Turkey Highway

The turkeys are in their marauding phase now. As we were driving out this morning we saw them in the mini-vineyard down the street and when we came back this mother turkey was shepherding her adolescent children along the top of the fence next to our driveway. The youngsters weren't so sure and needed a lot of coaxing to stay the course. The other parent was bringing up the rear and keeping track of the stragglers. 

They are not the brightest birds around, but they are definitely the biggest! And they are becoming quite urban, managing to cross streets and forage for whatever they eat in the gardens next to them.
We often sit on the porch in the evening and watch all the birds that come to the bird feeders, including the turkeys. We've seen woodpecker wars, jays dive bombing the woodpeckers and scores of tiny finches, nuthatches, crested titmice and generic LBBs. There are also a few grosbeaks. That insane bluebird continues to peck at our windows but we never see her at the bird feeders. I think she might be an insect eater.

We took Spike down to the soccer field to throw the ball for him. It's a good workout for him and a chance to socialize with whatever dogs happen to come along. We remembered his ball that makes a noise when it lands, and it's uncanny how many times he is able to go straight  to it. His hearing is remarkable.

I went back to the fabric store to continue to replenish my stock. I was telling Jeannie, one of the owners, that it's supposed to be a great quilt for using up scraps, but somehow that never works for me. A lovely tall woman standing next to me commented that my choices were very bright. I said that I tended to use bright colors even though I rarely wear them. She asked what I was going to do with it, and I said it was the first time I had ever made a quilt with absolutely no idea. Usually I have someone in mind when I make a quilt but I seem to have exhausted my supply of friends and family!. As we chatted, I was pretty sure that she was deaf and probably had a cochlear implant, but her hair was covering her ears, and I didn't like to ask. 

It's pretty easy to stick to a news embargo in July because we can always watch the Tour de France instead, and it's just about that time.