This past weekend brought excitement our way Saturday around lunchtime.  The Big Kahuna went out to feed some bread to the fish in our pond and happened upon a couple of gorgeous visitors.......

Please excuse our ramshackle dock.  Goodness only knows just how old it truly is and it's now definitely in need of an overhaul - other things have taken priority over this though.  It's been probably close to three years since we've had any ducks show up in the pond so we were all thrilled to see this pair.  They were very skittish so I wasn't able to get very close to take pics (thank goodness for zoom lens!).  I've been trying to identify what kind of ducks they are and am down to two possibilities - mottled ducks or mallard ducks.  I've enlarged the pics, but they are too blurry for me to make a positive identification.  According to this book in our home library, it is most likely that they are mottled ducks.  We left Saturday to go to town for errands and they were gone when we returned, but they are back this morning and sitting on the dock.  We certainly wouldn't mind if they decided to take up permanent residence here, but we feel that's pretty unlikely.

I also think I have the Big Kahuna convinced to do a second garden bed.  I've presented my case and I am pretty sure he's cool with it.  The garden seems to be coming along well, but I am still concerned that there aren't enough bees or insects around for pollination so I have continued on with attempting to hand pollinate the few squash and cucumbers that are beginning.  And remember the unwelcome slithery visitors I blogged about a few entries down?  I've had two more encounters since.  Most likely they have been this (I'm not liking what I'm reading here about the aggressiveness or the bite) or this - either way I'm not happy about it.  Four encounters in 11 days is way too many for my liking.  The latest encounter was yesterday while I was mowing and based on the behavior I'd say it was the first possibility I mentioned.  Thank goodness for riding mowers with cruise control.  With that handy little feature it's possible to mow the yard with your feet up in the seat with you!  Hey, the further away from the ground I was after that, the better.  I was so shaken that I wasn't paying attention though and managed to cut off the top of one of the sunflower seedlings in the patch I made for Tiger Cub and Lion Cub.  I think Tiger Cub has forgiven me and I planted another seed this morning. 

Saturday also meant a trip to the library.  I have a love/hate relationship with our library system.  I love it because we have many branches all across our county with an enormous selection of materials.  I hate it because they changed the hold policy a year or so ago.  They used to hold items placed on reserve for five days once they arrived at the location you specified.  Now it is only three days.  I have to place holds on Tuesday morning for Saturday pickup because some items will arrive at the library the very next day (which means Saturday is the final day for pickup before they are sent back).  Some items don't immediately get pulled from the shelves though and don't show up until a week or so later.  I value my time and gas is expensive so I can't run back and forth constantly to the library.  I have finally accepted (though grudgingly) that I take whatever is there by Saturday and the rest I just do without.  Checkout is for three weeks so our trips are spread out like that.  Anyway, one of the books I got is It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life by Keith Stewart.  I love to read, but don't often find (or make) the time.  I've jumped right into this though and am pleasantly about halfway through at this point.

And to wrap up on a silly note, here's our goofy boy leaping in the air to catch a treat Tiger Cub had tossed while we were out working in the yard yesterday.......

Mama Cat