A relaxing day!

The sun came out and caused us to lower our roll down shade over the dining area sliding door. Sun was bright and somewhat hot. We didn't realize that it was about to go away.

But by noon, go away it did. The clouds rolled in sort of slowly not quite making the sun go under but then it did. By after lunch, the sky looked as though it could rain, and then it did. We did reach 88 or so even in the rain, but that isn't hot by lake ozark standards.

So we had hoped to go out on the lake, but never quite got around to it. We did what all good folks do on a rainy afternoon. We went to Wal-Mart. We always need things from there, right?

With the car loaded with treasures, and groceries we made a bee line back to the house. I bought another pair of chickens to do more beer can, dancing, drunk butt, what ever you call them, on the really big charcoal smoker we have here.

This is the real deal with the side barrel to smoke the ribs and beef brisket and so forth. So we will see how the chicken comes out on it. Loyce says that's a project for tomorrow.

So we sat here and watched the humming birds fight over the feeder and hung out for the rest of the evening. We bought the bird feeder back in early July from where else, Wal-Mart. I hung it out on the rope light palm tree on the back deck.

And in just a few hours, it attracted hummers. And then some more hummers. They are territorial little fellows. They don't want anyone else in their space. We have been filling the feeder up when we leave, and I do not know how long it lasts, but it has always been empty when we came back after two weeks.

I washed it up and filled it again when we arrived yesterday. And the birds found it was back full again in a matter of minutes. Then the "sargent major" arrived. The head female ruby throated humming bird. She runs the show. Guards the feeder from any intruder bird that she doesn't allow.

She sits up on the ham radio wire antenna above the feeder and swivels her head back and forth surveying all the area for intruders. When another hummer trys to sneak up on the feeder, she swoops down from on high and attacks. Chasing the offender away into the trees to the North of us.

The other birds have figured out how to get her away though. They come in pairs and while she chases one of them the other one feeds. Then they come back and do it again. I'm not able to tell if they are taking turns, because they all look very alike, but it is interesting to see this all take place.

She does let the male bird feed, and she just sits and watches. He is black with the red ruby patch under his beak. Thus the name. If she does go after him, he doesn't fly away like the other females, but rather holds his ground right next to the feeder. As if to inform her that he isn't too worried about her attack.

So she was out there on the wire all puffed up with her feathers ruffled to look big and intimidating all afternoon. We sat right inside the sliding door and watched the antics for the evenings entertainment.

Kind of hard up for something to do, aren't we?