Funny Birds!!!!

In my last bird post (click HERE) ,   I promised that I would show you some of the funny bird pictures I have taken through the years...  SO---today you get those pictures... Hope you enjoy them as much as I have....

Can you figure out what bird that is above????????  It's a ROBIN----a baby one!!!!  The hair on top which looks like bushy eyebrows makes him look like an OLD MAN..... ha ha

I love this picture of a CAROLINA WREN.  It was in the dead of winter ---and he was perched on top of a Rhododendron bud,,,  Bet that poor little guy was COLD!!!!!

I love this photo of the Baby CARDINAL ---as he tried to come to a screeching halt on the deck... Daddy Cardinal always brings his babies (who are bigger than Daddy now) to the feeders to teach them to eat.... When they are very young,  they'll just shake all over and make a tingly sound--which sounds like a little tiny bell...  They are begging Daddy to feed them --but he wants them to learn to feed themselves.  I love watching this process.

Have you seen birds do this? When I first saw this,  it scared me.  I thought there was something wrong with the bird.  However, since that time,  I've seen many birds do it... They do it in the HOT SUMMER --when the deck is VERY hot... They spread out and get the 'mites' off of their tummies---or at least,  that is what I was told....  Interesting, huh?  This bird is a TUFTED TITMOUSE.

I have several 'funny' pictures of our PILEATED WOODPECKERS.  When they are young and try to fly up to the suet feeder,  they don't quite know how to do it... I'll show you some more pictures of the different poses of some of our Pileated Woodpeckers in another post.    I love this picture of this woodpecker telling me to "butt out and leave him alone"!!!!!!!   Cute,  isn't he???

Finally,  here is one of my favorite photos of any bird since I have been taking their pictures... This is a MOURNING DOVE sitting on the birdbath.... Isn't this one just a HOOT????

Birds are so much fun to watch... This week,  I sat on the back deck,  watching Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird going in and out of the nestbox... They have a little growing family in there... Isn't that just special????

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Here's another flower blooming in our yard now,  our gorgeous RHODODENDRON.   I love Azaleas,  but Rhododendrons just take my breath away... Wish you could see all of the blooms covering our big Rhododendron now... Wow-Wow-WOW!!!

And finally,  here is another beautiful ROSE blooming in our yard now.   This is ALEC'S RED.   George brought one inside for me---and you should smell it...  Another WOW!!!!

One More Thing:  I've been on Blogger since 2009... As of this week,  I now have 500 Followers... Amazing,  isn't it???  How many Bloggers do you know who have this many followers without doing memes,  or giveaways,  or tags or awards?????  (That is the way that most people get more followers, which is fine --but I just don't choose to do that.)   THANKS to all of you for coming to my crazy 'waterfall/flowers/birds/travel/hiking' blog!!!  Have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Hugs and THANKS again for stopping by!!!
Betsy

Flowers, Friends and Family

Hell's Fire Iris

As you know (from all of my posts recently from our yard),  Spring has been very good to us here on the Cumberland Plateau.  Right now,  we still have some Azaleas blooming,  some Roses beginning to bloom,  our Rhododendrons are blooming,  AND lots and lots of beautiful IRISES blooming...    I think  (as of now) that we have 16 different varieties of Bearded Irises blooming.   I showed you two of them (Autumn Bugler and Honey Glazed) in a previous post.  Today,  I'll show you a few more of our Irises.... Hope you enjoy seeing them.   Be sure to click on them for larger views...

Clarence Iris

Blatant Iris

Waltz Across Texas Iris

Hemstitched Iris  (my favorite out of this group)

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Max,  Teacher Betsy, Sharon

On another note,  you have to read this story!!!!!  I started teaching high school in 1965.  This was my first job after graduating from college in 1964.  I taught Choral Music and Math at West High School  in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1965-71.   I loved my first job ---and loved the students that I taught...

Anyhow--to make a long story short,  through Facebook,   I caught up with a couple of my favorite students.  Max and Sharon were 'sweethearts' in high school.  After they graduated and when I left Knoxville,  I lost total contact with them.  This past weekend,  they came to Crossville to camp---so we met back up --after 43 years...

What JOY for me!!!!  This couple did get married at age 18/19,  and are still very much in love after all of these years.  They have 2 married sons and I think, four grandchildren now.  Both Max and Sharon are retired and live in Maryville, TN.   They are such wonderful people --and I'm so glad that I could catch back up with them. 

They were so complimentary of me ---and what a difference I had made in their lives.  That makes me feel so good --since none of us know how we can affect others as we go through life.  I do know that I loved teaching ---and tried to do a good job sharing my deep love of music with all that I taught.

The funny part now is that I'm only about 9 years older than they are... As their teacher,  I'm sure they thought that I was much older back then!!!!! Isn't that a hoot??????

Thanks Max and Sharon for the wonderful visit!!!!!  I am so proud of the great Christian people you became. You two have obviously done alot to make a difference in the lives of others.  God Bless You both.

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Dawn and Jeff

Besides meeting Max and Sharon this past Friday,  George and I also spent part of Saturday  with son Jeff and his fiance, Dawn.   I don't know if it's because I am so happy in my marriage or if it's because Jeff had a rough first marriage,  but I am SO excited for this couple.   It's almost as if  "I" am getting married all over again!!!!! ha

Dawn is 'everything' a mother could ever ask for as a bride for her son.  These two are like George and me----they are good for each other and compliment each other.

The picture above is one of MANY pictures they made to use as 'engagement photos'... Isn't it a great picture???? I'm sure I've mentioned this many times,  but their wedding will be in October!!!!

Have a great day ---and thanks to so many of you for finding my two  surprises (the heart and the teeth) in my last post...  I often wonder how many people actually 'read' my blog --and how many just scan it.  (I hate to admit it, but I have been guilty of scanning blogs too on occasion when I am in a hurry!!!! ha)

Hugs,
Betsy