Hummingbird Eggs

Darn! I am leaving tomorrow for an 8-day family history adventure in the hills of Tennessee. Not darn that I am leaving but the gestation period for hummingbird eggs is 14 to 23 days and I am probably going to miss the eggs hatching. Fortunately, my husband will be home so he can monitor our new babies.

I did the research and the eggs are now almost two weeks old. I also read that hummingbird dad's don't nest but our hummingbird dad does. While he doesn't spend a lot of time there, he will cover for the hummingbird mom. 

In the meantime, our cactus has bloomed again. I have pictures of my grandson next to the cactus when it and he were small. I take pictures of it every time it blooms. So, here is yesterday's picture. The blooms only last one day. 

 It's time to pack for the trip. Just checked the eggs. Still haven't hatched. Dad was sitting on the nest while mom chased away another bird. It's a baby and just hatched from another nest on the porch. It sound like wild kingdom outside!

Hummingbirds

 We have lots of birds in our area. We have the noisy black birds, the crows and the little birds with the red chest. I don't know what they are but they have nests in our trees and awnings.

Then, we have the hummingbirds. When we moved here years ago, I looked them up. The pair that we currently have nesting are Anna's hummingbirds. Our porch is covered in honeysyvle so it is a constant food source. This year they have taken up housekeepoing on the front porch post.

I am not quite sure how I missed the beginning of the nest building but one day I noticed the momma hummingbird bringing little bits of fluff and tucking it into the nest. I was shocked. The nest is out in the open. Earlier this month the mom and dad spent time coming up to the dog and I on the porch and checking us out. Our dog is oblivious to birds so they were satisfied they were safe.

I posted the picture below on Facebook yesterday. I am surprised at the interest. I guess it's not everyday that a hummingbird sits for a picture but they don't move unless we get too close. So here is the daddy sitting on the eggs. It is going to be another scorcher today, topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit but mom and dad will be there taking turns. It is shady in the afternoon so at least they aren't in direct sunlight. They are such a treat to watch.

 I am waiting for an opportunity to check out what is in the nest. Although it is only 6 feet away, we have stopped using the front porch steps because we don't want to scare them. They let us know they are not far away so I am biding my time for a closeup.

It's raining

It's May 6th. We are past the rainy season. It was 100 degrees for two days last week. Most of us are nursing some sort of sunburn.

Usually when they say it's going to rain, we don't pay much attention. We are also less likely to get rain than the LA area. We have different micro-climates so rain in one place doesn't mean it will make it to us. Our news breaks down the weather to separate Valleys-Inland Empire, Mountains, High Desert and Los Angeles Basin. Right now, the Doppler shows rain in our area but dry in Temecula.

Rain is a big deal here. We don't see a lot of it and it makes everything look better. The wet earth smells good. And, I just remembered, they plowed the field across the street last week. All those tumbleweeds they plowed under will get a head start with the rain and provide us with another bumper crop to climb into our yard in the fall.

Oh well, time to get the boy up. He has an umbrella he can take to the bus stop. He's had it several years and only used it twice so he'll be excited. Small things make us happy.

Fires

At baseball practice yesterday, the smoke from the Banning fire was visible from the field. Only lost one home and it was 50% contained this morning. Just came home from a dental appointment to news reports of a fire in Camarillo which about 2 hours north of us and Jurupa Valley which is on the other side of Riverside. Some homes have been lost there. We are grateful that none of these fires are close to us. 

It's fire season. It's been hot and everything is its normal brown. The Santa Ana winds are blowing all through Southern California. Residents who live in or back up to areas that are undeveloped are temping fate. Even those of us who live on the flats are surrounded by hills. In these winds, sparks can fly a long way.

Right now, the wind is really blowing and wind warning are in effect until tonight. This is a fact of life for Southern California residents. In reality, the Southwest portion of the United States is at risk for wildfires.

It may be good that we had so little rain which may have prevented a bonus crop of vegetation. As expected, all our programming is preempted as they cover the three fires. We can only hope that the winds die down and pray for the firefighters who put their lives in danger to protect residents and their homes. They are our hero's. 

A Star for Everyone - a reflection on the A to Z challenge

 In one comment someone wrote that maybe there was more to California than Hollywood. That reminded me that I did not mention Hollywood. Quite frankly, it is overrated and not the same as it used to be in the 1960's when it was a really fun. But I digress...

I am giving everyone a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. Just substitute your name for Godzilla. I took this picture last year for my Squidoo page on "How to escape from Godzilla". For those who finished the challenge, congrats. For those who attempted but did not finish, congrats too. It's much more demanding than I expected and I was prepared.

So here is my take on the challenge. I am a grandmother raising a grandson. When this picture was taken, he had been playing baseball for about a year but he was young and sometimes his focus wasn't where it was supposed to be. He was 7 years old when this was taken. This is me at the start of the challenge. I have blogs but they just sat because I don't quite know what to do with them.

This is All Stars last July when he was 11 years old. We were at Big Bear. Notice that he has a batting stance that works for him. He knows which way to turn his body so the ball goes where he wants. (However, he needs to get his bat up. I will remind him again today at  practice.) Does he always hit the ball? No, he doesn't. Still, he knows the rules, makes a concentrated attempt and is a darn good player. Is he the best? No, he needs more practice. This is me at the end of the challenge. I know the rules, I made a concentrated effort and finished. Am I the best? Certainly not but I just need more practice too.

It was a learning experience. It was fun. I met wonderful people who were encouraging. I learned from everyone and found so many others with interesting lives and experiences. 

My hats off to those who set this up and managed it. What an incredible job! The encouraging posts were helpful, especially in the middle of the month when it sometimes seemed overwhelming.

Thanks to all of you who followed me and to those who left comments. It helped. I am going to take my time and catch up on the posts I missed and finish the list of blogs that I didn't get too.

I have no complaints or suggestions. Now that it is over, I can say that I am ready for next year.