Blue and Yellow!

This morning, I dragged Hubby out of bed at daybreak! "Get up! It is time to go pick BLUEBERRIES!" I said none too softly. I was excited! My brother had offered to let us come to his garden and pick all the blueberries that we wanted..and I wanted a lot! I love blueberries! He had told me to get to the garden early because it would be hot..and he was not lying! It was hot..very hot..even before seven in the morning. I woke Hubby up about six in the morning so we could get an early start. By the time he dressed, drank coffee and finally decided that it was time to set out, it was nearly seven. Ugh..hot! My brother's garden is about a fifteen minute drive from our house so we were getting a late start according to my preset time schedule. Not good..I knew just what we were facing when we drove up to his place. The garden is situated far in the back of his property and is surrounded on three sides by wooded areas. This blocked all winds from ever reaching us..not that my nice bay breeze would have ever followed me that far north! But, I was happy! Everywhere I looked there were blueberries! Beautiful, plump blueberries!

We picked for nearly an hour. I am happy to say that my bucket was filled..Hubby's? Well, lets just say that I think he ate a few! Still, all in all, we went home with right at eleven pounds of the little blue gems! These were washed and double-washed then bagged and put in the freezer. I would have made a pie immediately but I had just pulled two cheesecakes from the oven..the blueberries would have to wait.

The temperature continued to soar to the hundred degree mark again today. At about noon, I decided it was quitting time. I gathered my camera and headed out the front door to my favorite chair..the bird-watching chair! As I was sitting there today, the Yellow-shafted Flickers paid a visit and brought their two young'uns with them. They never actually hit the feeders but stayed on the ground gathering bugs. From the looks of them, I do believe they were teaching their little ones to catch ants! I knew that I liked these birds! After a bit, they flew up on a branch and made such a ruckus that all the other birds scattered! Around the start of the year, I posted a picture of a feather from one of these birds. In comparing that picture with the one of the birds, it is easy to see the "yellow shaft". The feather itself has an unusual shaped tip. It sort of looks like it has been trimmed to a point. This point is an adaptation to allow the bird to steady itself on the sides of trees. The feathers almost "dig in" on the tree trunk and help the Flicker perch on the sides of trees..an usual position of woodpeckers. By its coloring and size, it is easy to see why many people mistakenly identify this as the Red-bellied Woodpecker. The black bib and malar (moustache) of the Flicker are a definitive factor in keeping the identities of the two birds separate.