Freaky potato

It doesn't look like the Virgin Mary or Mother Theresa or anything, but man this is one weird purple potato.

The Hawks and Hummingbirds of Summer 2011

Our house backs onto a small forest....which backs onto the Airport Parkway. Although we live in the city, this strip of forest gives us at least a glimpse of wildlife. There are rabbits, mice, the occasional deer, groundhogs, squirrels, chipmunks, and birds, especially cardinals. The trees provide a buffer for the noise of the traffic. In summertime, with just enough imagination, the sounds of the traffic can almost sound like the waves crashing on the shore. It's not disruptive, actually. We haven't used our backyard much in past years, save for the occasional bbq. I find it too hot and get bothered by all the mosquitoes. So, this year we decided to get a gazebo structure, so we could spend more time outside. Bill's out there, now, cleaning his large format camera, while I sit here in the air-conditioned house. It's a little too hot out there today at 35 degrees Celsius. My plan is to get a pool, eventually, because I'm an overheater and that would help a lot in the summer. I should join Overheaters Anonymous, a support group for the thermoregulation challenged.

This year, the dominant natural feature of the back woods has been several hawks which have claimed the forest behind our house as their hunting ground. I'm in awe of these birds of prey and love to hear their screeching and to watch them swoop down and fly by. One of them spent a while investigating our new gazebo - and then christened it with hawk doody. We felt suitably honoured.  I've name this bird "Hawk-sley Workman" after a Canadian musician.

At the front of our house, we have a hummingbird feeder, for our viewing pleasure and to tantalize the felines in the house. They love to watch what I call the "bite-sized morsels" coming to the feeder and zooming off. Recently, there have been many butterflies, too, and dragonflies, and other large insects bumping into the bay window. Zander has dived headfirst into the window more than a couple of times. Penelope doesn't move a muscle, just chirps at anything that interests her and then lolls her head around and looks at whomever is nearby as if to say, "are you going to fetch me that or not?"