The Eggs

According to the Internet, doves always lay two eggs and will have up to 5 broods a spring. In warmer climates they will have up to 8!! Oh, did I mention they like to return to the same nest? I don't think I can take having birds that close to the front window all year. Don't worry about Mark disturbing the Mom to get this photo. Shift change takes place at about 6:10 pm and the eggs are left alone for about 10 minutes. We have no idea who takes the night shift, Hilda or Henry, but I kind of like the arrangement. At least one of them gets to party all night!

Meet Hilda

Hilda is our new pet Mourning Dove. She is married to Henry, a very good husband who takes his turn sitting on their egg at night. Mark, and his darn hanging baskets that look like bird's nests, has attracted this little family to our front patio. At first we thought Hilda was just some crazy bird that liked looking in our front window. The thought occurred to me that she was making a home. Mark checked the planter one day and, sure enough, there was an egg sitting as happy as could be right in the middle of the flowers. At first we were concerned that Hilda was a poor mother with a drinking problem. She would disappear every evening at 6:30 and leave the egg to fend for itself. Then we realize that Henry would show up to take over babysitting duties. That's not to say the Hilda isn't out at the bars but at least she is responsible enough to make sure child care is provided. I'm not really a bird lover but I hope this drama unfolds happily and the family flies away into the sunset. I'll keep you posted.

The Good Old Hockey Game

What do you get when you take a rented beach house add some friendly Americans and Canadians, toss in a couple of cases of beer, some good food and mix it all together with the Canada/U.S Olympic final hockey game? A darn good time - and very little trash talk. The three Americans were very good sports and I think they were secretly rooting for Canada. They didn't want to witness a second outburst of profanity from yours truly. The first one occurred when the U.S. tied the game with 30 seconds on the clock.

I haven't blogged in forever, as my sister pointed out to me. So I will try to post a photoshop layout once a month. I'm now teaching scrapbooking with photoshop to a couple of the customers at the store and I love it. Of course combinding three of my favorite things together is a winning combination - who wouldn't love teaching, scrapbooking and the computer? Don't answer that!
If you are reading this - I miss you!