What do you like to collect ?

Some people collect..cards, jewelry, stamps, dolls and even animals just to name a few. .What do you collect?

My collections are very small  at the moment ..  I have a few dolls, Christmas bulbs,  garden magazines and books,  a set of  dinner plates adorned and designed to appear antique with apples  and a few Hello kitty novelties ..

I didn't have the energy to climb into my attic and  unpack my collections to show you.. But the photos below gives you and insight into my collection personality...I took them at a gift store located in  Detroit's  Eastern Market.


I love all kinds of birds and have yet to collect those fabulous heron garden sculptures.  Below is just one of many I'd love to own, their on my get it list along with a few other fowls for next year  ..

I like chickens, hens and roosters...

I also like barn animals.. Moooo"..

And what about tea pots....  I like them too"

And maybe just a few sun catchers..

Do you collect? ..... Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments"

The Birds and a Butterfly

My attention have turned to my birds since there are no more blooms to post about at the moment..
I did capture a tiger swallowtail  however on one of my cactus zinnia's that are still in bloom...

I was so thrilled because I had not seen more than three swallowtails the whole summer.

One of the sunflowers my nieces planted finally bloomed,  it's three feet tall..

Several weeks ago, I had stated that my cardinal family had three little eggs, but I was not holding my breath" below, dad was back on the job guarding the nest while mom sat on their eggs.. and guess what?

The third nesting was a success!

Below:  The second  little brother or sister... The eldest and biggest sibling of these two flew out of the nest and away before I could snap a picture of it... The entire family have now moved on..

I love my chickadees and even more so this summer... Thanks to my nieces...

I have learned to get them to eat from my hand.. I had tried to train them to eat from my hand earlier back in July when I was feeding them by myself..  but I guess they weren't ready then.. I told my nieces about it and a couple of days ago they came along and gave it a try....

my nieces just held out there hands and in seconds the chickadees were eating from them...
  
.. Little show offs!

Below:  It takes a thief ....

It is the reason that there are no more tomatoes or strawberries to post about.. I had to stake out like the FBI to discover who the real offender was"  I had mistakenly accused other felons, who almost fit the profile, but this time I have the right thief...

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment... I love to hear from you..

Winding down and coming to a close

    

" Well  things are winding down and coming to a close for my summer garden.. I've harvested the last of my veggies and the June and July bloomers have gone to sleep.. Now only a few blooms remain.. which are my purple petunia's on the front porch and my cactus flower zinnia's,  black eyed Susan's, purple phlox and cosmos...

 I will have these next year for sure.. because of their long blooming periods... in-fact, one of my goals for next year is to design my garden around plants that bloom through out the seasons so that I can have something to enjoy all season long.

 The battles continue between the sparrows, my chickadee and my coconut bird feeder.  I have moved the feeder from the pole in the yard to my back porch.. where here the chickadees can eat undisturbed, the sparrows don't dare attempt to get this close.. and the few that do.. chickens out after they discover my presence.

  Below:  A chickadee waits in the willow tree as I fill the coconut feeder..

Below: I get a nice view and show as I watch these little acrobats feed from my back porch..

This chickadee in particular  loves to hunt for nuts and seeds from the holes in the bottom of the coconut..and I get a kick out of watching it do so....he / she even hovers underneath it... extracting the seeds in mid air as if it were a hummingbird... sorry I was not able to capture a photo of this amazing stunt.

 

 It's been an odd summer weather wise with unusual heat temperatures smothering and frying gardeners in various areas through the U.S...

But I'm loving our recent temps this month in Michigan.. it has been  nice and  reasonable in the  low 80's with  just a few uncomfortable days hovering around 90..

 P.S my cardinals have three little eggs.. but so far no sign of hatching babies as of yet...

Just a short update about my neck of the woods enjoy what's left of the summer and...
 Thanks you for stopping by and leaving a comment..