weekend doings

First, let me say thanks everyone, I'm feeling better.

It's been a long time since I've spent much time in my studio, and it had become a catch all mess of disorganized chaos, and not at all conducive to creating. Cat hair from it's primary resident, Pheona, had coated everything!

     

So, I spent the better part of the weekend setting things right.

  

Can you tell it's been cleaned up?!

Maybe it's in the detils!

    

It can be hard to stay focused with this view from my window...

We finally saw the sun, after an eight day stretch of clouds and rain.  So, we took my first stroll of the season, to a small city lake/pond that's a few doors down from our home.  It's primary residents are Canadian geese, but we also have some others...

    

click on any image for a closer view

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Sadly, we came across this guy...

        

...who had obviously been injured.  He was dragging one wing, which probably was broken by one of the speeding cars that use the intersecting streets as a thoroughfare.  It was heart breaking to watch.  There was a police car sitting a little way up (looking for said speeders) from the goose, and I talked to the officer, who said the goose has been injured and there for several days, at least.  The humane society had come out and tried to trap it, but they aren't really equipped for wild life - their focus is on domestic animals - pets.  I figured I'd try to find some wildlife rescue resource once I got home, and my husband and I continued our walk around the lake.

Soon we came across a young family of geese - the babies were SO dang cute!

    

Once I got home, I spent over an hour making calls and finally was able to talk to some one who does wildlife rescue.  She had already been out and tried to catch this guy about two weeks ago.  Sadly, if and when this goose is caught, it will have to be euthanized.  The injury is too extensive, and has been this way for too long, so it's *healed* as a dragged limb.  There is plenty of food for it there, and it is still eating and moving around well, so this isn't considered an emergency, now that warm weather has arrived. I found a good resource in our area to help with such animal injuries, at Animal Nation, in Rye, NY. They provide rescue, education, and some good national links for animal and wildlife rescue/care.  

I especially love this part of their mission statement:

The ultimate goal is to ignite the inherent compassion 

in the hearts of all people, through one nation, 

working together, learning, growing and teaching 

others about a society that respects all forms of life.

This goose can't swim, nor fly, and won't be able to get away from predators.  We do have coyotes in the area, so it may fall victim to a natural predator, now that it's been weakened by an unnatural one.

A new blossom from the garden - columbine.

I did do some art, but I'm going to hold off on that for another day.

I don't want to press my luck on trying to load up any more photos!