Just Around the Next Bend: Dr Doolittle, I Presume

Yes, I talk to animals. I talk to plants. Those of you who know me well know that I don't usually have a hard time talking, period! But lately, I have really enjoyed nature, in all her lovely forms. I had fun the other day taking photos of my backyard and will share some of them with you in this post. I will probably also repost some photos of my zoo "friends".

Ancient climbing roses

A flower basket

I always warn people going to the zoo with me that I actually do talk to the animals - especially the gorillas whom I know by name, and the gibbons (Tembling is my favorite little guy with the amputated hand), and the lions (I'm really cheering for Abutto and Lomela to give us some babies soon!). I usually speak to the hippo sisters and the Syrus crane, Romano, who always comes to the fence to see me when I call her and will usually preen and then do her happy dance.
I love telling Asha what a great mommy gorilla she is and how pretty she is. She always comes to the glass to greet me. And I tell Dembe to stop being such a nuisance to the other gorillas. He is definitely in his "terrible twos"! And Tumani is such a good big sister. And daddy Rafiki is so handsome! I can usually tell the older females apart now and try to talk to them and I realize there's a double paned window between me and them, but somehow I'm sure they can understand me. Andy says he doesn't think so as I don't speak gorilla, but I think they probably have figured out English by now. They're pretty smart.

Three generations of gorilla females - Asha with her kids and her mother, Juju

Rafiki and Dembe playing

   In my backyard, I talk to the sparrows and the ring-necked dove pair, the lovely finches, the ornery squirrels, and, most recently, the robin family. Mommy and Daddy Robin are doing their best to train the three "juniors" to fly and to find worms. I had no idea that it took such a long time to get them to fend for themselves. They are full grown, but not quite into their adult plumage, and are still hopping along after mom and dad waiting for one of them to find the worms and turn around and give it to the juniors! I say they are big enough to find their own food! And, oh my, mom and dad were quite noisy when teaching the juniors to fly. It has all been very entertaining - for me, anyway, not sure about the robin parents. I think these parents will be glad to see their kids all grown up and leaving the nest.
     My backyard is my sanctuary. It is not well-designed or even planned. But this time of year, it rewards my non-efforts with amazing beauty. And, yes, I talk to the plants. I'm so glad I live in an area of the US where one can enjoy the outdoors almost every day or the year. No humidty, no great heat, no bugs! Just me and my kindle and my ice tea and my dogs - and nature!
     So here I will leave you with some photos of my backyard. This week's journey has been kind and fairly uneventful so no major bends to contend with. Those kind of weeks are nice to have, but unfortunately do not lend themselves to being blogged about!