Doves! Doves all over the yard!  They eat continually, leave droppings on everything and build nests.... what a life!  I enjoy their cooing and they are attractive but that said, personally I think they are about the stupidest birds around. They build nests on top of slick metal trailers, piles of wood, flower pots.... anything they can lay or wedge a stick in.  Of course  a large percentage of the nests blow away. Perhaps that is why they build so many. 

This one actually was smart and anchored her
 nest material under the edges of the old Christmas lights that were wrapped around the tree limbs.



Here is a bakers rack on my patio. Note the square looking pot on the top left shelf.
                                                    

Somehow, my cats didn't seem to notice the comings and goings of the parent birds. But to be sure, I placed a large plastic picnic plate in front of the nest which gave me peace of mind at least.


I really breathed a sigh of relief when the "kids" finally left the nest.

But this!  ???

This is an ornamental bird cage completely enclosed, with a votive candle inside.  The pair must have spent days gathering their perfect material and poking it through the wires.

I sort of feel sad for them.....

Did you ever notice?

The same exact letters compose the words

LISTEN

and

SILENT

Rambling thoughts and comments.....

Earth Day; 22 April 2012 
Celebrate our Mother Earth every day.

I am still in the desert. The trees and cactus are blooming, the colors are a treat in this dry, dusty land. They only last a few weeks but long enough to give you thoughts of gardens.  I have a small garden in assorted pots and containers. The ground here is just too hard to deal with and sucks up too much precious water. My plants are thriving and I have already enjoyed a few tomatoes from it along with basil and chives. I will be sad to walk away and leave it all to dry up in the heat but there's no one to water them. I plan to bring back a timed watering system this Fall when I return. But that is just a small note on a looong list of repairs and wants.

This is Ember, he is a good travel companion and very little bothers him as we travel. When stationary he is quite a hunter. He brings lizards, desert bunnies and ground squirrels into the house and turns them loose. Sometimes he will catch them and take them back outside. But generally they are gifts--  he drops them and lets me chase and retrieve them. Oh gee, thanks Ember! You shouldn't have---really you shouldn't.

It is time for us to be heading for a cooler area, as the temperature here has hit over 100 degrees in the past week.  Shoulda, coulda,......there are so many details to work on before pulling out for the Summer months.....it is so much easier to say "tomorrow" and sit under the  A/C with a book. But the Pacific coast is calling to me so I had better get the van prepped and loaded soon.

Coffee or Tea?

So you like your morning coffee?  I've read that the most expensive coffee and low-production variety  in the world is kopi luwak from Indonesia. Only about 500 pounds are produced each year so it sells for up to $600 a pound. It is said to be smooth and sweet with a bit of caramel and chocolate flavor. Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

Well, before you brew up that cup I must tell you that the coffee beans were originally eaten by a Asian Civet cat, a weasel type animal.

The civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In the day and a half passage through the civet's stomach and intestines, enzymes seep into the beans, changing the amino acid content. Then, brace yourself, they are pooped out, yes I said pooped out, all the while keeping their shape. Are you still reading? Then they are gathered from the forest floor, washed, sun dried and lightly roasted so as to keep the many intertwined flavors and lack of bitterness.

Oh, you say that you prefer tea?

~*~*~*~

More pictures and information on the civet;
 http://a-z-animals.com/animals/asian-palm-civet/

More about kopi luwak; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak

Remember...

If you don't want anyone to know,

don't do it!

Good intentions....but....

I thought my idea of posting a new word weekly would work. But my mind jumps around and flitters here and yon . My weekly word didn't get posted but twice and then not on time.  So "forgetaboutit."

No more attempts at a schedule, no set formats...I will wing it. Okay?

Bee update

The bee swarm doesn't seem to planning a move anytime soon. I have left the lid off the box, the sun is shinning on it most of the day and last week we had strong winds with gusts 40 mph and more. You would think the bees would have been blown away. But no, the tenacious little creatures are still in the water valve box and busy building a new comb. **sigh** I have tried getting someone to come collect them, take them away....please! But I haven't even had one return phone call. No, I do not want to becaome a bee keeper as some have suggested....I don't even like the taste of honey.

UPDATE on the Update: 20 March 2012
I avoided going near the bees, hoping they would decide that living in a plastic box in the ground wasn't the best for them.  After waiting for 2 weeks for assistance from a bee collector I checked on them one evening and found all of them lying in the bottom...dead. I swear no one poisoned them. Perhaps the weather was wrong, perhaps the bugs caught a "bug". I'm sorry they died but I have to admit that I am relieved that the problem was solved for me.