Joy AND Sadness

As you know, I've been very distracted for the past month --dealing with my left knee problem. Anyhow--during that time, our Bluebirds must have decided to nest in the new Bluebird Nestbox in our backyard. After the Chickadees and Bluebirds fought over the nest a couple of months ago, neither took it. SO--it had been empty for quite awhile.

This morning George walked by the nestbox (for another reason) and a Bluebird flew out.... He came and told me---and of course, I got VERY excited... I made him open the nest to see what was going on.. Surprise!!! There are about 4 baby birds in that nest.. SO--I'm gonna be a Grammy again this Summer!!!! YEAH!!!

I sat on the deck for awhile this afternoon trying to get some pictures... Mom and Dad were taking turns going back and forth feeding the little ones.. I managed to get a few pictures ---but hopefully I will get LOTS more before and when they fledge.

Above is Mama Bluebird coming out of the nest... (They are so quick that it's hard to catch them in a photo.) Below are a few more pictures!!!!

Daddy Bluebird comes to the nest to check out his babies. Mom and Dad take turns going back and forth taking care of them.

I just had to include this picture even though it's sorta blurry.... One of Dad's jobs is to carry the 'fecal sac' away from the nest (far away). See it in his mouth? Bluebirds are VERY clean birds --and when all of them leave the nest, we will find it almost as clean as when they first got there. Daddy keeps those babies' diapers changed regularly!!!! ha

Here's a cute picture of Daddy Bluebird at the nestbox. I'm sure he and his lady are proud of their babies!!!! I'll keep you posted on this JOY.

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On a very sad note, a very good blog friend of mine, Eileen Brown, from British Columbia. lost her husband, Daryl, this week. Eileen and I have been blog friends since November of 2008 ---even BEFORE I joined Blogger. She is one of my very first blog friends--and she means so much to me.

Eileen and her hubby had only been married five years (would have been six in August) ---so we had something special in common, since George and I have only been married almost nine years. We both felt as if we had found a very special love-of-our-life in our 'golden' years. We always enjoyed talking about our Sweethearts with one another. The one difference was that this was the first marriage for both Eileen and Daryl. They had no children---but have an adorable dog named Mingus.

Eileen had gone to visit an ill sister when her husband died. He was only 60 and had been in very good health. He worked six months out of the year doing fire weather forecasting. No one knows yet what happened to Daryl, but apparently, he died very suddenly (maybe from a massive heart attack).

When I read Eileen's post, I just burst into tears. Life is so precious --and none of us know how long we are going to be on this earth. This has just devasted me. I wish I could meet Eileen and give her a big hug. We haven't met ---but she is one special lady. Don't let anyone ever tell you that blog friends are not that important. They ARE--and I have some GREAT friends for life I'm sure.

If you have a few minutes, please go to Eileen's blog and leave her a comment. I'm sure she'll appreciate knowing that so many of us in Blog World are thinking about her and praying for her. Click HERE to visit Eileen's blog (Cicero Sings).

Hugs,

Grotto Falls --in the Smokies

My youngest son has lost alot of weight --and I'm so proud of him. He and his children have been doing some hiking now that he is getting healthy again. I was telling him some of the hikes that George and I have taken in the Smokies.

One hike which we loved was to GROTTO FALLS. Grotto is more like a waterfall for the 'locals' rather than the tourists. For some reason, this one is not listed in the 'waterfalls to visit' while in the Smokies (like Rainbow, Laurel, Abrams, etc.). BUT--this is a really nice hike and waterfall.

The Grotto Fall hike is located off of the Roaring Fork Motor Trail (above Gatlinburg). Undoubtedly named for the recess behind the descent, this waterfall hurtles 25 feet over a sandstone escarpment along Roaring Fork. A short side path allows access to the 'grotto'. This is an enjoyable 1.2 mile hike (one way) to this waterfall. George and I loved this hike and recommend it, not just to Jeff, but to anyone visiting the Smokies.

Here are some pictures from the 2007 hike which we took to Grotto Falls. Above is a picture of the waterfall. For anyone who thinks that a good camera doesn't make a difference ---WELL---it surely does. These pictures are okay, but nothing like they would look if we had have taken them with our new cameras. But--you'll get the idea. Below are more photos from Grotto Falls!

I always enjoy sitting on the rocks near a waterfall. This day was no exception. It makes me YEARN for good health again, so that I can hike soon.

George gets up close and personal with the waterfall.

Look who is standing BEHIND the waterfall!!!! That water felt pretty good on a warm, spring day in 2007.

Now George is hiking around on the rocks (He hikes; I sit--ha) getting more and more pictures.

Here's one last picture of GROTTO FALLS... I've said this before, but we enjoy hiking where there aren't many other people. This hike was perfect!!!! We recommend it ---and if I can get healthy, maybe we can go back there sometime!!!!

Thanks for all of the kind words about my knee surgery. I am feeling MUCH better today, so maybe I've turned the corner!!!! I certainly hope so!

Hugs,