Bedeviled by Technology... and Geese.

Here it is Saturday and I had to struggle to crop my critter photos due to technical problems. My laptop has memory problems and the app I usually use to fix that was not doing much to clear space. I tried to contact them yesterday but wound up conversing with a bot, which I found so frustrating that I deleted my account. That did not solve my swap disk problem with Photoshop, of course, so I am temporarily using Pixlr online. 

So, I hope you enjoy the deer, squirrel, and birds today.

Here we see a red-winged blackbird and a downy woodpecker. 

Saturday Critters / I'd Rather Be Birdin'

I've written about the graylag geese a couple of times lately. It's hilarious that they come up and knock on the door, but it is not funny when they get aggressive in the yard. The meanest one pecked me and left a bruise on my ankle! 

They leave a mess in front of the door too. I got a plastic owl, put sand in it to keep it from blowing over, and placed it in front of the glass doors. Here we see how well it works. Yes, they were not at all concerned about it. 

 

The Soft Side of Helltown

Front Royal used to be called Helltown, supposedly because it was the scene of many brawls when boatmen came to town. I'm not going to say it is calm now, but it does have a beautiful side. It is situated in a river valley between the Blue Ridge and the Massanutten Mountains.

Skywatch Friday

Black and White: I spotted this interesting tree next to Happy Creek. (I wound up editing this image on Fotojet online because my Photoshop program is giving me constant error messages.)

The next few photos are of Happy Creek. This creek winds its way through the town. For part of the distance, you can walk alongside it on a trail called the Royal Shenandoah Greenway.

Weekend Reflections

There is an arboretum planted along the creek with a variety of trees.

The purple flowers are next to a church in a different part of town.

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Floral Friday

Sign Post #605

I've always photographed signs but joining a blog hop for Signs reminds me to look for amusing ones.

The "Need a Screw" Sign is in front of Borden's Hardware Store.

By the way, the title for this post refers to the Label (tag) "Signs" that Blogspot keeps track of. At the bottom of the page are statistics for the Labels that I use. 

The "Sharp Work" sign is in a clinic where they draw blood for  testing. 

"Sing More, Tweet Less" on a shopping bag that was for sale in Cracker Barrel. The "Your Crazy is Showing" sign was also there. 

I photographed the final two signs today in Front Royal.  "LOVE" is a common theme in Virginia. "Heroes work here" refers to the staff of a nursing home.  

I'm thankful for all the health care workers who have persisted through the pandemic that has challenged us for an entire year. Now that large numbers of people are getting vaccinated, it looks like the threat may finally be about to get less. I certainly hope so. 

Thankful Thursday.

Visiting Birds

Tap, tap, tap!

Someone was knocking on the French doors.

It was those crazy graylag geese! The ones that attacked me. I did not invite them in. 

This was the third time they have done this. Whether they want something or are curious about their reflection, I don't know. 

There is a male cardinal who attacks my car because he sees his reflection. I cover the side mirrors when I park under his favorite tree, but that only helps a little. He can still see a reflection in the glass at times.

Wild Bird Wednesday

I don't think this cardinal is the same one. He lets the sparrow approach him while busy feeding. I've observed this many times.

The female cardinal is a striking bird. 

The little bird on a log is a junco. I believe the bird on the tall grass is a female purple finch.

 

Bluebells are Blooming by the Eighth Vermont Monument

Links:

• Tuesday Treasures
• Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday
• Our World Tuesday
• Morning Attack Trails at Cedar Creek

 

Arts and Crafts Post #578

Monday Murals

These colorful paintings are on the side of a market near Luray. The round one is small compared to the flower one but beautifully rendered.

Behind the store is a barn with some young pigs and goats to view. There's a stand selling produce and plants, and a larger building with crafts, t-shirts, and local items.  I made a collage of some things we saw there. 

Mosaic Monday

Sometimes I snap a picture with my cell phone when I see an interesting display in a shop. I admit to a weakness for cute animals and shiny things. Here's a collage from a couple of small stores.

We're still avoiding crowded places even though we've been vaccinated. We wear our masks in stores. It's only a small inconvenience; not a big deal at this point. I hope you are staying safe and healthy.

A Few Page County Sights.

Page County lies between the Blue Ridge and the Massanutten Range.

Here we see a church in the town of Shenandoah. It is the First Christian Church Disciples of Christ. The church was organized around 1895.  Like many buildings in that area, it was built of red brick. Brick was manufactured locally, as was iron and lumber. 

I was not able to get a satisfactory picture of the entire building because there are utility poles and wires right in front. I wish every historic district would put their lines underground, but I'm sure the concerns of photographers are not high on the town's priority list. 

Inspired Sunday / The Barn Collective

Critters Sweet and Troublesome

Happy Easter!

Spring is in the air and the bears are about. I looked out this morning and saw this bird feeder tipped over. Two feeders that had been on poles were now on the ground, broken open. A suet cake was also on the ground. I guess Mr. Bear did not like it because it was the kind that was seasoned with red pepper to deter squirrels. 

Frank checked our garbage can. It was open and trash was strewn about. A can of pressurized whipped cream was crushed and punctured. I hope Mr. Bear enjoyed it. But I also hope he does not come back! 

I was able to put the brass suet holder back together. It's pretty sturdy! 

The bear also bent one of the metal feeder poles rather badly. I don't know if we can fix it. I also don't know if we can fix the green-roofed suet feeder. It's pretty bent up.

April is the end of bird-feeding season here. I usually stop in mid-April because of bears. It's only a little early, and I had already taken down most of the seed feeders. They needed cleaning and I didn't see the point in filling them up again, knowing that they draw bears.

A neighbor reported today that two bears entered his porch last night and broke into a can of bird seed. 

Bears don't really hibernate here but they den up during cold weather and feed close to home on mild days. In spring they do a walkabout, looking for suitable places to fatten up during warm weather. 

The graylag geese that bit me the other day continue to act mean. I don't know where their nest is and I'm not about to go looking for it! I'm afraid to even go to the mailbox without carrying a broom or something to fend off their nipping. 

They even threatened Frank when he was picking up the trash that the bear had scattered! He squirted them (lightly) with the garden hose and they backed off. A goose can be fearsome even when it doesn't bite. They stretch their neck and hiss, staring at the target which is your legs. No wonder people call them cobra chickens!

On a lighter note, we saw dozens of deer when we drove along Skyline Drive on Thursday. I posted some scenic shots yesterday. Here's a deer. 

Early Spring in Our Neck of the Woods

Yesterday I had an errand in Harrisonburg. We had lunch and did a little shopping. Then we went up to Skyline Drive and journeyed home through Shenandoah National Park.

Black and White Weekend

In spite of it being spring, there was snow up in the mountains. Frank posed at Lewis Mountain. Both there and at Big Meadows, lodging has recently opened up for the season. Some folks were even camping, although the temperature was below freezing.

As we drove north, we found sunshine and beautiful views. 

Skywatch

This weekend is Easter weekend. For the occasion, I made up a collage with bunnies and pansies.

Friday Bliss / Garden Affair / Floral Friday

Many of our flowering trees are blooming in the valley. This street scene is in Strasburg.  A man is hurrying past Town Hall.

Have a good weekend!

A Duck Out of Water

City Daily Photo Theme Day. 

It's April 1st. What more can I say?