Friday Foto Friends - A.K.A.The Things I've Seen This Week in My Neck of the Woods!

Hello Friday Foto Friends!!

I've been saving up a few new pictures to show you...haven't even shared most of these on Facebook yet, so you are getting the very first look!

Let's just move right along here...our Sand Hill Crane babies, a.k.a. "Colts", are growing like weeds!  I captured this darling picture of the two of them Thursday afternoon as they hurried away from the crazy lady with the camera (a.k.a. ME), and rushed through the water and over to the other side of the pond to safety with the parents.

 Hurry kids...let's get moving...

And none too soon...This Red Shouldered Hawk has been keeping a "hawk-eye" on these babies all week long.  He has been flying from tree to tree all along the shore of the pond, watching their every move...and waiting for a moment when he thinks the parents aren't watching...but I wouldn't be too quick to jump on those babies if I were you, Mr. Hawk...Those parents are MUCH bigger than you...and the babies are growing pretty fast too...and adult Sand Hill Cranes can be a formidable foe when you get near their babies...

The Crane family scurried quickly to safety...Hey! If you want to get a front row seat to all of this activity, you could buy this empty lot that's for sale...(I'm not really recommending that you buy this lot...it has "issues" that I won't describe here, so please don't really consider it.)

Now, back to my neck of the woods...a.k.a. known as my backyard...This Pileated Woodpecker was at it again early this morning, pecking away on that dead holly tree in our back yard.  As you can see, he has pretty well poked holes all the way through that trunk...

And here he was working extra hard at the very base of the tree, which weakened the bottom considerably...every day it has been getting weaker and weaker, and we've been concerned that it was going to fall over onto our power lines that are attached to the house...

And so,  our son #3 just walked up to the tree and gave it a big push...and yep! It went right over...thankfully he was pushing it away from the power lines and the house. It came down with a thud and broke into pieces...and here he is, with my hubby's help (and my help too, when I wasn't taking pictures) hauling it away to our burn pile.

I've been watching for the Pileated Woodpecker to show up looking for his tree...he'll be in for a big surprise...

Well, let's look at something delicate and pretty now...these lovely little Louis Philippe roses have been outdoing themselves this past week...

Now, moving out of our yard and down the road a bit, our local electric cooperative is in the process of relocating their offices and equipment to a new building down the road from the old, and although they aren't going to move this tower, they are going to install some new cell phone dishes on it so that we will finally get good cell phone reception here in our neck of the woods! That is great news for everyone!!!  Anyway, we just happened to be passing by when these guys were climbing up on the tower, and I was happy to get a quick snapshot of them doing their work...

 I love that I also captured the American Flag in this photo!!   Anyway, Thank you, electric linemen of the Clay Electric Cooperative, for all the work you do for us...often putting your lives at risk so that we can have better services and for restoring power when we have storms as quickly as possible. We appreciate your dedicated service!

Now here's some exciting pictures...I just know you will be thrilled to see these:

I got some new dish towels at the Dollar General this week!  Aren't they pretty?  They are so colorful and bright...I couldn't resist them!  Besides, I needed them...all my old dish towels are getting very thin and frayed and just worn out. (We do a lot of dishes here...even though I do have a dishwasher...we still dry a lot of pots and pans and dishes!!

These bright colors made me smile!  (It really doesn't take much to make me happy!)

I may just go back and get a few more while they still have these in stock!!

Here's some happy thoughts to start your day right:

Psalm 63:3-8

3.  "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4.  Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5.  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips."

6.  When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

7.  Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8.  My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me."

Have a blessed and glorious day, dear friends!

Now, let's follow on over to Deb's Place at Breathing in Grace, and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have seen this week!!