Green Thumb

Since I am eating more veggies in my diet now, I thought I would try my hand at growing some food on my own. I'm starting out with one of my favorite herbs, cilantro, and sweet bell peppers.

 Here's the cilantro just starting out. It's a little more robust now, but still far from being mature enough to harvest.

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...and here are the sweet bell peppers...or, at least they will be one day. :-) I did cheat a bit and buy this plant already started, but it's in my care now. 

Bonsai!

I purchased this little bonsai plant recently to add some greenery and zen to my life. Haven't pruned or trimmed it as yet. I'm terrified of scalping it, so I'm choosing instead to let it be and then prune as I feel guided to do so.

Spooky pics!

Just playing around with my photo editing software and decided to make some spooky pics using the "negative" option. Enjoy!

This is the oak tree near my place. It's really a beautiful tree and I love it, but the negative feature really makes it look spooky! Below are some more pictures of the same tree from different angles.

 

 

 

 

A spooky arch awaiting a tragic heroine, or slasher movie victim on the run from her attacker...

Okay, these poinsettias are not very spooky, but it still looks pretty cool!

 

Center for Birds of Prey

Today I participated in a volunteer event at the Center for Birds of Prey. There was A LOT to be done, so thankfully there were several volunteers ready to dig right in and take care of business. For all of our hard work, we were rewarded by the staff with a tour and mini educational program about some of the raptors that were being rehabbed at the Center. We saw eagles, owls, a peregrine falcon, kites, ospreys, kestrels, a red-shouldered hawk, a caracara, and possibly some others whom I cannot recall at the moment. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The "Audubon House" serves as headquarters for the staff, and the porch serves as a hangout for some of the smaller raptors during the day.

 

I forget the name of this tree, but a pair of nesting owls make their home in the wooden box that you can just see on top of one of the branches. The staff had to build the box nest for them because the tree is "dead" and the hole that they were nesting in has rotted away. Guess they don't believe in relocation?

I think this is meant to be a sample of the kind of nest that the larger raptors would live in, except more complete. ;-)

 

These are berries that were growing on some of the trees around the Center. Unfortunately I did not get the name of the type of tree (or bush?) Anyway, I thought it was pretty.

This is one of the Barred Owls making her home at the Center. I believe this particular one is one of the non-releasable birds, due to her severe wing injury. 

 

Last, but certainly not least, is the Bald Eagle. I had never been this close to an eagle before and didn't realize how HUGE these birds are! Wow!

That's all for today!