This is the courtyard at the front of our house close to sunset time.
Every morning we leave by the front door to go on our walk. We’re always surprised at what we find.
Every morning without fail, we receive little gifts like this at our front door.
We decided to move the camera I got to the front door so we could see who or what is doing this. Our bet is a rabbit.
What are your guesses? Do you think it’s a rabbit or someother wildlife?
We spotted this mule deer on our morning walk.
I did a double take on our morning walk. We were on a cul-de-sac and I saw in the distance what I thought was a statue of a deer. I wondered when the neighbors put it up?
Then the ears twitched and I realized “WOW! It’s alive.”
I’m always surprised when I encounter wildlife in our neighborhood. I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it?
This deer didn’t seem afraid of us and I crept closer and closer to get a photo. She didn’t move.
My husband commented on how secure the deer seemed.
“Well, it’s very nice neighborhood with very little crime,” I said. We left the deer alone after I got some good photos and continued on our walk.
What delightful surprises or sights have you had lately?
Outside my window.
I was focused on my laptop at the small round table next to the window in the casita. I glanced up and to my surprise I saw three bobcats!
First was the mother, who has been a visitor for the two years we’ve lived here. Following her were two kittens (one is above.) They looked healthy yet somewhat gangly like preteens. Their coats were practically white while momma had a deeper tan with darker spots.
I finally reached for my phone and captured this one shot. The momma and other kitten had walked through our yard out of view from the casita.
“Bill! Bill! Bobcats!” I yelled for my husband as I ran down the hallway to our living room. He had left the kitchen door open with only the screen door closed. The bobcats scurried away when they heard my frantic voice.
It was such a sight! I wish I’d captured them on camera or that my husband could have seen them. Instead of yelling I should have been stealthy and quiet — we might have had them in our yard for an hour or two.
The word that came to mind this morning as I woke up was gratitude. I’m grateful for these wild creatures in my world.
What are you grateful for today?
On my morning walk I saw a huge coyote run across the street into my friend’s yard. I marveled at his beauty and wasn’t afraid like I’ve been before with a coyote sighting. His speed told me he wanted to get far away from us.
Olive the cat and I watched quail in our backyard. They were squawking and fighting as they scouted for birdseed. I’m amazed at how quickly the babies grew up. All the quail are the same size now. I wonder if the quail stay together as families from newborn chicks through adulthood?
I’ve been fascinated watching Harris hawks glide and circle above my backyard. I’ve tried to video them, but it’s difficult because the sun is in my eyes and I can’t see if I’m capturing them. Perhaps I shouldn’t put birdseed out because it attracts the quail — who then are prey for the hawks. I should have learned my lessons when the hawk crashed into a window and broke it!
I went to the hardware and grocery store and everything I needed was in stock. In the spring there were empty shelves. I remember looking for Tater Tots for weeks, but they weren’t available. We were having friends over for burgers and I wanted to serve Tater Tots.
During the pandemic, I would grocery shop for my dad who was in his late 80s (he’s 90 now). We didn’t feel it was safe for him at his age to go out. I felt like I was putting my life in danger grocery shopping. They were always out of my dad’s favorite Jimmy Dean’s sausage, egg and cheese biscuits.
Who would have thought Tater Tots and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches would be in demand during a pandemic?
Besides toilet paper, what do you remember having trouble finding during the pandemic?
When I sat down at my laptop yesterday morning something didn’t look right. The folder on my desktop called “All My Files” wasn’t there. It was there before I went to sleep. Gone 10 hours later.
I googled how to restore files. How to find files. Apparently the OS I’m using can hide documents from view. I went through five ways to find my files. I went to icloud. My missing files are still missing.
Finally. I went to the Apple website to book an appointment at the local “genius bar.” Instead I clicked on “call.” They called within seconds. I spent more than three hours on the phone yesterday with two techs. They searched near and far and in the cloud for my files. They both asked me if I had backed up my files on a thumb drive or external hard drive.
“No.”
What was I thinking about? Why didn’t I? I realized it had to do with our move. My two external hard drives that used to sit by my computer at home….didn’t make it back to that handy place where I used them. Out of sight. Out of mind.
I found my bright orange La Cie external hard drive and it’s now sitting next to my computer. I won’t make the mistake thinking my computer automatically stores all my files on icloud. Some files are there. But the ones most important to me are not. My entire NaNoWriMo 50,000-word manuscript is gone. My newsletter files are gone. There’s a gap of a few days in May when I finished the newsletter that are missing. There’s a month when I wrote the manuscript that is gone.
I had both of these files open on my laptop. Where did they go?
I’ve learned my lesson to make copies and backups.
My case with Apple has been escalated to engineering. They “may” be able to restore my hard drive with all my files. Or they may not.
I’ll let you know tomorrow. In any case they were very helpful and didn’t chastise me for not backing up. But I learned my lesson. What’s left is backed up.
How often do you backup your computer? Have you experienced a computer snafu that stressed you out? What was it?
When the bobcat arrives our yard is deathly silent. Gone are the squawks of the quail and woodpecker. The bees stop buzzing and the beautiful song of a cardinal is nowhere to be heard.
Normally our backyard is alive with sounds. I’ve spotted baby quails when I’m walking around the neighborhood. I put out seed on the ground outside the casita this week. I was thrilled when a family of quail visited our yard! They are the tiniest, cutest little things. The babies follow mom and dad in a line.
Here’s a video of the quail family eating the birdseed.
Another joyful sight was a cardinal who is enjoying the seed I put out. He is so gorgeous and his song is beautiful, too.
I had stopped feeding the birds last year because a hawk flew into a window with a plump quail in its beak. The window was broken and it scared me to death. I got a bill for $600 to replace the double-paned window. The quail and hawk survived, though.
But I’m back to putting out seed a year later. I hope I don’t have a repeat of the hawk incident. I’m enjoying the bird and bobcat watching. It’s truly wild!
Do you enjoy bird watching where you live? What types of birds do you have?
What type of wildlife do you have?
There is a warmth in the air along with the delicious scent of jasmine. Looking around, I see signs that the cold winds of winter have left us. I see blooms and buds on my daily walks. Each day brings something new.
What signs are telling you Spring is in the air? Do you see more birds? Blooming plants?
