Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Bluebird on the tree in the back yard. I see him almost every morning, lately. Does this mean Spring is here?
That’s a Hairy Woodpecker (I knew it was some kind of Woodpecker, but had to look around to find exactly what kind. We’ve also got one or two Downy Woodpeckers who visit from time to time).
My pretty Bluebird (pardon the blur, it was shot through a dirty window and at an angle).
The camera focused on the raindrops rather than on the Cardinal. I think it looks kind of neat.
(And then I focused on the Cardinal.)
Chickadees. So hard to get decent pictures of these guys because they won’t sit still!
Nuthatch. Such pretty little birds.
We had a ton of rain Sunday night/ Monday morning, and the bridge that goes over the ditch washed away. Luckily it didn’t go far – I snapped this picture from the spot where the bridge is supposed to be, and if you look closely, you can see the bridge near the tree on the right. It’s too heavy for me to lift, so Fred had to put it back in place when he got home.
Our Winter Honeysuckle is in bloom. This stuff smells so amazing – lemony and fresh, and though the two bushes are in front of the house, you can smell the blossoms all the way in the back yard.
George and Gracie playing King of Dirt Mountain.
Having spotted a threat to the flock, they’re off!
I didn’t get her in the picture, but Maxi was sauntering by. George and Gracie stood there and wagged their tails at her, but she ignored them, and eventually they returned to Witch Dirt Mountain.
I love it when the chickens get this appalled look.
Purty rooster.
Synchronized waddling.
Meredith Grey doesn’t care for all this water and mud, thank you.
I have no idea how they stay so clean and white when it’s so muddy out there.
Well, I know how this one stays clean – she stays in the coop where it’s dry.
Steam rising off the pond. Fred claims that that means it’s warm enough to go swimming. He can just shut it, ’cause I am NEVER going swimming in that pond.
Early morning pond.
Pretty boy ducks.
I don’t know what they’re saying about that hen’s back end, but I bet it’s not complimentary.
Checking for food in a puddle.
“Come on, hurry up! You’re so slow!”
Ducks of a feather really DO flock together.
Everett, on the platform in the front room.
Coming down off the platform.
Everett has such gorgeous orange eyes.
Sally’s are a lighter gold.
You can’t really tell from this picture, but Lucy’s eyes are darker gold than Sally’s, but not as dark as Everett’s. The girls’ eyes have a really pretty ring of green around their pupils. I’m trying to get good closeup pictures to illustrate that, but haven’t had much luck yet.
I usually share pictures of Joe Bob on Thursdays, but I don’t have any at the moment, and rather than hunt him down and snap pictures of him now, instead I’ll promise to get some pictures of him before next Thursday and offer you… more black cats!
Maxi outside. “No, seriously guys! Let me in!” and then I go over and open the door because I’m a SUCKER, and she looks in, sniffs disdainfully and stomps off. Grrrr.
“Your home is not to my liking, lady.”
Tom Cullen on the scratcher.
Someone at the vet asked Fred if we named Tommy (whose “legal” name is Tom Cullen) after the Twilight books. Fred was pretty horrified (he is, of course, named after Tom Cullen from The Stand).
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Previously
2011: The Box.
2010: She made her angry high-pitched meow, she stomped around, she glared at the basket.
2009: These sisters are so adorable, they kill me!
2008: To our surprise, the owl was still alive when we got home.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Your Chickadees look like our Coal tits.
Are you going to landscape dirt mountain? It seems to be more useful and used than the pond so far!
I would love to have kitty stepping shelves,my old puss loves to be all high up,he also has a habit of puking while he’s up there and I’m not around, has meant a few suprised when cleaning!
Ugh,why does everyone have to equate the name Cullen with Twilight?It’s as if the name didn’t exist before that wretched book came out.The author should’ve named the vampires ‘The Smiths’ or something like that.
PS.I’m loving all the black cat pictures,but can’t wait for some more Joe Bob ones (Joe Bob = my favorite cat name,ever)
My husband and I were “interviewing” potential new housemates at the humane society this weekend. We met an incredible cat they had named “Joe Cool”. As we sat at dinner that evening and discussed the different cats, I kept referring to “Joe Cool” as “Joe Bob”. My husband finally rolled his eyes and exasperatedly asked me what my thing was with the name Joe Bob. So I brought him to the blog and showed him 😉
The fence collars — are the sensors on it that always that big? It almost looks like Tommy has a camera attached to his collar the way its situated right now.
Neat how they have some green to the eyes!
I LOVE kitty pictures but i do look forward to Thursdays and the sights from around crooked acres post. Especially since there are duckies!
I think the picture with the cardinal out of focus is so neat!
Love the pretty bluebird and cardinal pictures! We don’t get those in Colorado. 🙁
Tommy has such gorgeous fur!!!
Love all the pictures! Thanks!!!
I confess that I also thought Tom was named after the Twilight series at first, but later saw that the name was from The Stand – scariest book I have ever read!!! The movie, not so much…Salem’s Lot took that title. Of course I think that because I was very young when I first saw Salem’s Lot on TV, and was babysitting in a strange house at the time. The perfect “my God I’m getting ready to be murdered by whatever is making that sound outside” scenerio! 🙂
Love love love the Black Kitty Thursday add-on to Crooked Acres Thursday!!
SC Amy –
Yes yes yes! We must be about the same age because Salem’s Lot scared the cr*p out of me too! Does anyone remember a movie called “Eyes of Laura Mars”? One of the other scariest movies I have ever seen.
Robyn – love your cats and pix and your stories about Crooked Acres and, well, everything about your blog. So glad the IBKC led me here.
ummm… you can tell Fred that steam rises off the New River (you know, southwestern Va, NC, WVa) when it’s 32 degrees out. that does not mean that that dear river is warm enough to swim in. the same thing happens to the freakin’ chattooga (ga/nc) in winter, and the nantahala (western nc) all year round, and the nannie ain’t ever warm enough to go swimming in. so :PPPPPP. i may be living in utah and call eugene, ore. my home, but i know southern (southern ALWAYS = SOUTHEAST USA, NOT Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico like these (idiots) people out here west of the Mississippi like to believe) water, and in January it is NOT warm enough to go swimming. 😛
I’ve seen ‘steam’ on the Ohio River when it was -12 degrees F with a thirty mile wind blowing. The wind flicked water up, where it turned to ice crystals in a moment.
Before I finish reading I have to say that I LOVE the first cardinal picture (focused on raindrops). The pop of red from the cardinal is amazing. I would buy that in a heartbeat! I love all of your bird pictures (mostly because they’re great, but partly because I’m too lazy to take pictures of our birds).
Do you always leave the suet feeders open? I was talking to my husband about that yesterday (while he was brushing his teeth), and I think he asked how you hang them. (Sometimes it’s hard to translate while he’s got toofpaste in his mouf, but I usually guess right!)
Thanks!!!
Everett et al. sure are GORGEOUS! I wish I could adopt all 3, and confuse the heck out of visitors when they try to remember who’s who.
That is all.
ok, that wasn’t all: perhaps you should add a few photos of the black kitties playing or otherwise being awesome, to their Petsmart cages–remind folks that monochromatic doesn’t equal boring!
That’s an interesting idea – what if the Petsmart had one of those picture frames so you could see what the cats are like in more natural circumstances?
I keep thinking about this…Petsmart and associated shelters/non-profits need to team up with some of the technology companies to get these places more “connected”. My local Petsmart has photo albums, but this day and age we need something more interactive for people because the kitties are so far removed, behind glass in the cages. Someone smarter than me (I’m a confessed technophobe!) needs to come up with something and look for funding, like from Bill Gates’ Foundation.
I just had to let you know that I have been looking forward to your posts every day esp the ones with the refusing-to-like-the-pond ducks and your beautiful chickens! Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love your cats and kittens too but I live vicariously through you with your chickens and ducks since one day I want to have some too!
I’m glad you enjoy them, Debbie – I always get a little worried that people will be like “Oh, great, MORE DUCKS!” 🙂
your ducks might not like the pond, but at least they aren’t this bad
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2012/01/26/funny-pictures-best-pond-we-could-get/
HA – oddly enough, someone just posted that on my Facebook wall. 🙂 It makes me want to drag a toilet out to the back forty to get a picture of the ducks in it, because I KNOW they’d love it!
Well how silly, as if it’s vampires (sparkley ones at that) that have black cats…
I, of course, always thought he was named after the drink… though that’s spelled different and ends with an s… And pronounced a little different… Silly me, it’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear his full name! Maybe I need a drink? 😀
So when are you gonna show us what Tom and the other camera wearing kittehs have been filming? it’s gonna take FOREVER to edit…
(Yes, I know it’s not a camera.)
The detail on Mrs. Clean’s chest feathers is remarkable. I’m fighting urges to pet her through the screen.
Now that we’ve had our “new” old man kitty for a few days, I’ve learned a couple things. First of all, he is the sweetest, gentlest, mellowest, most smooshable lover of a kitty I’ve ever had. Second, photographing black cats is HARD!! You would think 15 years of loving and photographing a black lab would have prepared me… but no (truth be told I couldn’t get a good picture of him either). I’m going to have to start studying your photos and learn from the master.