“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.

Don’t be impressed with yourself.

Don’t compare yourself with others.

Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”

Galatians chapter 6

Ah, such freedom.

I feel it in my soul.

There has been a great deal of bird activity around my place.  I hear them outside and sneak over to the windows to take a look.  The fledging nestlings are almost grown up and the parents bring them to the feeder.  I laughed at this one female cardinal baby who acted so helpless but by all appearances seems to be big enough to get to the birdseed herself.

She cannot and will not be ignored.  She vibrates her wings up and down and doesn’t stop peeping (begging).  You would think she was starving.

“Here take it!”

“No good.”

It was an empty shell!  Quite funny to see their beaks point down at it, looking. questioning.

I ran outside to fill up the feeders with sunflower seeds just in case the birds were running out.

Juvenile females have a dark beak.

And the mature female’s beak is beautiful orange-red.

It was raining the day I took these photos and all the birds’ feather-coats were clean but disheveled, much to our amusement.

Even Chippy Hackee came for a visit and was stuffing his cheeks full of seeds.

“I know where Chippy is; a little bird told me,” said Mrs. Chippy Hackee.”  ~The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter (we’ve been reading it over and over lately)

KINGFISHER (I love them!) They have feather mohawks and their heads look too big for their body.  They are a beautiful slate-blue color with white and blend in well.  I knew this one was there because of it’s calling sounds.  I was on the porch when I took the photo, and he was way over in the trees over the pond (where he finds little fish to eat).

Look who I found on the roof!

The most beautiful cedar waxwing Mother.

And her baby.

Here’s my baby.  He was outside taking videos of David kicking a soccer ball when I took this photo.  Seth will be 10 in February and I drove him last night to the school to try out the Trumpet, which is his first choice to learn for band.  His second choice is percussion and third, the oboe.  After he was done he asked if he could skip the rest of football practice and I said “No way!” and dropped him off at the field.  Caleb has a slightly hurt knee so I found him dejectedly pacing around listening to his coach (who wanted him to take it easy) and team practice.  I saw Zak, one of Jacob and Ethan’s friends, and chatted with him.  Rich has been gone all week but thank goodness he will be home tonight, Lord willing.

Please pray for my Aunt Carol and Uncle Brian as they just found out that Uncle Brian is facing a serious illness.

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PS, the first photo in this post was of a mother wolf spider.  She’s guarding a nest full of tiny spider babies.