Another Empty Nest

Wow, isn't Google maps great? Got to love those satellite photos. Last Saturday we visited Joe Pool Lake and found a nest of bluebirds. Today I found on the satellite image the very tree where we saw the full nest. Start at the westernmost parking spot, walk to the picnic table covered with a red roof partially shaded by trees, then walk 5 yards further west and there they will be.

Or so we thought. Late this afternoon Gary finished writing a paper he's been working on, so we made a picnic and took off to see if the bluebirds were still there. We were quite disappointed. The nest was completely empty, but it hardly seems those babies were old enough to fledge.

Then we found another spot to have our picnic, and Gary complained that I brought salad with chicken on it instead of hamburgers or sausages to grill. Turns out the previous occupants of this picnic site had left their coals burning, so to stop his complaining I took one thin strip of chicken breast off my salad and roasted it for him. :-)

There wasn't a lot of wildlife to observe at this location, unless you count all the speedboats and waverunners, but there were a few butterflies.

My Astuteness is Commendable

Really, it is. Ms. Tricia said so.

Dear Ms. Simons,

Thank you for inquiring about the fee postings on June 30th and July 3rd. Your astuteness to your accounts is commendable.

Through notifications such as yours, we discovered that EC*Web is reporting the fee twice, however, the fee actually posted to your account only once. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible.

I hope that this information is helpful. Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Tricia
Member Services

And this is yet another example to my kids who think they don't need to balance their checkbooks, "because it is all online."

Let It Rain

We've had very little rain here for a couple years, so when our plans for celebrating Independence Day were interrupted by rain, I could hardly complain.

The rain also caused Gary a problem yesterday. He faithfully watched 113 minutes of scoreless World Cup soccer--in Spanish, no less--and then got up to shut down his computer because a lightning storm was passing through. Just then, Italy scored. So he ran back to watch the rerun, then went back to finish with his computer, and Italy scored again.

Am I Bugging You?

Ugh--bad joke, I know.

I would have said this was a mayfly, but the books says mayflies have tiny antennae.

I think this is a true bug, order hemiptera, but I can't find it in my book.

Leaf-footed bug, order hemiptera.

Grasshopper.


Overheard:

Do you have a tissue? You know I can't chew gum and drive at the same time.

Old People Can't Sleep

OK, I give up. I tried to sleep, but it appears there will be no nap for me this afternoon. The phone keeps ringing with people calling to wish me Happy Birthday.

:-)