2016 July 9, Saturday, Taking pictures around the Shoals Area

Today, I went to Chick-fil-A for a bagel with egg, cheese, and chicken. I also ordered 3 chicken Minnie with a large tea. I ate the three chicken Minnie without the bread. 

Then I rode to UNA to see the lions but they were not out I could hear them roaring. I did see several squirrels scurrying around the campus. They were looking for food and playing. Crape Myrtles were in full bloom. It was reasonably quiet, except for an occasional roar of the lions and the pitter-patter of squirrels, as I walked through the campus taking pictures.

squirrels scurrying around the campus

squirrels scurrying around the campus

Top of the fountain 

Crape Myrtles

I  rode to the W.C. Handy Home and Museum to take a few pictures outside. Outside the tin, men were playing their musical instruments, and the museum door was patiently waiting to be unlocked at 10 A.M.

Tin men playing music. 

WC Handy Museum Opens at 10 A.M.

I next rode to McFarland, where I discovered a Gaggle of Geese gathered on the sandy beach, and I saw two men sitting quietly in their boat, fishing. I could hear in the distance the construction on the O'Neal bridge, and I watched a couple of geese come in for a landing on the Tennessee River. 

Two Men Fishing

A gaggle of geese is enjoying the sandy beach of McFarland 

I  stopped at Kangaroo in Sheffield to fill up with gas. 
Then onto the railroad bridge, where I took pictures as I walked to the end and back. 
My next stop was Rock Pile Park, where I saw another Gaggle of Geese, a lot more geese than at McFarland Park. They began waddling towards me, so I went back to the van for the bread left over from my chicken Minnie.

A gaggle of geese at the Rock Pile 

I waited until I was almost at the river before I gave the gaggle of geese the bread.
I then rode down to the Children's Playground area at the Rock Pile. There was a family of three there at the park, and the little girl was having fun playing. She came up to me, said hi, and told me when I left. 

The playground area at the Rock Pile 

The playground area at the Rock Pile & the little girl who was having fun 

I stopped at the Visitors Overlook at TVA Dam, where I could see the TVA Wilson Dam, the Tennessee River, the Marriott hotel, and the tower.

Tennessee River, Wilson Dam, Tower, and Marriott view from Visitors' Overlook 

I rode across the Wilson Dam Bridge to River Heritage Park, where I took a few pictures of the Crape Myrtles in full bloom. 

Crape Myrtles.

Crape Myrtles.

Crape Myrtles.

My last stop was Aldies to buy a few groceries. They had eggs for $.49 a dozen, so I bought four dozen. I came home, unloaded the groceries, and took a nap.

2015 ~ Friday, May 15, Feeding birds not squirrels and raccoons!

Bought two new bird feeders, filled them fully, and for several days the birds ate well. This morning I looked outside, and both feeders were completely empty. I saw a frog in the swimming pool, so I went to rescue it.
I found footprints all over the deck floor and a pile of pooh.
The raccoon has found the new feeders, and he ate so much that he could not hold it.
Raccoons are worse than squirrels.

Before we removed the cover from our swimming pool, two squirrels chewed a couple of small holes in the top of the cover. After chewing holes in the cover, they would jump up and down, letting water through so they could get a drink.

All winter, the water level was too low for them to do that, but we had been filling the pool with water, getting it ready to open for the summer. 

We already had problems with a raccoon that got under the belly of our RV. Hubby had left the propane tank cover off, and the raccoon had crawled inside the belly of our RV. 

Well, Hubby fixed the problem with the raccoon, and we thought he had gone until I bought the first bird feeder.
One night, I looked out the window, and the raccoon was standing on its hind legs, eating the birdseed.
I moved the feeder under the motion-sensor light, hoping it would scare the raccoon off.
Well, I had not seen the raccoon until last night when he left me proof of a pile of pooh and muddy footprints all over the deck floor. 

I love critters, but I wish he would stay off my deck.
Last year, we had to fish a baby raccoon out of our swimming pool.
I will have to move the bird feeders off the deck.

I have a pair of red birds, a pair of bluebirds, a pair of finches, and many other small birds I love to feed.

Raccoons and squirrels eat too much; they can go through a bag of bird feed in just a few days. They need to get out and hunt for their own food, not be served like kings, and leave a present behind for me to clean up.

Caught the raccoon with his hands in the bird feeder 

Caught the raccoon with his hands in the bird feeder