Photo by Angie Quantrell
South Cascades, WA state
Photo by Angie Quantrell
mom feathers afluff
dad’s piercing cry, distracting
leads astray, away
distraction by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, a pasture somewhere in the Yakima Valley
This scene took place yesterday after 2 killdeer parents escorted their 3 remaining offspring (they usually lay 4 eggs at a time) right to the RV. I heard loud piercing cries, looked out the side window and there they were, tiny stick-legged babies. Perfectly placed for capture by our magnificent hunter cat, Monet. EEK. Good thing for them, Monet was inside napping. Also, good thing for them, I went racing out to try and shoo them away.
Which was not as easy as one would expect! What with the babies racing in opposite directions (from me and each other) and the parents doing the same, attempting to distract me from the babies. 30 minutes. It took that long to figure out how to get them all close to the horse pasture next to us and hopefully far enough from monster cat to survive.
But along the way, such cuteness and fierce protection from the parents! One parent actually took a dive at me, though my best intentions were to save them. The giant person was threatening.
#lifeinthepasture
It’s a bit blurry (they move fast), but can you spot 3 babies?
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
had my colors done
i’m a spring, bring on flowers;
lookin’ good in pink
in pink by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
spring began, stuttered
winter rushed back, hanging on
dumped a cold white gift
my hat! it’s heavy
my neck bends low, ground view
where did the sun go?
we wait, hope for warmth
wrap our coat-leaves tight, shiver
dreaming of sunbeams
snow hats by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Tieton River Nature Trail, Pacific Northwest
Tic-tac-toe in the garden! The wood chunk topped by an unfinished wood circle is complete and ready for play. The battle is on!
I came home one day to see that my honey had added a table top to the gorgeous log I’ve been hoarding. Yes, cool wood logs are hoard-worthy. 🙂 Thanks to some good friends who shared their haul, I’ve been hanging on to several for just the right project (besides being used as extra seats).
I showed my honey the size and placement of the tic-tac-toe board I was imagining, and off he went to wood burn the game board. Once the top was burned in, play immediately commenced, though the rocks wear not yet ready. My creative grands figured out a plan though, smooth stones versus pointy stones (river rocks and gravel). Perfect!
But Nana just had to have painted river rocks for playing pieces…
A pleasant side benefit is that the tic-tac-toe table also works as a garden table, just right for reading books and eating snacks.
I used mineral oil on top of the unfinished wood, to add just a bit of weather protection. I’m still not sure if I will add more, perhaps wood wax. But I love the mix of bark and unstained wood.
And surprise, as I was oiling the wood, I discovered a praying mantis egg mass on the bark! This table is all around good for the garden!
Ready for the next garden project. Any ideas? What’s in your garden?
upon reflection
holes dripping lost connection
my heart leaking love
leaking love by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Tieton River Nature Trail, Washington state
Love, Laughter, and Life 