Attacked

When I looked out the window this morning, I saw that an animal had attacked our bluebird nesting box. The nest had been occupied by a pair of sparrows.

I do not know if a raccoon or opossum attacked the nest or if it was another bird.

I did see blue jay feathers mixed with the remains, but the feathers may just have been part of the materials to build the nest.

Hay

There are two areas in our yard that are more dirt than grass. One is on the side of the house and one is near the pond.

We raked the areas, seeded, and then put down shredded hay. Shredded hay is hay that has been cut into small pieces.

It turns out that the ducks and deer seem to enjoy eating the hay near the pond. That would be bad enough. However, Danny loves to roll in this.

I am not sure if he likes the smell or the feel of the hay as he rolls in it.

Trying to brush the hay out of Danny's hair takes a lot of patience.

To Linda

Hi Maine Mom -

It has been 18 months that I have been living in Connecticut and life is still good. Well, at least most of the time.

I don’t like ears, teeth and nails day. That is when Mom cleans my ears, brushes my teeth and Dad trims my nails. The only good part is that I always get a treat when we are finished.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, my coat has started growing even longer and thicker. Mom can’t figure it out – she says that should happen in winter. As you can guess, this leads to extra brushing and the vacuum always seems to be going.

Mom and Dad travel to see family a lot and I always get to go along. I love car rides, but when we are stuck in traffic (which happens a lot on I-95 to NY), I begin to pant. I even have my own Eukanuba tote bag filled with towels, bowls and a spare leash so I’m always ready to travel.

I love to chase the deer and woodchuck in the yard. Most of the time, I ignore the ducks. However, the other morning, I ran after them (at the edge of the pond) and ended up covered in mud. Mom was NOT happy, but she couldn’t help but laugh at how I looked.

I hope you are as happy as I am.

Love -
Danny

Corn - the Universal Food

I never thought much about corn. Sure, I like corn, especially Silver Queen corn on the cob, but it's just a vegetable.

However, the other morning, I fed Maddy and Paddy their corn and I noticed what they didn't eat, the squirrels and blue jays ate. A little while later, the deer were in the same spot, looking for leftovers.

That got me thinking about all the livestock that eat corn and I realized corn really is a universal food.

This is not a profound revelation, but it is more than I usually think about at 6:00 am while walking the dog.

Where's Hummer ?

The feeder is out and I am waiting for the first hummingbirds to arrive.

I read that hummers usually arrive in CT in mid-April, but I haven't spotted any yet.

Perhaps having some colorful flowers out would also help attract these tiny birds, but they also attract the woodchuck

Sunny Days

On these beautiful Spring afternoons, Danny likes to soak up the sunshine.

Danny seems to never tire of chasing the tennis ball. After a long day at work, I always look forward to some play time with my favorite pup.

Spring in our backyard

Here are some pictures of the spring flowers in our yard.

A lot of the bulbs are just starting to flower.

While driving to the grocery store early this morning, I saw a female mallard lying in the road near our home. She had been hit by a car and did not survive. I was worried that this might be Maddy.

Luckily, when I got back home and began to unload the car, there was Maddy - swimming as fast as she could across the pond and quacking for breakfast.

Look who we met at Union Station...

Giant Pandas

While in Washington DC, we visited the National Zoo.

I had wanted to see Tai Shan (panda cub) when he was first born in 2005. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to visit.

Tai Shan is now a big boy, weighing 170 pounds (top picture).

We were lucky enough to get great views of all 3 pandas.

Several of the zoo habitats are under renovation, but we did get to see some of the big cats.

Taking your ducks on vacation

Many of you know about our pet ducks, Maddy and Paddy. Well, we took them on vacation to Washington DC with us. Here they are at the Washington National Zoo, the Washington Monument, the Cherry Blossoms around the tidal basin, at the Korean Veterans Memorial, and of course, the Lincoln Memorial.

Danny's vacation

While we were in Washington, DC, Danny was with family on Long Island.

When we went to pick him up, I thought he looked very tired. My niece proudly announced that she had walked him 3 miles that day!

Other than the many walks, Danny used the time away to catch up on his reading.

Cherry Blossoms

We spent the weekend in Washington, DC.

I have always wanted to see the cherry trees in bloom and decided this was the year. I went to the National Park website and tracked the bud progression. Based upon the comments, I tried to pick a weekend close to the peak bloom time.

We actually missed the peak by 2 days, but the trees were magnificent.

We walked from the Washington Monument to the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Korean War Memorial.

As we walked around the tidal basin, you could smell the sweet scent of cherry. When the wind blew, it was as if pink and white confetti was being sprinkled in the air.

The sun was shining and you couldn't help but smile at such a beautiful site.

As you wander the mall, there is also a sense of sadness. How can you visit the WWII Memorial which honors the 400,00 soldiers who died fighting or the Vietnam Wall with each name representing a son, husband, or father and not want to cry at the great loss of life?

In the evening, we went on a Monuments by Moonlight Tour. The tour was great. We learned a lot about Washington, DC.

In the evening, there are fewer people, and in the dark all your senses are sharper. The waterfall at the FDR Memorial was incredibly loud and the Lincoln Memorial was breathtaking.

Wood Ducks

In the early morning, there is a pair of wood ducks on the pond.

When you try to approach for a closer look, they immediately fly off.

The Final Four

The UNC men's basketball team is in the NCAA Final Four!

UNC will face Kansas on Saturday evening. I expect emotions to run high as UNC's coach Roy Williams faces the team he previously coached.

Go Heels!