Rusty in a small basket. 1024x768 JPG

I’d hate to be the one to try to gift-wrap this basket!

I'm never going to do that much catnip again!

Hiding  under the blankets isn’t usually Ash’s thing.  So, I suppose that Ash is feeling just a little bit hung over after her New Year’s Eve catnip party.

“Tom’s between two turtles…”

Tom and the turtles - 1024x768

“Sleepin’ like a log…”

“You mean that even if I mail myself, it’s the same flat rate?  Great! Tape this box shut and mail me to a seafood restaurant!”

Uh oh … it looks like Ash might have heard me!

What?  This is a dog bed?

This is a group of sliders (I think! Someone correct me if I’m wrong) I saw while on the way to work. This group was actually difficult to photograph, for the simple reason that they are incredibly easy to spook. Getting even a little close to them results in them, well, sliding off their log and disappearing into the water.

This is in fact the second time I stopped at this little pond to photograph these turtles. The first time, they were gone the moment I set the tripod down. I suppose if I want better pictures of turtles in the future, I should invest in a better telephoto lens?

Patty says this is a mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) – a common game bird. This dove has made her*** nest (and laid her eggs) in one of the bushes in our front yard. The nest is surprisingly exposed at the moment – but will probably be more hidden in a few days when the bushes put out more leaves.

But for right now, we have a bird’s eye view of the nest!

***We’re not quite sure whether the dove in the pictures is the male or the female. The pictures were taken during the late afternoon.

… until he opens his eyes.