Hummingbirds at the feeders

This little video was taken on the morning of May 26th, a time when it was quite the feeding frenzy. I believe the females were preparing for the time they'll spend in their nests caring for their young. 


We've been enjoying these amazing birds for several years now and I've learned the females will be back at the feeders in droves before summer's end to fatten up for their migration south. They will be smaller than their babies who have left the nest and we'll be busy keeping the feeders filled at that time. Right now, it's a bit quieter at the feeders. We have one particular hummingbird who is quite territorial and perches himself in the chain of the hanging basket, keeping watch over HIS feeder and going after all others.


The second video shows how crazy it got at the feeders. They prefer this particular one. Sorry about the TV going on in the background, I was amazed at how many were flocking to that feeder and I just grabbed my camera to capture all the activity.

Backyard Delights

On Friday, I bought hubs a birthday present - a Virginia Creeper, thinking it was the next best thing to Boston Ivy which is what he really prefers. Wrong! I had to take it back after learning how invasive they are and "just where is it supposed to go?", he asks. Doh! 

So, back to the nursery I went on Saturday, exchanging the Creeper for these Rodgersias, only to learn after I got home that they are hard to grow and prefer a wet, bog type soil. Oops! "Don't you read the tags on these things?", he asks. Um, my glasses were in the car. We chose a spot that gets dappled shade and less chance of drying out. We shall see how they manage and after 24 hrs of being transplanted, I see no signs of stress. They are wonderfully fragrant.

Since I had my camera out, I snapped a few shots of other pretty things growing in our yard.

Johnny-Jump-Ups 

Bumble bees enjoying the chive flowers.

Flowers on the pom pom tree

Black current

Red current

Cedar Waxwings

Hubs was happily tending to tandoori chicken on the bbq, while the dogs enjoyed some fresh air and the scent of food cooking. Colby Blind Guy was busy barking and chasing after birds when hubs noticed our silver maple and crab apple tree was a focal point for these beautiful Cedar Waxwings. He called for me to get my camera but I could only hobble to fetch my it while complaining my sprained ankle hurt too much and could he please snap a shot or two.

They were hastily taken (blind guy barking them into flight) and a bit dark so photoshop and my handy-dandy skills went to work and here are the results. I love these birds.

Sweet tiny hummingbird nest (umm... maybe just a small bird's nest)

Hubs just came in and handed me this adorable little hummingbird nest. He found it on the ground beneath one of our maples so I guess the wind must have blown it off its perch.


It's so sweet and perfect, even fur lined with what I suspect is my dogs fur. My Blind Guy Colby has very coarse fur but his winter undercoat is much finer and we had been brushing the boys outdoors to help the shedding along.

I'm Moving....

Well, no... I'm not really moving. 


I'm moving some of my vintage photos that I'm willing to part with over to my other blog. And then, I'm pinning them to my virtual board over at Pinterest.com

I just posted about it here... fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com

Pinterest is a great thing, I think. I was invited quite some time ago but never really paid much attention but now... I'm getting on to a new addiction.

My Vintage Blog

Come see! I have just posted on my new blog with a recent find of roly poly glasses.
The picture taking process is a chore! I took over 200 pictures this past weekend, playing with settings on my camera and dealing with lighting issues. And pretty much all the items I photographed weren't even my vintage finds... they were jewellery. These items will most likely be listed on eBay when the time comes. 
It's my goal to be as true to the items in quality and colour as though one is viewing the item in person. My integrity is of utmost importance so my images must represent what I'm offering. Learning curves are good, not fun, but good. 


http://fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com/

If you were a 'slogan', what would you say?

I've decided to create a new blog for my 'store'. I think the artwork looks fab! LOL! I had removed the halftone pattern from my retro gal but realized later that  she's large enough that I can keep the 'effect' so I put it back in... you know, those vintage romance comic books with giant dots in the flesh tones. (I could explain those dots in a technical manner, me coming from long career in print, but that's just boring and feels too much like work).

What I hope to do is showcase items and link to my esty store. I guess I need to network and link up with fellow vintage junkies and hope to get some traffic to my store. I never knew there would be so much to just putting stuff online to sell but I've been doing my homework for a long time and I'm sure this is the reason I've been dragging my butt. And, what if I run out of stuff to sell? I have ideas running through my head on that one... local auctions and a gal pal that I need to contact to see if she'll drag me along. I'd be lost at an auction and maybe even a tad intimidated.
 
Anyway... I need a slogan for my blog. Take a peek ... http://fabfindsgentlertimes.blogspot.com/


There's a large gap under 'from gentler times' and I feel the need to put something in there. But what? Any suggestions are welcome. Perhaps I should just leave it as is. At any rate, I need to keep moving on this for some reasons I can't get into... reasons that makes me crazy to even think about so I'll spare the details. Mostly though, this vintage venture is a passion I've wanted to pursue for a long time.