The Rio Grande is down about four feet, exposing a carved-up beach.
A black and white bovine at sunset.
While I was checking the status of irrigation water under the peach tree, this hummingbird was en garde, buzzing me, hoovering in my face, and perching less than an arm’s length away to keep a close eye on me. I get this strange feeling there might be a nest in the peach tree.
Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn at 2:30 am.
Night Sky
Sasha
Spunk breaking in my new book.
Marble interrupted the book breaking in process.
Nighthawk. Moo cow. Beaver
“Ah! Mama! There’s a weird Paparazzo pointing a bazooka at us.”
Yesterday, David, a neighbor to the north, said he saw two owlets down by where he lives. We went to check it out and only saw an adult owl. I went back to see if they were out tonight. Not only were they out, but the owlet’s mama was also feeding one of them a squirrel.
This owlet looks like the older of the two.
The mama was not too sure about the pesky Paparrazo.
Cows at sunset
Mary and Paul were still plotting their flight across the ditch tonight. Peter is still waiting for them.
Venus, Jupiter, Mars & Saturn
The Rio Grande is running higher
Laurie said I’m a “dust denier!”
Peepers’ peeping
La Luna
I think the bright light in the cloud is either a UFO or the grumpy old man to the left is shining a flashlight through the cloud. The light can’t be from the moon, because the moon rose at 6:45 am this morning (the skies were overcast), and it set at 4:00 pm this afternoon. We have a new moon tomorrow morning.
Crows
Some people will find this parody really creepy. It will certainly bug the hell out of other people. While a few people might even like the photos and footage of children of the earth, also known as Jerusalem Crickets and Potato Bugs. However you react, you might get a laugh out of me trying to fit “sweet child of the earth of mine” into the space of “sweet child o mine”. The lyrics are at the end of the post.
I was inspired to write the lyrics to this parody in February 2019 when I came across a Child of the Earth out trying to warm itself in the cold winter sun. I’ve worked on and off recording it for the past two and a half years. I got it to what Laurie thinks is a multi-dimensionally bloody awful state about 4 months ago. I was hoping to see a lot of Children of the Earth this summer to get more photos and footage of them, but, alas, no such luck. I borrowed footage from Jerusalem Crickets Only Date Drummers Deep Look, This Potato Bug Eats Everything! (Documentary), Killer Potato Bug Attack, and 9609 New Mexico Child Of The Earth (Another Journey in MyZahs life).
As a consolation prize, below are photos of the pTerodactyl doing a pterodactyl version of a hop, skip, and a jump, and cows in the cornfield.
Sweet Child Of The Earth Of Mine
Parody Lyrics by Timothy Price
It made me sad when I saw its face
Walking along in that lonely place
With a morning light so cold
Sun barely lit the sky
It seemed to shiver and it couldn’t run
trying to warm in that winter sun
And if it stayed too long
It would surely die
Oh-oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Oh, oh, oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Its eyes were fixed, perfectly still
All-round in the darkest brown
Couldn’t seem to show the pain
Of that cold hard ground
Vulnerable exposed in an unsafe place
Without a place to hide
Try to save it from the freezing pain
Or simply pass it by?
Oh-oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Oh, oh, oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Ooooooh! Oh-oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Oh, oh, oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Oh, oh, oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Oh, oh, oh-oh! Sweet child of the earth of mine
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where did it go?
Where, where did it go now?
Where’d it go?
Where-ere-ere-where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Where-ere-ere-ere-ere where did it go now?
Where did it go now?
Ooh oh oh where did it go now?
Where did it go?
Where did it go?
Whoa whoa whoa
I was photographing bees in the freshly bloomed plum tree. When I went out to check on Daddy Owl, I got sidetracked by burros and bovine. Since I was doing macro-like shots of the bees, I decided “Moo Macros” were in order for the cows.
Honey bee loaded down with pollen.
Moo Macro in B&W
This burro found a tasty cottonwood branch.
A blue native bee.
Tongue to the right.
Tongue to the left.
Tuck tongue nostril right.
Tuck tongue nostril left.
That’s how you do the Bovine Tongue Tuck Tango.
Bovine doing an imitation of a lion.
Another native bee.
Bovine dog imitation.
Daddy Owl was looking out at the Sandias, but gave me a quick, “You’re bothering me, boy!” look.
Who can resist this cute mug?
We got about an inch of snow last night, and while the sun tried to peek through the clouds, the temperature never got about 25ºF (-3.9ºC). A couple of walks in the bosque and out on the beaches along the Rio Grande resulted in new birds and some exciting owl news.
Sandias and the Rio Grande from North Beach.
Canadian Geese.
Five Thrushes.
These Thrushes looked really iridescent in the snow on the riverbank under the cold, filtered sun.
Red-Tailed Hawk way off in the distance.
Sparrow up north scavaging in the snow and pebbles.
Red-Tailed Hawk in profile.
This poor calf has lost its herd. It’s all alone and has been sadly mooing for someone to keep it company.
Can you spot the northern mama owl sitting on her eggs?
She didn’t use this nest last year because the raccoons had ransacked it. She is in it again this year. The year before, 2018, she had Virginia in this nest: https://wp.me/p1yQyy-4dG
Thrush
Blondy the blonde porcupine sleeping way up in a cottonwood.
Thrush getting a drink.
The acequia madre
Robin
Snowy Bosque
Mama Owl and Daddy Owl in their usual spot with snow all around.
Off Center & Not Even 