Two of the cutest little birds and two of the fastest little birds EVER! I've not seen the Red-breasted Nuthatch for almost four years! This year I have several of them ... YaY! Of course, the Chickadee is here year round and there are always tons of them at the feeders. Cuties Cuties Cuties!! 
I cut three red rose buds yesterday and I though to myself .... wonder if I could get lucky and there would be a little jumper in one of them. I looked after I put them in the vase but didn't see anything. Today they are all bloomed out and I was sitting in the chair next to them and noticed a tiny little white thing that seemed to be moving .. put on my glasses and still couldn't tell what it was. Put the Macro lens on the camera and sure enough it was a wee little white jumper. He was so cute .. I always like to photograph little jumping spiders. When I got through taking the photos, I got him on the end of a toothpick and put him outside on one of the shrubs. Went out about 5 mins later to see if he was still there and he was "spinning the silk" :o)
He was over in the old corn field trying to find himself something to eat. He got the corn and came racing across the field, climbed the pole and sat there and ate it :o)
I'm gonna have to buy this little guy a pair of pants ... he is always running around the neighborhood showing off his "manhood". Yeah, he's a proud little dude!
I'm ashamed to admit it but I really like the Windows Live Mail Beta. And, I LOVE the new version of Windows Live Writer. It actually will upload images to my blogger account .... the old version would not.
I downloaded the whole package of Windows Live stuff ... Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery and the over bloated Messenger. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm sure it's a big resource hog :(
If you haven't tried out any of these programs yet, you should. I know, I know, you are saying to yourself "that woman is a total microsoft hater" ..... hahaha and I am! But, I tell ya the Mail and Writer are really cool.
Take it for a test drive WINDOWS LIVE
Today is your day Douglas and I hope it is a good one! Forty-two years ago you came into this world .... OMG where has the time gone? You were such a pretty baby and a handsome little boy. What happened along the way :) Just teasing you "Dougie" ... you are still a handsome guy.
We wish you could be here with us today but I know it is not possible for you to come home at this time. Hopefully, we will see you later on the webcam.
Have a great day and don't over do the partying! I love you very much Doug ... don't ever forget it!
This photo is from your second birthday ....
On your third birthday, your Grandmother made you a clown cake :o)
I have given up the time consuming chore of "FLICKR". Free at last .... FLICKR FREE FLICKR FREE!! It was fun for the last 2 1/2 years but ENOUGH ALREADY! Plus, I found lots of my Hummingbird images plastered all over the interent. I have no use for anyone that steals images and passes them off as their own. You rotten THIEVES!
I will be using my Picasa Web Albums to post images from now on. Sure, they can steal them from PWA too but there is not millions and millions of people searching photos like they are on FLICKR. Maybe I'll start blogging again too :o)
Every time I see these, I have to laugh .... they are all so true!
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played Solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t#9 on this list
AND NOW YOU ARE LAUGHING at yourself.
Last month I went to Dolan's Lake to see if any geese or ducks were there but didn't find any. What I did find was a ton of SNAKES! Everywhere I looked there were snakes. They were in the water, out of the water and in the trees! It was kinda scary after I realized they were all around me ...... eeeeeek! I took some shots and made a quick exit :o)
UPDATE: These snakes have been identified as Midland Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis) Thanks everyone for the emails and helping me with the identification! 
We have set aside this very special day,
to remember those who have gone away.
The fighters of World War I and II,
Korea and Viet Nam just to name a few.
Desert Storm and Afghanistan,
we shouldn't forget a single man.
That goes for our female military too,
we're so grateful to all of you.
We also remember those in Iraq,
that won't be able to come back.
Flowers and flags placed upon the grave,
for those whom - the ultimate gave.
They sacrificed their lives to keep us free,
although some might want to disagree.
In this country, they have that right,
because of those who went to fight.
author unknown
Talk about pouring gasoline on an open fire .... CBS has fueled a big race riot on a lot of internet forums.
Shame on you CBS for bending over to please a couple of so-called Revs. You let that a**hole Sharpton pressure you into firing IMUS. You are no better than the idiots at MSNBC. I'll not be watching MSNBC nor will I be listening to any radio stations that are connected with CBS. And, to all the sponsors that pulled out ....... your products will not be in my house from this day forward.
To the nappy headed ho's on that damn basketball team .... You should be happy now that IMUS has been fired and he can't badmouth you anymore. Oh wait .... you have a long way to go in your young lives and if you think that being called a "nappy headed ho" has ruined your life ... THINK AGAIN. You will be called worse than those three little words from many many white people. I'm sure you call each other Ho's .... so what's the big deal? Oh, I get it now ....... IMUS is WHITE!! Can we all say "Double Standard".
One thing I would like to know .... Who the hell died and made that nappy headed Sharpton GOD? You and your nappy headed friend, Jesse Jacka**, can both rot .... I'm sure there is a place for both of you in the bowels of hell.
Now, let's all vote in nappy headed Obama and see the direction this country takes .... talk about double standards and race cards being played to the hilt.
I must thank Sharpton and Jacka** for turning me into an out of control racist. But, the town I live in has no Blacks and the "N" word rolls off of everyones tongues so smooth. I've never used the word until yesterday. Let me put it this way ..... I did not feel guilty for saying it.
Nappy Headed Ho's .......... still laughing my a** off at that rude comment made by IMUS :o)
Long live IMUS ..... he will be back.
The head honcho at MSNBC is a wussy deluxe! I'm not a big fan of MSNBC and never watch any of their news reports. However, I did watch IMUS .... he was the only thing that crappy station had going for it. I'm so pissed about this whole thing. I've never had anything against the blacks but the remark made by IMUS (nappy headed ho's) literally cracked me up. He said it as a joke .......... what's the big deal. Imus is not a racist BUT those two "Revs" (Sharpton & Jackson) are. Actually, they are two of the biggest racists on this planet. They can get on any news station and say anything they want ....... is any action taken against them? NO
How many times does IMUS have to apologize to that friggin girls basketball team .... the group of "nappy headed hos'? He shouldn't have apologized to them at all. He should have just said "F*** em' if they can't take a joke".
It is perfectly ok for the blacks to call the whites all kinds of names but not the other way around. And another thing, we don't have "White Entertainment TV" but they have "Black Entertainment TV". We don't have "White Miss America" but they have "Black Miss America". However, we do see black women in the "Miss America" pageant but no whites in the "Black Miss America" pageant. What's up with that? Who are the racists in that situation .... can we all say "Blacks". Or, should we just call them "nappy headed ho's" from now on.
Yeah, let's ban the words "nappy" and "ho" from the english language. Ban the word "ho" and those black rap artists wouldn't have anything to "rap" about. It's all about their ho's and their bitches. Puleeeeeeeeeeeez!! And, they call that stuff music.
Nuff said about the "nappy headed ho's". Anyone that knows me will tell you that I'm not a racist. I have always hated the "N" word and never used it ....... that may change in the near future.
Long live IMUS! I've been a fan for years and will remain so. MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves. They buckled under to pressure brought on by Sharpton and Jackson .... they must worship those two babbling idiots!
One more thing ..... Rev Sharpton and Rev Jackson STFU!!!
You must look at this image in a larger size. I threw some BOSS on the table so the Cardinals would be shielded from the strong cold wind while they were eating. This guy was the first one to check it out so I decided to take a shot of him. Just look at that little pink tongue :o) He is a true beauty!
The little birds were having a hell of a time flying and hanging on the the branches today. Wind Wind and more Wind! A cold "chill you to the bone" type of wind. A lot of ruffled feathers out there. 
The Cardinals and the Bluejays were wild and wicked looking :o) It managed to snow a bit and then the wind blew it all away. I'm beginning to think this will be the winter of NO SNOW.
I posted a couple of the male Cardinal on my other blog :o) HERE
The male and female Northern Cardinal are two of the prettiest birds in North America. They know when I'm going to bring the food out and they are waiting. I lost some of my Cardinals when they cut down the big tree in my front yard but they are starting to come back. I have around 20-25 of them eating at the feeders right before daylight and right before sundown. 
They look so beautiful in the late evening sun. They are the prettiest when sitting in snow covered trees but as luck would have it, we haven't had any snow this year!
Check out the Snow Geese photos on my other blog The Nature of Things
There are four little Chickadees that stay at the feeders all day long grabbing the sunflower seeds. They are busy little "dees". This shot was taken today and you can see the rest of the Chickadee images in my Picasa Web Albums
More "hillary cartoons" at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System
Albie is not too happy with his new hooded sweatshirt! Oh well, he will have to get used to wearing it because I think he looks quite dapper in the "hoodie".
Poor Albs is looking a little shaggy these days .... time for a haircut!
This Downy Woodpecker has become a regular at the feeders. He comes several times a day to grab a peanut!
The female Downy has started coming over also but not as much as the male. Hopefully, she will become a more frequent visitor along with her mate :o)
He finally saw me in the window and took off! He will be back soon!
I've been watching this fox for a long time. He finally got brave enough to come and stand across the road. I had the camera on the tripod at the bedroom window so I managed to get several good shots of him. He stayed for awhile and then took off for the creek. About 20 minutes later I saw him shoot out of the trees like a streak of lightning .... he ran across two open fields then he was out of sight. About 5 minutes after that a Coyote came running out of the woods in the same spot as the fox so my guess would be that the Coyote scared the crap out of the little fox :o)
My Mother gave me this cute Birthday card for my happy 58th :o) She knows how much I love dogs and birds so it was the perfect card for me. We went shopping and did lunch for my bday ..... nothing spectacular but we had fun! In two short years I will be 60 (gasp) .......... doesn't seem possible. Time really flies the older you get too :(
Feedster has selected the Top 500 Weblogs. Guess that would be their opinion ..... not mine. Some of them I read on a daily basis but most of them are a waste of time. Anyway, it is an interesting list of blogs!
DARN IT ..... my blog was not on the list!! bwaaaaaahahaha
Windows Live Writer (beta). I don't think this thing is gonna work so well with Blogger. If it doesn't upload images, I won't use it!
Well I just tried to upload an image with this post. It says that Blogger doesn't accept images. ha What a crock! I should have known that anything produced by Micro$oft isn't going to play nice with a "GOOGLE" product :o) Too bad ....
The baby Barn Swallows are almost ready to leave the nest! I have been watching them each day and I think today is the DAY!! Sure doesn't take them long to mature ..... they just had tiny tuffs of feathers 6 days ago. Now they are fully "feathered" and standing on the side of the nest anxious to fly!
Four days until my Flickr Pro account expires. Still haven't made up my mind about renewing the account. Supporting a site that openly displays porn on public pages is not my thing! Flickr ......... you should clean up your act or quit advertising your site as "family oriented". Shame on you, Flickr!!
I found a couple of these birds the last time I went to Dolan's Lake. I think they are one of the most beautiful birds in North America. I don't see them often though.
I just love driving down a country road and seeing these lovely SweetPeas blooming along the side.
There is a big field across from my place and a little creek runs through the middle of the field. I was standing outside the other evening, taking some shots of little rabbits playing in the field and eating the new little soybean plants, and I just happened to glance over towards the creek and there she stood! She knew I was watching her and she made an attempt to go back across the creek but she didn't. Too my surprise she walked on down the creek and then turned around and came back to this same spot. Of course she kept her eye on me the whole time. The sun was sinking fast and most of the photos didn't turn out like I would have hoped but this one is half way decent.
Totally cool camera! I ordered it on Tuesday and received it yesterday, Thursday. Newegg.com and FedEX are fast fast fast! Do I love it ...... of course I do! Lots of improvements over the original Digital Rebel. More bells and whistles! The larger LCD is wonderful. I can actually see the preview without putting on my glasses!
Will I be able to shoot better images ... NO Some people actually think that buying a new camera (DSLR + more megapixels + more bells & whistles) will enable them to produce beautiful photos. This is sooooooooo not true! I have seen beautiful images created with a P&S 2mp camera. It all depends on the person behind the camera and sometimes the glass in front of the camera! ha I don't have the best glass (no L's in my bag) in front of my Canon but my photos don't look all that shabby.
And, of course I haven't even had a chance to shoot anything with the new 30D yet because it is RAINING! It always happens to me .... buy a new camera or a new lens and it will rain for days! It does look like the rain may be ending later today tho. I certainly hope so .... my "shutter" finger is getting real "itchy" .... gotta try this new toy out. Who knows, maybe I won't like the 30D as much as I thought I would and send it back :o) NOT A CHANCE IN HELL of that happening!
Two of these cute little "Chippers" appeared at my feeder yesterday and stayed all day. I haven't seen one of these in a long time! They haven't been here at all today :(
What a cool laptop!! I finally received this last Friday after ordering it on March 12. Don't order brand new computers from DELL because the wait is too long :o) The other two computers I ordered from DELL were at my door 5 days after ordering!
The screen on this thing is "da bomb". Graphics look absolutely FANTASTIC! I got the 15.4" UltraSharp™ Wide Screen SXGA Plus Display with TrueLife™, Windows® XP Media Center 2005, Intel® Core™ Duo processor and a 24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive (didn't get DVD burner because I already have that in one of the desktops). Internal wireless 802.11g and all the other usual stuff .. haha The Core Duo Processor totally ROCKS! Now I wish I had this processor in my newest desktop :( The only thing I don't like is the Windows XP Media Center 2005 edition. When I reinstall the OS (which will be ASAP), I won't reinstall the Media Center. It is nothing but a hog on memory and resources and I have no use for it. Plus, DELL is always compelled to load up a new computer with tons of "bloatware". I have never seen so much crap preloaded before on a DELL. Oh well, it is all going bye-bye :o)
So far "I'M LOVIN IT"
Oh No ... He was my all time favorite comedy actor from the old TV shows. The "pickle" episode always made me laugh no matter how many times I saw it!
LOS ANGELES Feb 25, 2006 (AP)— Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 81.
Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said Paul Ward, a spokesman for the cable network TV Land, which airs "The Andy Griffith Show," and another Knotts hit, "Three's Company."
Unspecified health problems had forced him to cancel an appearance in his native Morgantown in August 2005.
The West Virginia-born actor's half-century career included seven TV series and more than 25 films, but it was the Griffith show that brought him TV immortality and five Emmies.
The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and have spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.
As the bug-eyed deputy to Griffith, Knotts carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.
Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and doesn't mind being remembered that way.
His favorite episodes, he said, were "The Pickle Story," where Aunt Bea makes pickles no one can eat, and "Barney and the Choir," where no one can stop him from singing.
"I can't sing. It makes me sad that I can't sing or dance well enough to be in a musical, but I'm just not talented in that way," he lamented. "It's one of my weaknesses.
I have tried all morning to upload a photo to Flickr but with no luck. This has never happened before. Wonder what the problem is? I've tried using 3 different uploaders for Flickr and tried to upload from the site. EGADS I'm having Flickr withdrawls!! I suppose I'll just wait until tomorrow to upload my photo. Maybe they have banned me from Flickr :o)
He's on a "Sugar High Flight"
Originally uploaded by Digital Gurl.
It's gotta be a TOOTSIE ROLL :o)
It's Mozart's 250th birthday today! One of the all time great composers of music!
It's a birthday bash being heard around the world. The cobblestoned and turreted city of Mozart's birth was the focal point for Friday's 250th anniversary celebrations - but the sound of the master's music was being heard around the globe.
Orchestras halls and opera houses worldwide planned performances of his works. Piano students scheduled Mozart marathons and puppeteers were planning jubilee performances as hundreds of cities across five continents toasted the musical genius.
For mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager, Mozart is "a gift from God" and "the light I orient my life around."
Salzburg cabbie Andrea Gautsch put it more simply Friday: "For us, Mozart came with mother's milk." continue reading
I just ordered my own Christmas present! The "Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon AF". I have wanted this lens for quite sometime but was going to wait until spring to order it. But, then I thought "why not order it now and really run up the old credit cards" ... haha After all, it is Christmas time :O) I ordered the "Sigma Electronic Flash EF 500 DG Super for Canon AF" and a cable shutter release a couple of weeks ago. I haven't messed with the flash much yet but I'm sure it has to be much better than the "on-board" flash on the Rebel. I have read good reports about this Sigma flash in all the photography forums. I should receive the new Macro lens on Dec 21st. I just love it when that "brown" truck pulls up in front of my house!
