Yard Stuff

The Fuzz's Sweetie had been wanting one of these guys for a while now.

And The Fuzz was all in favor, himself.

They found one over in town at the Mayse Manufacturing Co.

They had a whole lot of these sort of things and some really cool fountains too.

Fortunately it is in separate (heavy) pieces so The Fuzz was able to get it out of the trunk...

And here it is!

Pretty cool.

Spring Now - Summer Soon

With warmer weather here now- like in the 80's, summer seems near for sure.

There's a lot going on getting the yard up for the season.

This shrub was growing just across the fence at the old place.  The Fuzz's Sweetie liked it so much she brought a piece to root out here in the woods.

It seems to be doing quite well.

Don't know the name...

But it is pretty!

We have a lot of these wild roses out here.

Really, it's a job to keep them trimmed back.

And there the not-so-wild ones as well.

The Fuzz is a sucker for trying to photograph these things...

So here we go.

And then, a couple more.

Osprey

During his time out on Topsail Island, The Fuzz got a chance to see types of birds that we don't have here in the Carolina Piedmont.  One of such was the Osprey.

Now "Ospreys" were mentioned in a previous post.

But this was a whole different thing.

One afternoon The Fuzz was out and about with a bike and a book.  To be truthful, as nice as Topsail Beach is, there are not really a lot of places to hang out in the off season.

This day Our Fuzz had rode over to one of the public access sites on the sound.  As he was reading he became aware of a fairly large bird that wasn't a gull landing on a nearby piling.  Alas, uncharacteristically, he had no camera with him.  But he did have his binoculars!

And he spent a good while watching this obvious raptor finishing off it's dinner.

Back at the hotel, he looked it up in the "Bird Book" and found that it was the namesake of that unique aircraft.

But then sometime later he had returned to this same bench - this time with a camera.

And although he certainly didn't expect it...

Look who was back!

At first he had not noticed it.

But as he watched the activity there in the bird world, he saw what had their attention.

It seems that everyone wanted a piece of the action.

But they weren't gonna get it.

Some of the disappointed ones were these Fish Crows.

The Fuzz had seen these guys around but didn't know exactly what there were.  They reminded him so much of "normal" crows, but they were just too small and sounded just a little different.

But in the "Bird Book" he saw why.

They were crows... sorta.

But this post is about Ospreys!

None of these moochers seemed to bother our raptor.

He just went about his business of dinner.

And then took off!

Of course he took the rest of his dinner with him.

Looks like his neighbors will have to live with disappointment this time.

And The Fuzz watched as he crossed over...

...And went back to his home in the marsh.

That kinda made the day for The Fuzz.

And this time he got the pix too!

 

And The Fuzz thinks you might like to see these "Fun Facts" below.

 

 

Some "Cool Facts" from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology  

 

Cool Facts (Ospreys)...

  "Ospreys are unusual among hawks in possessing a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp with two toes in front and two behind. Barbed pads on the soles of the birds' feet help them grip slippery fish. When flying with prey, an Osprey lines up its catch head first for less wind resistance."

"Ospreys are excellent anglers. Over several studies, Ospreys caught fish on at least 1 in every 4 dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent. The average time they spent hunting before making a catch was about 12 minutes—something to think about next time you throw your line in the water."

 

Cool Facts (Fish Crows)...

"Fish Crows are inveterate nest-robbers, raiding the nests of many kinds of waterbirds and songbirds, as well as finding and digging up the eggs of turtles. They also harass and steal food from crows, gulls, ibis, and Ospreys."

A South Mountain Day

It's hard to believe that The Fuzz has been back from the coast for 3 weeks already.  But as they say "When you're over the hill, you pick up speed."

Well, be that as it may...

The Fuzz and His sweetie felt like it was time to get away for a few hours in the mountains.  They are fortunate to live within a short drive to South Mountains State Park- just over the county line.

This was a favorite destination for years.  Most summer vacations were spent  here at the Shinny Creek campsite.

The place is still here, although a bit fancier these days.

The campground is kinda small by some standards-

only 4 campsites strung out along the creek.

But the water is clean and cold.

And although it is not encouraged, The Fuzz has always found it to be delicious!

But this was not a camping trip, so after a brief rest, The Fuzz and His Sweetie kept on moving up the Shinny Trail.

The Fuzz couldn't help getting a few pix along the way.

After following the creek for quite a ways, this Trail makes a turn and starts up a rocky spur to the crest of the mountain.

It can get a little steep in places.

But there are always things to enjoy along the way.

And of course there is a nice view from up there.

This is where the hawks do their thing.

And up here one is on their level, kinda personal.

This is one place were one can even have a "birds eye view" of the bird!

But you might have to be quick about it.

Well, it was nice but it was time to head on down the trail....

Wobbly legs and all.

It was a pleasant break.

Here in the Old North State we are blessed with a coast...

And mountains-

And everything between.

Morning Flight

Morning Flight at Topsail Beach

Settling In

Well it's been a while now that The Fuzz has been home from the beach.  And he and His Sweetie are starting to get settled in again.

There was a bit of work waiting for them-

A couple of yards to mow, wood to find and cut and that old car to get moved.

Looks like the next project on The Fuzz's list is getting a new pump put in at the Old Place.

It may be remembered from back in February, that he had discovered a problem with the water over there.

(Well, strictly speaking, not with the water per se, but the delivery system.)
And while it is possible to get water "old school" with a bucket and rope, this is not the preferred method anymore.

So as of now, a new pump is on order from the local Home Improvement Store.

 

And just for fun...

While The Fuzz and His Sweetie were over at the "Gasland" the other day getting some fuel for the mower-

They saw this...

Guess you can get all kinds of gas there.

What's Missing From This Picture?

Well, maybe you had to be here.

But the missing object (X) had been around our Home in the Woods for awhile...

And had made a few cameos here at Kinda Fuzzy from time to time.

As well as being featured on at least 1 occasion!

But perhaps it's best not to go into that at this time.

Suffice it to say that after giving great service to multiple family members, this vehicle's time had come.

And so with a neighbor in need of cheap transport, and not being put off by a bit of work, this tough little guy is headed back out into the wide world.

(At least that's the plan.)

Naturally The Fuzz's Sweetie is happy to be shed of the thing.  And it must be admitted that he is too.

But...

There was another complication to the affair.

With the impossibility of keeping one of the windows up, some of the kitties had made a home in there.

So now a replacement would have to be found.

Since The Fuzz and His Sweetie are down to only one dog these days, she had the idea of recycling one of the doghouses into a cathouse!

She also suggested mounting it on a stump that was conveniently located near the shop - and their feeding area.

So here we have it.

Just to note...

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had a safe and relatively uneventful trip home from the beach, enjoying some nice country roads, and family hospitality along the way.