deer in the city

This morning a herd of eleven deer bounded through Connie's big backyard and across the street to a neighbors fence. This afternoon four were hanging out in the far back. I zoomed in for some pix. They sure are beautiful.

beach birds today

Saucer Magnolia

Early blooming flowers against a blue sky.

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Today is the 47th birthday of my son Peter. It is the only time he will celebrate with this particular line up of numbers, 2-17-2017.
Back in the day... when I had just Trip and Stuart, people would make comments about them like, "He's too pretty to be a boy." But with Peter I heard, "You can sure tell he's a boy!" He always had a manly quality about him, even when he was born. He was such a big baby, and when I was asked if his delivery was hard, I answered with, "He muscled his way out." He retains that spirit today, but he has a tender side, too.
The pictures from my precious albums are faded now, but I wanted to wanted to share a couple.
I always loved the look of awe on Peter's face (hand on baby Ned's head) when he got to see his baby brother for the first time.

 

Here he is as a teenager, talking on the phone.

 

I am still happy to be his mother.

Poor fingers

I thought I would get back to blogging, but what would I say. Maybe I would tell about my sore, overused right index finger, the one that repetitively pounds the iPad. I have been having the other fingers do the work, and it feels better. Tonight I was in the kitchen using a knife, and something slipped, and I cut my left fingertip. It was deep cut and bled and bled! Now both of my pointer fingers have something to complain about!

a hawk in the marsh?

Maybe birds are the new bugs. I used to like to use the macro setting to take pictures of bugs so I could see them in detail. Now I am zooming out for birds.

the beach today

Have you read about the health effects of something called grounding? It is what we used to call going barefoot. Now it is a revolutionary good thing! Today I went to the beach and walked barefoot in the warm sand and the cold water. The ocean, today in dark jewel tones, was gorgeous and smooth. Why have I stayed away so long!

Ibis

It is impossible to get to my house without passing the golf course of our neighboring community. Most of the time, especially when there has been rain, the grounds have quite a few ibises bobbing around, their long beaks often digging in the dirt. It's hard to stop and take a picture, so today after I came home, I walked up to them. I think I got in my daily 10,000 steps! They are really cute when walking and majestic when they rise to fly. I probably won't be seeing them too much longer, because there is a plan to do away with the golf course and build homes on the property. Nobody around here is in favor of that.

opening sometime this year

Over at the ArtWorks, we have been watching renovations on this derelict old building for about a year. The brick exterior was cleaned, the insides gutted, and we now know that one new occupant will be a pizza restaurant owned by one of NC's most well known chefs. This small area of town was not one of Wilmington's finest, but little by little it is being turned into a cool place. I can't wait to eat there!