Be still my beating heart!

...just happened to look up from the lavender i was weeding and noticed a critter out in the pasture...far enough away that i couldn't see details but i was pretty sure it wasn't a critter of the domesticated variety. my heart was racing as it always does when i get to see a "wild" one...there's a almost a breathlessness from the excitement...that combined with the sprint inside to get my binocs... and i most certainly was gulping fer air...my heart was thumping hard...all that made me a little woozy and as i looked thru the binocs the critter appeared kinda fuzzy! after my body settled down i was able to see that i was looking at a bobcat...she was leisurely cruizing the pasture (in broad daylight which is sorta unusual fer a bobcat...they like to be more in cognito) but never the less, there she was. she slowly walked to the shade and, in an instant, became invisible. tried fer several minutes to find her but no luck.
whenever i see a wild one i am so grateful...and can feel how their presence lights up what is wild in me...and i remember again. all ways a blessing.

and then there were the baby bluebird chicks! OMG, they were so dang cute. their nesting box has been a flurry of activity...two very busy parents trying to keep their brood fed and a cat or two looking for an hor's derve. never a dull moment as they say...so the last one fledged this weekend. i was sitting outside and heard the little gal just chirping her head off. i watched her fer awhile...she would position herself so that her head and neck were peeking out the hole...and then she and her mama would have this delight-full call and response...it sure seemed like the mama was encouraging her to try and fly...and the chick wanted to but was a little too scared to jump...and so the conversation went. then the baby would withdrawl back into the box, invisible to my eye but still talking! i was getting tickled cuz i could easily imagine what they were saying to each other...plus the fact that she had that comical mouth typical to baby birds...looks like they are smiling the biggest smile! finally i had to go so i didn't actually see her make the leap tho i would have loved to...i would have clapped and clapped and clapped! but, the next day it was completely quiet in the box so i'm thinkin' she gathered enough courage to test drive her new wings.