Wedding

On Friday we are heading up to Maine for my nieces wedding.  She has picked a unique place to have the ceremony and reception. It is taking place at a old fashioned Camp on a gorgeous lake. Our family rented a house on the lake for the week prior to the big date.  Her sister got married two years ago, she had about 250 people and every detail of the entire day reflected my niece and her husband.  The time and effort the two young women have put into their special days is inspiring.  I always thought that I really had no interest in planning such a big event, and now I'm finding out that I missed out.  My own wedding was a backyard affair that was planned in 16 days. My mom took care of everything.  We had a great time, and didn't miss anything, but it was nothing special, except I married the best man alive.  I'm seeing how couples plan weddings that are unique to them as a couple. The entire day reflects who they are.  I would have loved to have a nature inspired wedding. Hubby and I came together over our love of nature.  Since our wedding day came and went 30 years ago, I can dream of what I would have done if I could do it all over again.  

Sunday church

Today was Sunday.  I was up early to feed the baby squirrels and decided to get up to the park right after a cup of tea and their little tummy's were full. We were on the trail by 8am.  As I entered the deeper part of the forest where few hike I felt so alive and such a deep connection with all of nature.  I am a part of the whole.  As I hiked on I felt deeply grateful for this amazing world we have been gifted with,  The beauty and mystery of nature still takes my breath away on a daily basis.  For those of us who seek getting outside at every given chance our lives are so full of such wonder and beauty. While on my hike  I had a lot of nice sightings.  Crows were mobbing something unseen, I assume it was an owl, who was bedding down for the day. Overnight two underground bees nests that were dug up by a bear.  Monty put his head right in the first one, with all of the nest exposed and hundreds of bees around, thankfully it was chilly and they were moving slowly,  so I was able to call him off quickly before he was stung.  With the second underground hole he was up ahead with another dog and by the time I realized what was going on, both had been stung.  Luckily only one sting for poor Monty, it got him in the back thigh. The other dog, Penny wasn't so lucky, she received three stings.  Further on the trail there was a fawn off to the side of the trail, we were hiking quietly and didn't alarm him, so we ended up  staring at each other for a good five minutes.   He wasn't all that far from me, and I knew his mom was close, I had seen here cross the trail a head of me.  Standing perfectly still he watched me with curiosity,  Monty being the great dog he is, sat and waited while I filled my soul with the image of this precious creature.  Moments spent with innocent animals make me want to become a vegan and only eat seafood occasionally.  While I was watching the fawn,  I became aware of 3 fledgling bluebirds testing their wings.  There were also lots of nuthatches and chickadees about.

On the home front, all I can say is holy hummingbird! A few days ago  I put up 3 tiny feeders near my kitchen window and have been entertained since like never before.  Right now I am laying on the couch under the canopy and there is a constant stream of them feeding right in front of me.  They are already in migration mode,  some of these birds could be from further north.  Our males have already departed.  Most of these are juveniles and females.                                                    

Still at it

I can't believe that August is winding down, we are half way though.....where has the Summer of 2012 gone? We didn't do much for the first time in 25 years. We always go away multiple times on all sorts of adventures. I so miss my sons being young and spending so much quality time as a family. I am happy that a week from today....I will be sitting looking at Gorgeous Branch Lake in Ellsworth Maine. We have a nice 11 night vacation coming up, it couldn't be happening at a better time. All of the boys are suppose to come towards the end of the week for their cousins wedding that is taking place on the lake at a beautiful little camp. What a precious idea for a wedding. I am so looking forward to seeing all my boys in one place. I hope we remember to take family photos.

I did get Monty out hiking almost every day this entire year. This Summer he has enjoyed learning to swim, and now has graduated to wearing a float coat so he can spend a lot more time swimming and fetching. He has no body fat, no buoyant second coat or webbed feet, so he tires easy. He is one lucky pup. I love him dearly. August 14th was Petey's one year since passing. I spent a tearful week and then went up to his grave on the date talked to him and left some flowers. I miss that boy so much, he has left a huge hole in my heart. Nothing will ever fill it, he was that special. I've decided though, enough sadness about Petey, My Monty needs me to step up to the plate and get training and enjoy him. He is an awesome dog in his own right, and so much fun to train and hang out with. He is the typical red goof ball male doberman. He is adorable beyond words.

I have continued my quest towards simplicity...it's really difficult to get rid of stuff, but that is still my plan. It's just going to take a long time. I am to have it all done by the time we move into our dream log cabin up on Turtle Point Road. We hope to do a garage sale this fall. I have decided to sell or donate a lot of my books that I don't read or look at. I have also gone though my closet and pulled out clothing that I no longer wear or fit in to, some will go to a consignment store, others to good will. The most important step with my path to simplifying has been to stop buying! That I have done really well! I am very, very proud of myself. Make due, reuse, recycle...words to live by.

I am Squirrel sitting this week. I can't imagine not doing wildlife rehab now, I just love it so.

I

August is already here...where did the time go?

Almost a Newt again

New Babies in rehab

Black boy doing great!

Enjoying the hummingbirds

Hummingbird Moth

Swallowtail