Walking barefoot on my lawn late at night, feeling the warm summer breeze on my legs and face as I discern the planets from the stars. The cool green blades poking up between my toes and giving way to my heels like a plush green carpet.

Ursa major and Cassiopeia wink down like old friends. The city lights are too bright where I live to make out the other constellations, but their component stars fade in and out like snippets of conversations overheard at a giant, cosmic party.

I used to be able to 'hear' more. Time spent in farm fields, forests and boats during my youth netted me a greater understanding of the sheer vastness of the night sky. Back then the stars used to shout at me. Now they only seem to converse with each other in their own foreign language, without pause to see if I am keeping up. I still endeavor, knowing that if I lose the magic of the stars that I will lose a large portion of my childhood that is still precious to me.

It's ironic that the more we learn about how big our universe is, the less of it we can see.

Labels: Outside, Simple_Pleasures, Yard

That Mallard is still nesting in our planter. I've been afraid to mow our lawn lest I should upset her or somehow usurp nature's balance with an internal combustion engine. Our house was starting to look like one of those garbage houses that you hear about on the news, where the water has been shut off for the past 6 months and the people inside have been pooping into garbage bags.

I couldn't stand it yesterday so I finally mowed the lawn. Much to my amazement the girl was as cool as a cucumber and allowed me to do my thing. I got about my business as fast as I could and now we are no longer an aesthetic blight on suburbia. Except of course that we still cannot plant anything in our planter, because there's a duck already planted there. Squatters, I tell ya!

Here are some pictures I took this morning.
I'm not bashful anymore.
I just opened the front door and leaned out and took these.



I shot a video too:

Labels: Ducks, Flowers, House, Nature, Summer, Video, Yard

The Mallard Hen is now living in our planter full time. The drake has disappeared; according to wikipedia that is normal. I guess he had to run off and do drake things for a while.

A took these photos from the truck when I drove around the front of the house. I just rolled down the passenger window and snapped off a couple of shots.


Here are a couple of closeups (Be sure to click on them to see full size):

From what I read, gestion takes about four weeks. Given that the eggs have been there for a week now and supposing a week or so before they leave the nest, I won't be able to use my front door for the next month, and really shouldn't be mowing my front lawn, either.

I think I'm going to be really popular with the neighbors this summer.

Labels: Ducks, Flowers, House, Life, Nature, Summer, Yard

Two weekends ago When I was clearing the yard I noticed that a bunch of the dead flowers had been removed from the planter out front on our steps.

Last weekend we spotted four eggs in the planter:


On Monday I spotted a mallard couple wandering around in our front yard, and this morning I was able to spy through the sidelight on our front door and actually see the hen, sitting in our planter. Now there are 7 eggs.

These waddling squatters are a welcome addition to our yard, especially after what happened last year. In the mean time, the planter can wait.

Another pleasant surprise this spring were the hostas that I transplanted from my parent's place last summer. Out of the middle of one of the plants sprung up four royal purple tulips, which had obviously mingled into the hosta's root system and been transported unwittingly by me. So mom has been gone for a year and a half but she is still sending me surprises.

Labels: Ducks, Flowers, House, Mom, Yard

These photos were taken out on the patio earlier tonight:

Labels: Flowers, House, Nature, Outside, Yard

It stormed here tonight:







After dinner I tried to lull the child into a false sense of security with a Barney video while I cut his hair. He saw right through it and what followed was nothing short of a wholesale scalping. I think that he has finally reached the age where he has found the notion of me trying to trick him insulting. That or the intrusion upon the sanctity of a Barney video. Like bombing Switzerland or something.

He's in bed now.
All's well that ends well:



Not bad considering he was a moving target.

Labels: DIY_Hairstyling, fatherhood, Nature, Outside, Summer, Yard