Fast!

That is one word to describe hummingbirds. Ruby-throated hummingbirds' wings average an astonishing 50 beats per second and their normal flight speed is approximately 30 miles per hour! And since their stubby legs prevent them from walking, they spend most of their time in flight, perching only for brief periods to rest.

I am counting the hours until Hubs arrives - his flight gets in to Newark around 10:30 tonight (provided that Hurricane Arthur doesn't screw things up) and he should be home by midnight. I'll be waiting up.

Unfortunately, the cats are now in a full-blown jihad with both of them hissing and snarling at each other and acting like someone is about to get killed. This is why it's such a production taking one of them to the vet - it's not just the getting them in the carrier and to the vet... it's dealing with the aftermath when one of them comes home smelling like the enemy. Sigh.

The snarky weather is supposed to clear out by mid-day tomorrow, leaving us cooler and less humid for the rest of the weekend. Which is good since we're planning to grill tomorrow night with our neighbors, and enjoy the patio (and the hummingbirds!)

Five other pics from today are posted on Flickr, starting HERE and the third one is guaranteed to make you say "awwwwww". In other news, I found my first nursery web spider of the season today - and she's a huge one! They freak me out, and at the same time fascinate me. No doubt I'll get some pictures ... in between shivers of revulsion!

To my friends in the US - Happy Independence Day weekend! To everyone else, Happy Thursday.

Debbi

PS: And one year ago I was hanging with BikerBear and PhotoMatt, having a fantastic blipmeet.