyptus tree.

Here's that blooming Jade plant again.

This is the bud of an aloe plant.

A rose. These, in particular, are wonderfully fragrant.

A red rose.

Another red rose.

This is the aloe plant.

I was going to tell you this next one looked like some sort of herb. In fact, it's "Mexican Bush Sage." I inquired of The Google whether this had any culinary use. Check below the image for what The Google had to say about that.

From The Google:

No, Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) is not recommended for culinary use; it's primarily an ornamental plant grown for its beautiful, pollinator-attracting flowers, unlike common culinary sages (Salvia officinalis) that are prized for their flavor in cooking. While some sources mention its leaves having a mild aroma and suggest using flowers in salads, most experts confirm it lacks the strong flavor of culinary sage and isn't traditionally eaten. 

So there you ago. Another dream dashed. 

Moving on, a yellow rose.

I might have thought this was the Mexican Bush Sage seen from a different angle. In fact, this is salvia yangii. But...salvia, right? So another kind of sage?

So, I inquired of The Google again. Can salvia yangii be used culinarily? And The Google tells me...

Yes, Salvia yangii (Russian Sage) can be used culinarily, though with caution and moderation, as its edible flowers add a mild, sweet flavor to salads, desserts, and drinks, while its leaves offer an earthy, peppery taste for meats and teas, but some sources suggest leaves are somewhat toxic, so focus on the flowers or ensure leaves are from culinary-safe plants, using them sparingly for seasoning. 

So, okay...flowers, yes; leaves, probably no.

Moving on...this one is called "Society Garlic." And, "garlic"? Really? Okay...so you know what I did next.

So, Google, can society garlic be used culinarily?

Yes, society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) is culinarily useful; its edible leaves and flowers offer a mild, subtle garlic-onion flavor, perfect for garnishing salads, soups, and dishes, or as a chive-like addition to pastas and butters, providing flavor without the pungency of regular garlic. 

Cool. Well, we're learning a lot today, aren't we?

Moving on...this is the flower of the ice plant that grows virtually everywhere in southern California. When I was young and still living with my parents, we lived in a terraced neighborhood. The neighborhood was build on a gently sloping hill, and so the lots were leveled off and terraced in order to use the land efficiently. Where the terraced embankment was, this succulent was planted. It grows fast, and it will quickly serve to prevent erosion of that kind of embankment. Also, it requires almost no water, and almost no maintenance, which probably explains the ubiquity of it in this area.

Here's the aloe blossom again.

So, I asked my phone to identify this one, but all of its suggestions were wrong. This was some kind of succulent. The flowers were tiny...about the size of a pea.

Here's a peachy-yellow rose.

This is a rosebud from the same plant.

Here, a tiny seed took root in the bark of this tree.

This is the bark of a palm tree.

This is a palm frond. These look a lot like the saw palmettos we met up with in South Carolina. So, you know me...I had to check in with The Google about this. (See below.)

So I said to The Google: "palms of California vs. saw palmettos of South Carolina." Here's what The Google told me:

California has diverse palms (like Fan Palms, Date Palms) suited for drier heat, while South Carolina features native Sabal Palms (Cabbage Palms) and shrubby Saw Palmettos, differing in structure (tall trunk vs. low mound) and leaf stems, with Saw Palmettos having "saw-toothed" petioles and Sabal Palms featuring distinct triangular leaf stem bases and "boots" on their trunks. Saw Palmetto is extremely cold-hardy, unlike many typical California palms, thriving in the Southeast's humid, coastal plains. 

So, there you go. As for the one above, I believe it would be called a "Fan Palm." And looking up from the spot where I took the picture above, I saw what you see below: 

Okay, walking on...I was nearly back to the RV by this time. I noticed this hole apparently recently dug out by some critter. It's a little hard to see with the high contrast in this image, but his excavation can be seen in the bright light at the bottom of the image. I imagine this is the home of a squirrel.

Walking along and looking down at my feet, there was a tiny forest of clover-like stuff. My phone tells me this is Mentha cunninghamil, a kind of mint.

Finally, I was nearing the RV, and I captured these two ring-necked ducks. 

I've really enjoyed the landscaping and the wildlife here. As I said at the outset, this place is nothing fancy, and we are set up in one of the least desirable areas. (It's not all that bad, but the price seemed high, given the lack of amenities and such.) The folks on either side of us live here permanently. The RV to our left has a leaking tank, dripping into a bucket 24 hours per day. And you know how a dripping faucet will drive you crazy? This is the same thing. 

The folks to our right haven't been seen for as long as we've been here. It's as if they're storing their rig here, but there are bicycles and signs of life all around, and it's hooked up to utilities. And that's kind of weird because the park has trailer storage, which would be a lot less expensive than taking up a full hook-up site. So...one wonders about that. Last night, I wondered aloud if anyone had done a welfare check there. Even their Christmas decorations are still out. In any case, the site was littered with leaves and mold and every other nasty thing that collects when a place is abandoned. 

So we asked the park yesterday evening if we could move to another site. They suggested a very nice site, but it was at the outer edge of the park, and very close to a US Highway 395 and a I-15. It was a LOT noisier than the spot where we are. So, all of that to say that we've decided to stay put in this spot. We're still going back and forth about whether we'd want to return to this park next winter. The lakes and birds would be a big draw, but we're leaning toward a "no" on that question. As compensation for the site we're in now, they've offered us a credit on a future stay. It'll probably come down to that...dollars and cents. Also, a maintenance guy came by to clean up the abandoned site to our right. At least it looks better.

Okay, so our friend is feeling good enough to meet up for a late lunch today, and I'm looking forward to seeing her and giving her a big hug...although I'll have to check first about the hug. Surgery, you know. In any case, she selected a place that serves good pie. And who doesn't love pie? And as anyone knows, pie is good medicine. 

And I can't end today without a little private message for my friends in Minnesota. Read on, if you like...or not. If not, then have a good day!

To my friends in Minnesota...I'm hopeful y'all are out of the line of fire back there. I'm sickened by the videos and images I'm seeing. Please know you're in my thoughts. If you're one of those choosing peaceful protest in response, I wanted to share this advice seen on a Facebook page I follow:

Please stay safe, my friends. We can only hope for a return to sanity, and the sooner, the better.

Another Nice Day

Good morning, my friends. Despite the rain early on, we've hit the jackpot in the Escondido weather department. We're expecting a high of 81 degrees today, and the warm weather will continue through next week. 

We had a lunch date with our friends yesterday. We tried out a new-to-us BBQ restaurant, and the food was delicious. When we left the kitties, they were acting as bookends.

We've been on the hunt for some wheatgrass for them. We'd visited a Sprouts and a PetSmart the day before. No luck. Then, we found plenty at an Albertson's store. The kitties have been nibbling at it ever since. 

Usually, I think about finding wheatgrass before we leave home, but I forgot about it this time. Sounds like I need to add it to my packing list, doesn't it? Smitty likes to add it to his smoothies in the morning.

We got out for a short walk yesterday afternoon. Right away, we came upon this group of ducks walking along the road. We made the ducks nervous as we walked by. I like how ducks will quack-mutter when they're faced with a potential threat. 

Across the lake, we saw our friend the Great Egret.

He looks like he has a bead on something here. We watched for a while, but didn't see him catch anything.

Of course I took pictures of every blooming thing.

My phone tells me this next one is Duranta.

And this is another blooming Jade plant. Who knew?

Okay, and I spent the remains of the day finishing off this section of the Raggedy & Friends block.

And then I started on the second section for this block. I'll start here this morning. It's mostly words, and so it should stitch up pretty quickly.

We have no plans for the day. Probably, I'm going to get out with my DSLR and macro lens today to take some macro shots. (My friend, Kate, inspired me with her macro photography.) I expect naps will be in the bargain. How are y'all spending your long weekend? Traffic being what it is around here, we'll probably stick pretty close to the RV. We have some more hikes planned for next week. We'll decide as we go.