Socializing and Critters Too!

What was the mundane in our days and weeks is no longer so… Any deviation from the pandemic norm is a welcome diversion from virtual ‘house arrest’.  Still, at my age and with some health concerns too, the option of getting out and about is both tempting and a bit scary as well.  So, for the moment, we’re sticking with our self-isolation.

As I write this, we are in Day 67 of our ‘home-stay’ due to Covid-19…

We’d seen a lot of mama rose-breasted grosbeak but when papa had visited previously, he was in and out in a hurry so photos just didn’t happen.  This time he didn’t seem to be in a hurry and Laurie was able to capture several photos of this colorful bird.

Did you know that rose-breasted grosbeaks have an average maximum lifespan of over 7 years in the wild and that they can live up to 24 years in captivity?  The highest recorded age for one of these birds in the wild is almost 13 years.

Other than a couple of short ‘drive-way safe-distance’ conversations and one back deck ‘socially distanced’ experience at our house, our social life has ‘tanked’, all thanks to Covid-19.  We were excited on this particular day as our friends Larry and Bev had invited us over to their covered patio for a little happy hour experience!  

Larry is a fellow blogger.  You can check out his blog postings at (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com).

Love the plantings at their driveway entrance…  The pampas grass is nicely contrasted by the knock out roses.

Flowers, flowers everywhere!  This was one of the lovely bouquets that Bev had arranged and that greeted us on our arrival to the ‘happy hour’ patio…

We’d only seen Bev and Larry once since Covid-19 and our stay-at-home self-isolation experience began. (That was when they made a driveway drop off consisting of terrific yeast rolls and deviled eggs) This was actually the first instance that we’d ever spent any time on this nicely designed outdoor space.  Sure was good seeing people somewhere other than at our house!

We needed some substance to help us along as we consumed a couple bottles of wine.  Larry furnished some vegetable and shrimp spring rolls with plum sauce, wasabi or spicy mustard.  In addition to some wine, we brought a batch of Laurie’s deviled eggs. (She uses Dijon mustard and small capers in the mixture)

Here was another beautiful bouquet on the patio…

Bev’s sister Pat came by as well but my photo of the two of them didn’t come out well.   Our kudos to Larry, Bev and Pat for helping out friends in need.  Once a week Bev and Larry cook dinner for them.  When the meal was ready to go, Pat made the delivery… Very nice indeed!

This great looking Sweet Bush or Aphrodite is situated right next to their patio.  Its flowers are beautiful!  This showy sweet bush variety with its glossy foliage and beautiful apple-like scented flowers is perfect for planting near an outdoor living space.  The long-lasting flowers are great for floral arrangements and the bush is deer resistant too!

One of Larry and Bev’s neighbors, Steve and Pat, raise these striking Belted Galloway (Oreo) cattle.  They’re in a pasture right across the road.

The Belted Galloway is a Scottish breed of high-quality beef cattle.  They have adapted to live on the poor upland pastures and windswept moors of Scotland.  The origin of these cattle probably ties back to cross-breeding between native Galloway cattle and the Belted Dutch ‘Lakenvelder’ breed.  As of 2015, there were more than 18,000 registered Belted Galloway cattle in the USA.

Laurie was able to capture these nice photos of a Red Bellied Woodpecker visiting our feeders.  When he arrives for a snack, he really hits the feeders with some force and any other birds scatter.

These medium-size woodpeckers breed mainly in the Eastern USA but they do range as far south as Florida, as far north as north central Canada and as far west as the eastern portion of Montana.  The name is somewhat misleading as the most prominent red part of the plumage is on the head.  However, in the first photo you can see part of the ‘red belly’.  These woodpeckers eat insects, fruits, nuts and seeds.  Much to the ‘delight’ of some homeowners, they also like to drum to attract mates, frequently using metal roofs and gutters!

This is Fiona!  She is a new addition to our neighborhood, having just been rescued by our next door neighbors, Sherry and Mike.  She already likes Laurie a lot!  But, I’m guessing that a man mistreated her in her previous life as she’s a bit nervous and shy in the presence of any man.  Those worries will pass as she learns that no harm will come to her via the new men in her life.

So, since she’s not our dog, why am I so happy to see her?  The reason is simple.  Laurie can be Fiona’s aunt and get a regular ‘dog fix’ without us actually owning one of our own.  That is perfect!  Thanks Sherry!!

That’s all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave