Category Archives: Molly the Hummingbird

So Molly says to me…

(you know that “Molly” is what I call all Hummingbirds, right?  ok, just checking.)

On Saturday morning I noticed that the front porch Molly Feeder was running low, so I prepared a batch of fresh solution (3 cups water, 1 cup white sugar, Boil for 1 minute, cool and fill feeder. Everybody’s happy.) and… let it sit on the stove until just before lunch today.

And, you know… I very well could have have let it sit there for a few more days, but I was suddenly called in to action.What caused me to change my mind, you ask?

Well, when I went in to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich for lunch, I opened the window over the sink / porch for some fresh air and a bit of “outside”.  Turns out that in addition to fresh air, I got a close-up view of a Hummingbird who was apparently upset with me for not refilling their feeder that hangs over the front porch railing in front of the window.  This bird appeared the instant I opened the window and began calling to me (go ahead, click on that link to hear what it was saying)… in fact, it stayed there – hovering back and forth (between the screened opening and the glass window, itself) and shrieking at me to refill the feeder – for ~10 seconds.

I greeted it with my typical Molly-greeting (“Hello Molly, it’s nice to see you”), said I’d be right there, then put down whatever I had in my hands, went outside, got the feeder and refilled it, then replaced it where it belonged.

By the time I got back in the kitchen and in front of the window, Molly was on the feeder having lunch… with nary a peep coming my way.

The local Hummingbird population saved from starvation, I finished making, then ate, my sandwich.

Film @ 11.

Molly in the fall…

I’m very pleased to report that (still) when I head out to the backyard to do “whatever”, Molly shows up singing “her” tune. This pic (CLICK THE PIC) was taken two weeks ago while I was out back firing up the fire pit.

Today when I went out back to check on the bees, and then take care of something in the garage, Molly followed me wherever I went. Standing in front of the hives (the girls are fine, thx – lots of clear-weather pollen-gathering going on.), there was Molly, overhead on the birch tree, singing up a storm. When I left the bees, Molly followed me over toward the garage and while I was in there (briefly) re-arranging a plant (brought in from the freeze last week), I could hear her singing just outside the garage door… in the passion fruit vines.

When I left the garage, up she flew to the birch by the patio… singing up a storm STILL. So I stopped and talked with her for a few minutes… her chattering up a storm most of the time. Hopefully some day Molly will come rest on my hand….

Dee’s favorite: First days of Spring…

This morning as Pan and I were reading the paper on the front room couch @ 5:30, the smell of the bouquet of fresh flowers drifted in from the foyer. Every time I smell fresh flowers in the house, I think of Delilah.

Dee was the kind of cat who absolutely had to brush up against, crawl over or through any fresh bouquet of flowers that came in the house. Naturally, this led to more than a couple of vase-spills over the years, but it’s just how things were: I brought the flowers in, Joanne put them in a vase and they went to the dining room table, the sideboard in the foyer, on our dresser or on my desk… no matter where they went, that’s where Dee was within minutes.

So these past few days as I walk through the citrus grove, seeing and smelling the just-blooming Lilacs, or look out my office window to see the just-blooming Jasmine, or out of our bedroom to see the Wisteria coming to life again, I can’t help but think of Dee and her love of fresh flowers. (And when I look out our bedroom window, I see the Cherry tree in full bloom and beautiful Daphne beside it. sigh.)

Spring is here and we still miss Dee – in all of her catitude – as if she’d just left us yesterday.

But I do have some good news to share: I am beginning to near the production release of my professionally-focused book / materials / software and when that’s out the door, I can begin turning my attention to The Legend of The Two Big Cats on Walnut Drive. (And if you pay attention to the video’s for my products, I bet you’ll recognize some characters you’ve heard me talk about over the years.)

Wherever you are, be safe.
hal

Here are some quick pics I shot in the backyard over the weekend. It’s pretty clear to see Spring is just around the corner. (ALWAYS REMEMBER TO CLICK THE PIC FOR FULL DETAILS.)

Looking straight out back.

Click the pic to see Molly at the top branch of the birch tree. Molly always flies to me / that place on the tree when I come in to the back yard.


Ah, the “Sun Man” next to the Ghiardelli Chocolate pot… that’s Daphne in the background.

Daphne from behind…

Daphne silhouetted by the, um, purple bush-thing.

Pear tree in blossom next to the other purple bush-thing.

Apparently the bees are away and resting while I air out the house. New bees get ordered today.

Artichoke plant we just can’t seem to kill.

First cherry blossom of the year. (Click for close-up)

2nd Plum tree, halfway through blossom, now with leaves showing.

I’ll add more later, just wanted to get these up.
hal

Molly, is that you in LA?

A few month’s ago I visited Owe, Liv and Chrissy in LA while I was attending a music industry convention. We had a nice time visiting, going out to dinner, etc… but we also had a nice time watching their Hummingbirds. (Their birds appear to be Anna’s, also, but I can’t confirm that as fact.)

It seems I mentioned to Chrissy that I was a bit envious of their Molly-traffic and wished we had more Molly’s around our place. I guess Owe learned of the conversation and sent me the following pictures with a suggestion to buy the same type of feeder as the birds were really active with it. (Coincidentally, Bill & Francesca and Los Gatos Steve have the same feeder and theirs are always busy, too.) Us? We’ve got a very nice, artsy-fartsy handblown glass feeder. Boy is it pretty to humans… but it appears to be butt-ugly to our Molly’s. Guess it’s time for me to buy a handful of the type Owe, Bill and Steve use and get on with things, eh?

Enjoy the pics Owe sent, I can practically hear the little one’s singing:
(REMEMBER TO CLICK THE PIC FOR THE DETAILS – THEY’RE GREAT!)

As territorial as Hummingbirds can be, it’s interesting to see them feeding two at a time.

Nice solo silhouette shot.

Last call for chow hall!

Thanks to Owe for the pics, Thanks to you for visiting and don’t forget to write when you get work.
hal