Tuesday Tidbits...


Ain't she sweet?
this teeny tidbit of a finch is a young one who fledged not so very long ago

when these babies leave the nest for their first flight...
the whole world of finches on our farm set up a frenzy of chirpy excitement
it seems to be a big-to-do for them...
that catches my attention with all their pretty music



and then, there was this nest high up in a guava tree just feet from the cottage


a very once-elusive bird that I believe may be the Bare Eye Thrush...
decided the food around the farm was too good to pass by...
without nesting in one of the trees to bring babies up in

I found it quite difficult to catch a good snapshot of mama...
she was nervous and moving too much...
so I left her alone to feed the babies

but, if you look closely, you can see the yellow ring around the eye...
which is how they came to be named Bare Eye Thrush


the Lord gave 3 chicks to this particular pair who boldly came to our farm


and just recently, these cuties winged their way from the nest and are somewhere out there



the Giant Gray Sphinx Moth caterpillars mentioned in the July 25 post...
have done an excellent job of stripping the Frangipani trees of their leaves


only I'm not so sure they all got their fair share...
as we only have two of these trees and they are not very large quite yet

I am hoping they all got enough to get them to the next step of cocooning into moths


and in spite of denuding the poor trees...
already, the new leaves are starting to push their way out from the branches

and, I did not notice when the photo was snapped...
but, there he is; a little lizard sitting on the right-hand branch



my husband decided it was time to re-polish the wood floor inside and out 


he had not quite finished a small part as yet...
so we could go in and out while the rest finished drying

and then, of course, when he was ready to finish...
the dogs had to go outside in the yard until the last part was dried

now, the wood looks new again



I have been waiting for the Heliconia to bloom

well...they're here


a very nice color against the cottage's aqua green...
which didn't show up very well in these photos



but, I did find some eggs in the rock garden

the other day, I finally found out where one of my hens was laying her eggs...
and found 10 eggs


she'd been laying there for some days, obviously...
right in front of my nose all along, the sneaky girl


but, I've got her number now



after we thought the cherry trees were done for the time...


one of them suddenly took to blooming and fruiting past the cherry season
but, oh my, don't they look purty hangin' up there from the branch



we may soon start looking like mangoes...
because there are many, many more than we can eat

I've been cutting up a few to freeze for later use when the season is over...
and they will be good for smoothies and mango sauces...
and perhaps some tarts



my husband brought in a 27 pound pumpkin

I put the cup inside to show you how big the cavity is


the fibrous strands goes to the chickens...
and the seeds to us


the ribs of this pumpkin have deep dents that give it a flower shape...
which looked kind of pretty to me


my husband enjoys having pumpkin and pigeon peas in his brown rice...
and it does taste pretty good 


as for the seeds...
they were roasted with some sea salt

I don't bother rinsing off the pumpkin bits from them...
it gives a nicer taste to the seeds


I wanted to let readers know that, this blog will take a two month hiatus...
from August 1 to September 30
if the Lord is willing...I will be back Oct 1
but, there will be two Saturday postcard days during the hiatus...
something in the form of slide videos instead of just a photo
I hope you look for them and enjoy

meanwhile...
may your August and September find wonderful blessings in the Lord's grace
and...
have a cup of cherries, please


Every word of God is pure:
He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
Add thou not unto His words,
lest He reprove thee,
and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:5,6

May your day or night be blessed in God's grace.
- jean