Being Brave

I don't like snakes!!

Growing up in New Zealand where there are no snakes, did have a lot of advantages - we could run and play in bare feet,  never having to worry about what might be hiding under a pile of leaves, logs or in the long grass.

Here, nowhere is safe from a surprise encounter with a snake - not even your bird feeder pole in your own backyard. I knew this, but still it gives you quite a fright when you do notice something out of the corner of your eye - especially if it is just a foot away from you. 

a quick shot taken on my phone - 

(haven't figured out how to transfer a good quality picture to the computer)

I ran inside to get my real camera

                                         and when I came back he was halfway down the pole

                                                    through the poison ivy - which I don't go near!

                                                       
                                                      and under some non-poisonous vines
                                                                 it is  a master of disguise

I think it was a garter snake - not deadly!!!

So what would a brave person do in a situation like this??

No way was I going to do anything but take photos!!!

I have to live with the knowledge that there might be a snake watching me from that big tree in the backyard

I still get the shivers when I think about it....

Oh no....

Less than a week later I see this!!!

Sago Palm - New Life

We have a couple of very healthy Sago Palms that frame the front steps to the house. Each spring I have watched as a new layer of fronds grow, building up the leafy crown.  I decided to catch all the action with some photos this year, tried to take a picture each day, (yes, I missed some days) and have put together the results - with a few shoots of some details.

                                                            Isn't nature amazing!

To Kill A Mockingbird

I went up to Maycomb (ahem....Monrore) County to watch a play.

The town of Monroeville is the home of Harper Lee, author of "To Kill A Mockingbird".

                         Each Spring the towns' people put on a world famous production of the book.

The cast members come from all walks of life, from 5th grade students, police investigators, business owners, bank managers to insurance agents.  They are all very talented actors.

Part one is held outside (it was daylight during the play, but a DNF cache had us there longer than we expected)

and Part two moves play and audience into the old courthouse.

The courthouse in the movie was modeled after this one.

10 white male audience members are selected to act as the jury, and are seated in the actual jury box. 

For two hours we were transformed back into 1930s Alabama.

I did my homework the week before, by re-reading the book and I must have been 13 or 14 when  I  watched the movie in the assembly hall at Eriskine College.

All the Southern colloquialism, slang, and accent (yawl, 'em, yessum, naw, Mis'sippi), the foods mentioned (scuppernongs, collards, pork n' beans, and divinity), the towns, counties, objects and names (Montgomery, Mobile, Baldwin County, Indian Head pennies,  Mockingbirds, Mardi Gras, Alabama River, Mobile Resister, Creek Nation Indians, and  Andrew Jackson),  all very foreign to a young schoolgirl in New Zealand.

Oh how I enjoyed it ...   I live all that southernness now, those words, places and names are all part of daily life here!!  

A great co-incidence was that James was studying the book in his English class at school. 

(he was working and couldn't go to the play)

That week there were three, 11th graders constructing a 3D model of a To Kill A Mockingbird Theme Park out on the back porch, and I was tasked to make some divinity for the class. 

The divinity production was an education in it's self....took forever and I was convinced that it wasn't right - but turned out perfectly...quite yummy.

I was later to find out that his group was not assigned the divinity at all...they did it as a surprise...ahem... extra credit!!

A Very Cagey Project

A while ago we drove to a bird fair - James wanted a friend for Kiwi - the drive took us all the way to New Orleans...there and back in one day without stopping for any real fun!!! 

Mr Skwarkers came home with us -
he's a Love Bird - still a baby, but passed the baby feeding stage (thank you)

We introduced him to Kiwi and eventually put them together in the same cage. Kiwi was friendly, but not being a Love Bird was not at all interested in the lovely bit, he spends most waking moments avoiding Mr Skwarkers.  While Mr Skwarkers spends most of his day wanting to perch right next to Kiwi.

We decided they needed a bigger cage, so a hunt for the perfect cage began. 

Look what I brought home!!

and thanks goes to a good friend for mentioning she had seen one in the window of an antique consignment shop.

I knew a wee bit of work was required to get it into shape

on close inspection it turned out to be more than a wee bit of work....a lot more!!!

there were many layers of paint,

underneath all that paint, there were some good bones,

and some that were not so good....wood rot was a problem!!!

the paint layers were stubborn

the wires...well they were a nightmare!!

they all had to come off, labeled, stripped and sanded.

new mitered wood needed to be cut

and then glued in place. getting it perfect was a challenge!

slowly the cage was put back together

                                   and eventually, several months later it was able to be stained

the finishing touches were added

                                             and finally the boys moved into their new home......

                         phew!!! remind me next time that restoration is not to be jumped into lightly.