You've simply GOT to see the BABY ORIOLES!!!

Good Monday (if there IS such a thing...) to all my wonderful, beautiful and and intelligent Gather friends!

Hubby having called me last night (the night he was due back from the "Redwood Run" to Garberville with all his "we-wanna-be-bikers" buddies) to tell me that all the wiring on his bike burned up in Ft. Bragg (Mendocino County) and that he wouldn't be returning until today -- yaaaay! ANOTHER whole day of peace and quiet for jean! ;o) (That's mean of me, isn't it? Rejoicing in Hubby's pain... Shame on me... hee-hee) -- I ventured outside this morning to take a shot of another of my bachelor buttons that was blooming... This one, however, (instead of the lilac-purpley of the other one in a photo I posted earlier here on Gather) was my favorite "blue-blue" color!

Here it is:

Then, I noticed that my "Lilliput" zinnias were blooming, as well!

(The seed that I planted was supposed to be a "mix" of colors, but all of them so far are this same pink color... That's okay... I like the color a LOT!)

And THAT'S when I heard the unmistakeable call of one of the Bullock's Orioles that are so pretty that I love... Here is photo of the mature male that I posted a month ago or so here on Gather:

Gorgeous, isn't he?

Then I spotted the one that was making the call... It took me a while because it WASN'T the mature male OR female... Turns out it was one of their BABIES!! I was so EXCITED!

Now I shall do my impression of "The Count" of Sesame Street fame:

"Bleh! I count ONE! ONE baby oriole, bleh..."

"Bleh! Now there are TWO!! TWO baby orioles, bleh..."

"Bleh! Now I count THREE!!! THREE baby orioles, bleh!"

LOL!  Aren't they ADORABLE?!?! All sitting together like that... SO CUTE!!!

They kept flying to different branches and doing the same thing -- winding up with all three of them there:

But, of course, when they're THAT little, Mama Oriole is never very far... I found her in another tree about 30 feet away:

(She's really keeping an eye on ME, isn't she?...lol...)

Then I went down to the veggie garden to turn the water on the corn and the beds... (Hubby usually does that but, in case you haven't heard, he's been away... hee hee!)

The cauliflower is coming along very nicely:

So is the eggplant:

And the landlord's apple tree has little, green apples all over it!

GAWD, I love summer!!! Don't you?

Oh! And I just couldn't resist snapping a photo of this little fellow... His "blue belly" was gorgeous and the markings around his eyes make it look like he has LONG EYELASHES!!  Check it out:

Funny, huh?

Once again, my friends, thanks for keeping me company today on this little stroll around the property here in Cloverdale... See ya on the boards here on Gather!

luv,
jean