This Year's First Summer Project! :)

 Every summer we have little home and garden projects that we need to do! :)
 This year we decided our old "bird station", which had seen better days, was the first we'd tackle! :) Too many large raccoons had climbed it's poles to take off with the suet, cages and all, and one side was broken at the base, leaning from the abuse. It wasn't enough to weed and clean up the area. It needed to be torn down and ...

 completely rebuilt! ... Bigger and better than before! :)

 We used the left over 10' deer fence posts, using 4 posts instead of 2, making it more sturdy, more grand, and the added height makes it safer for the birds, now that we have cats! :) The kitties will sometimes sit below, looking up, wondering how they can get from point A to point B before the birdies fly away! :) The 8' height (2' cemented below ground, 8' above), seems to be the answer for how one can have cats and still entertain wild birds! :)
The birds love it, and seem to have spread the word, as their numbers are growing every day! :)
 I've always wanted to grow trumpet vines for the hummers, so the added 2 posts gave me a place to plant an orange, and a yellow, flowering one at the front! :)
 Two of the previous roses were replanted on the back posts after I gave them a hard pruning in order to dig and lift them. If they don't survive the out of season harsh pruning, I'll buy a couple New Dawn climbing roses to plant in their place. :)
 The one ground cover rose is now planted in a huge pot until I decide on another location for it! :)
 It's this year's first summer project to be accomplished in our yard! :)
 Now, ... on to the next! :)

300mm Fun! :)

 The other day I took my 75-300mm lens out to the garden with me. I usually use the 18-55mm lens, which is a more common choice for close up distances! :)
I needed to stand further back than what I'm used to, but I actually like the results! ...

 The odd, wide gray stripe coming down from top to bottom, at an angel, is actually a thin wire of the garden fence! I stood far back and took this photo through the fence, and focused it on the snap pea bloom! I wasn't fond of the look so found a way of taking the rest within the garden, itself! :)

 An American Gold Finch couple perched on top of the garden fence! :) Sometimes even this 300mm lens can't zoom in as close to them as I like but, in this case, I was trying to have both birds in the photo together! :)

 They have the most beautiful song, and when she sang it really turned his head! :)

 A parting shot of a clematis on the fence, on my way out of the garden! :)

 I was thrilled to note the miniature cattails are in bloom! :)

 I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't of taken the time to tidy them up! My work gloves blend with the steps and cuttings so well they're almost invisible in plain view! :)

 While I was at it, I decided to stay with the same lens to capture the evening sky! :)

It was fun to experiment with this lens and test my skills, trying short distances with it! :)
I hope you enjoyed the outcome! :)

Cali's Update! :)

 Weren't they Cute!? :) Look at those little round bellies on those cuddly babies of mine! :)

 They were a Lot of work, but Nice Lady made things easier by keeping them contained for me, and keeping things clean all the time! :)

 As a proud Mama, I thought I'd announce that they have now reached their first year birthday! :)

 I'm Cali, by the way, if you didn't already know! :)

 One year later, and now full grown, look how big my babies are now! Sylvester makes me look small in comparison! All three of my sons are noticably larger than I am, and even my daughter, Gerdy, stands a little taller than myself! :)

 Nice Lady always grins at the way we high-tail-it around! It makes her happy because she says it's a sure sign of how happy we are! :) ...

 She's right, you know! :)

 We love summer days of lounging during the day and playing in the cool of the evenings! :)

 Gerdy still enjoys lounging on the fabric lawn chair that was used for their social-time training! :)

 Sometimes we use it too, but most of the time we lounge on the driveway! :)

 My son, Apollo, is the one who's the largest of us all, and has assumed the responsibility of being alpha male. A couple of times he's had to fight off an intruder for the good of the group. He currently has a battle scar on one of his hind feet. He likes to try to keep up his wrestling-fighting skills, but the rest of us are not into it, so he feels we're letting him down by not letting him practice on us! :)

 All my kids take comfort in my presence, but Gerdy is the one that most wants her Mama! :)

 She places herself near me much of the time, and we have a tender relationship! :)

 They are not the only ones who have changed their appearance this past year! ...

 I've done a bit of changing, too, as I was pretty much a kitten myself when I had them, as you can see in this photo of me! :)

 Another important change over the past year is my relationship with the Nice Lady! :) We trust each other fully, now! I trust her and she trusts me! She even has a little song she sings just for me! :)

 I like to show her my belly and get belly rubs from her! She loves my colorful splotches of color! :)

 I put on my Cute for her and she pets me! :)

 She loves my little black dot on my chin! :)

She finds me hard to resist, ... and my babies too! :)
My kids don't really know any different! They've always been here with Lady and the fresh food and water and loving affection, but I know what it's like to have to live in fear and fend for myself. ... She can tell my appreciation goes extra deep, as my life is much improved now, from what it was just over a year ago! :)
Needless to say, another big change has been the addition of having my 4 kids! What wonderful kids they are, too! :)
Happy Birthday Apollo, Gerdy, Mick, and Sylvester! :)

Happy Birthday from me, too, who Cali and her kids (my Honey, if truth be told) call "Nice Nice Lady"! :)

Utopia! :)

 I just returned from a thrilling visit, as Troy and Sheana just bought their first home! :)

Sheana was enjoying her beautiful new kitchen! :) [The new 'fridge was delivered soon after this photo was taken!] :)

Troy was enjoying making home improvements, a skill he's good at! :) In the first couple of days he had already added a new medicine cabinet and sink to the boy's bathroom; replaced the standard shower curtain rod with a fancy double shower rod to the master bath; had hooked up the laundry machines, set up beds, wired and set up the entertainment center, and helped with the unpacking! :)
Sheana even tried her hand at home improvement, and replaced a cracked toilet seat with a new one! :)

 The boys were also enjoying their new home! Tegan found a new place to play under the table! :)

 A new helmet ...

 and bell, to make old wheels feel like new since this trike will likely be handed down to Tegan now! :)

 Brennan has already graduated to a new bike, and is enjoying riding it in their big basement! :)

 The delight of napping in the new "toy room"! :)

 The boys were thrilled to be able to play with their new trucks and shovels in the dirt area ...

 of their huge, fenced back yard! :)

 Add a new bubble machine; ...

 lots of room to run and chase after them; ...

 more time playing in the dirt with brother; ...

 then back to the bubble machine and discovering you can work it yourself; ...

 and then ...

 add a super hero cape, ...

 and a good spot for diving off ...

 and "flying", ...

 and you have ...

All the joys of a new home!!! :)
Simply put, you have, ... Utopia!!! :)