Nature calls

One of the small, pleasant things with warmer temperatures has been opening the sliding door and taking a nap while the cool air trickles in and the birds sing. A tree sits close to my west balcony, so I can watch my birds and critters come and go if I choose to. I saw a bright red cardinal perched in the tree about a week ago but wasn't fast enough to get a photograph.

As I was eating dinner after work tonight I noticed that I had a visitor sitting on the balcony ledge. A squirrel was hanging out. Again I tried to snap a shot, but my movement must have spooked him. The best I could do was get a blurred picture of the squirrel scampering up the wall. While I usually have the screen door closed, this encounter was a good reminder to keep it that way unless I want to let nature inside. Which I don't want to do.

Later on I went for a walk a couple times around the park and school and in the neighborhood. I always enjoy seeing the dogs playing in yards or on walks with their owners, and if I'm lucky I may get to pet a dog or two. We had a dog for most of my youth. I've not had a pet since I've been on my own, but I like giving the dogs a friendly greeting and scratch behind the ears.

During tonight's walk I also spotted a beautiful blue bird that, I'm guessing, is an Eastern Bluebird. It looked darker than those pictured on the website, but that's the best ornithological guess I have to offer. I suppose it could have been a Western Bluebird, although its name suggests it probably wasn't.