Turtles at Inniswood Botanical Garden

The turtles blend right into the rocks. spotted by Laura.
Can you find the turtle?

The turtle photos were taken with Canon 70-200 lens and 6D camera. The signs were captured with my iPhone camera.

Laura and Charlie on the path to see tadpoles snd frogs.

Inniswood Botanical Garden

April 23,2021

Sandhill Cranes -Guest Blog

Photos and text just in from Marlene in Florida.

the Sandhill Cranes –Antigone canadensis

They have a nest behind our site.                    The female and male take turns sitting on the nest.  They walk around the campground checking everyone out.  The other day I missed a great photo when an alligator swam over to the nest.  The male Sandhill poked the alligator with his beak and the alligator swam off.  Notice the red eyes they have.  The male is a few inches taller then the female but hard tell when they are not together.  

Sand Hill Cranes like to look at themselves in our bumper.

 

Owl in Massachusetts Guest Blog

During the Pandemic, I’ve been fortunate to receive photos from family and friends who live in different locations. They contribute to the blog and add interest. This is a collaborative effort by neighbors in Massachusetts.

I received a photo of an owl sitting on a snow covered wall from my longtime friend Linda Dempster.

Photo by Linda Dempster

Later Linda sent me another photo of the owl who’d flown up in a tree. She’d received it from her neighbor. I asked her to ask the neighbor if they’d consent to the owl in the tree photo being posted on the blog. So thank you Linda and neighbor Anne Laibe Bertalino for the interesting owl photos and being the guest bloggers today.

Perfectly framed by the branches.
Photo by Anne Laibe Bertalino.
Look at those owl eyes! Wonderful capture, Anne.

In 2012 my most popular post was from guest blogger Shuey in Florida with his barred owl photo.

Vintage Cat Postcards

Alfred Mainzer was the postcard publisher not the artist, according to this informative article in the Mousebreath Magazine The artist was Eugen Hartung from Switzerland. I have some unused postcards and I see that they sell on Etsy for up to $15 for a single card.  I also have some written on by my father who was a definite fan of these cat cards.  I know he used to buy them in the ’50s  from a card shop in Montclair New Jersey run by Mr. Bert DeCamp.

The artist signed his initials in the corner in a heart which I never noticed before but I read that on Mousebreath   

The Hartung postcards were first published in Switzerland by Max Kunzli of Zurich and then(from the 1940’s onwards) by the Alfred Mainzer Company of Long Island New York.  Each card is signed with the artist’s monogram, a little heart in the lower right corner. (Because of cropping, sometimes the heart gets chopped off.)

Some are printed in Turkey and some printed in Spain.

LOOK WHO IS KNITTING A SOCK (using double point needles)

anthropomorphic cats

A cat is afraid of a runaway mouse?Fabric background by Firecracker  Fabrics.

Red Shouldered Hawk Niceville FL Guest Blog

This is a regular visitor to the local McDonalds.  It was on the ground eating the remains of the meat in a discarded sandwich in the parking lot with several large, black crows around, cawing angrily, but . . . not getting too close.   The crows would hop closer and the hawk would turn it’s head to look at them and they’d quickly back up.  It was fascinating to watch.  Once finished with the meat in the sandwich it flew to the top of this post where I finally thought to snap a pic or two.  As best as I can tell on-line, it’s a Red Shouldered Hawk.   -Shuey

Photographed by Shuey in Niceville FL

 

Shuey’s most viewed  Guest Post was the regal Barred Owl in 2012  the Blue Jerk  was another   Thanks for the wonderful contributions. 

https://rutheh.com/2012/03/12/barred-owl-niceville-florida-guest-post/

 

If You Have a Cat, Crafting With Cat Hair

Did you know there was such a thing? I saw this book for sale at Target.

Crafting With Cat Hair. By Kaori Tsutaya, I’ve been to an art installation with dryer lint sculpture. Not Cat Hair. Yet.

Clearly not for anyone with a cat allergy.

I didn’t open it up to look inside but maybe next time. The price tag just under the book says Dog Shampoo ?

I thought to myself, who would love and use this book?

Here’s what google books says “Got fur balls?Are your favorite sweaters covered with cat hair? Do you love to make quirky and one-of-a-kind crafting projects? If so, then it’s time to throw away your lint roller and curl up with your kitty!Crafting with Cat Hair shows readers how to transform stray clumps of fur into soft and adorable handicrafts. … “

Google Books

Achoo!
Crafting With Cat Hair

Rent a Goat (or a herd)

We were at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden in Oakdale last week.

Here’s a photo of one of the goats helping clear some undesired vegetation. You can rent  goats to help get rid of unwanted vegetation. If you click the Have U Herd link here you can see you can rent goats for parties, too. Who knew?  Not just landscaping!  Environmental friendly.  Interested in Goat Yoga?   Click here to find out more.

An article about Goats in Prospect Park in New York City, New York City Parks Using Goats as a Chemical-Free Weed Control Alternative. They even eat Poison Ivy!

Anna at the Alpaca Farm

My granddaughter Anna (15) is guest blogger today.

She photographed these alpacas at the Smith Mountain Lake Farm in Virginia last weekend.

 

She said the alpacas are nice and don’t spit at you like llamas They are like dogs. Plus they poop in the same place everytime..

Anna, thanks for sending the photos.