Our Rescue Duck!

Costa Rica has two seasons, the High Season, which is December to April on the Central Pacific coast, and the Green Season from May until November.  It is now nearing the end of October and there has been very little rain this season until this week.  The past few days have brought the torrential downpours that the rain forest is famous for.

And along with the rains came this little bird that appeared to be in distress.  We are not sure if it was injured, rain soaked or just a young sea bird separated from it's mother but it was sitting in the street and could not fly.  It did not seem afraid at all and welcomed the warm hands that took it in and gently carried it to safety.  When it was released into our backyard it still did not fly but waddled off into the swimming pool!  It was quiet content to paddle around in the blue water the rest of the day as if to say...  "I am a lucky ducky to have found this beautiful pond to call my own!"


Now remember that we have a lovely family of basilisk lizards that reside in our backyard and Loco was lounging on the pool deck when this little bird went cruising by as if she were the princess of the pond.  She swam up and down and around and around!  It was an amazing sight to behold and reminded me of how much we enjoy being surrounded by nature.  I went back about my business and when I went back later to check on this little creature she was napping on the pool deck and stirred when she saw me.  She began to waddle all around the backyard as if to be checking out her new surroundings until she grew weary and nested down for another nap.

Later when I went to check on her whereabouts I did not see her anywhere.  Maybe she is tucked away in some of the tropical plantings for the night....  or maybe she flew away!  I will name her Amelia in hopes that she can fly and Amelia this is my message to you . . .

"Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!" 

Enjoy my video of Amelia . . .

Do you know what kind of duck....I mean bird she is?

Our Rescue Duck! from Deb's Dalliance on Vimeo.

Morning Fun with our Yard Critters!

There is nothing like stumbling out of bed in the early morning hours for your first "pit stop" and having a frog hop across the floor right by your feet so close you feel the swoop of the wind as he hops by!  It certainly makes you wake up a little faster as your mind orients itself as to what just happened and you then begin to plan on how to remove this little creature out of the house and back to the yard where he resides.  I am certainly not touching a frog you know!

He was quiet amusing to watch as he appeared to be a bit startled by my presence and he hopped himself right into the glass enclosed shower where he continued his efforts to escape and became a bit distraught that he could clearly see where he intended to go but just could not seem to get there!

We promptly removed our little Kermit friend back into his familiar surroundings and then I noticed that old familiar loud croaking frog sound coming from the back yard . . .

The BIRD was back!  

The Bare Throated Tiger Heron that is!  I wold recognize that sound anywhere!  I walked out into the yard and checked the wall where he sat on his last visit . . . but no bird there.  Then I spotted him way up on top of our palapa topped outdoor banos.  Sitting there gracefully taking in all of the early morning sights and sounds.  To learn more about this interesting feathered friend click the link and read . . . .

Is it a dog? . . . Is it a frog? ...NO . . . It's a Bird!

If shower taking frogs and birds that croak aren't enough to shake up your morning there is also the J. C. lizards and Iggy the Iguana who were lounging about in hopes that they might get fed a little breakfast.  When these guys see you coming with something to eat they come running to chow down!  The Loco kids are your typical siblings and the big brother dominates the bowl and will run the little guy off.  Today I decided to try 2 separate bowls to see how that would work and served them up some leftover chicken.  But Big Brother was his usual self and was dominating both bowls!  After a while they both seemed to get their bellies full and Iggie the iguana was chomping on some mango.  He was not to keen on eating out of the bowl and would jerk his head back so we tried a plastic plate.  That was working better but I don't think the mango was what he really wanted today because when we sat it on the wall he grabbed the plate in his teeth and tossed it right back at us!  

Oh the Joys of the Jungle!  Only in Costa Rica!

Please enjoy all of my photos from our fun morning with the critters!

Backyard Critters from Deb's Dalliance on Vimeo.

It's a Dogs Life!

Oh, to have the life of a dog!  Well, a diva dog that is.  I can remember back to my childhood when the phrase "It's a Dogs Life" referred to living a miserable existence.  Dogs were loved of course because who could not love a dog, but they were typically used as guard dogs or hunting dogs and if they were pets most often than not  were yard dogs.  Their diets consisted mostly of kibble or a can of the cheapest dog food off the grocery shelf and in most cases any or all of the scraps of food that would end up in the garbage can.

Most any phrase with reference to a dog was used in a manner to reflect something bad. . . . going to the dogs, dog tired, to die like a dog and dog eat dog.  

And then the pet world evolved to a whole new dimension with the growing popularity of dogs becoming in a true sense a "part of the family"!  From the tiniest of purse sized pups to the grandest babies of them all, they moved in one by one and took over the world of pet lovers and their homes.  They are clothed in studded and bejeweled dog collars and adorable designer fashion clothes and eat out of only the finest dinnerware.  Their meals and snacks are prepared in the kitchen with only the freshest ingredients and they attend many of the social gatherings . . . .  where dogs are allowed of course.

And so we come to the reason for my story or "doodle of the day" which is Bimbo and how I have  come to the conclusion that . . .

We Do NOT have a sofa . . .  Bimbo has a BED!

Most dogs have those cute little fluffy lined dog beds or even a giant cushy pillow to sleep on and are happy to climb on them and snuggle in for a nap or to listen to the family activities and conversations.  But Bimbo has come of mind that our sofa is not our sofa at all but her very own personal dog bed to rearrange to suit her whim from digging, scratching, pushing pillows out of her way until she is satisfied with the favorite cushion of the moment and snuggles in to take watch over the comings and goings.

I have plumped, re-plumped, squeezed, fixed and arranged these couch pillows hundreds of times and even bought her a new cushy doggie bed to lure her to doggie floor level . . . but to no avail.

I came to the conclusion that I was fighting a lost cause when we were sitting in our recliners and Bimbo jumped on "her" sofa, pushed off the undesirable throw pillows, flipped over all three back cushions and climbed up on the one of her choice, snuggled down into it and I heard the words...

"I am so happy that we bought that couch . . . because 
Bimbo really loves it!"

Yep, it has officially become Bimbo's couch. 
I hope that she will continue to share it with our guests!

And the newest phrase in my doggie vocabulary is

TOP DOG!

 

It's All About the EARS!

House Rules

The dog is not allowed in the house.

Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

The dog can get on the old furniture only.

Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture,

but is not allowed to sleep in the bed.

Okay, the dog is allowed in the bed, but only by invitation.

The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants,  

but not under the covers.

The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.

The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

Humans must ask permission to sleep in the bed

under the covers with the dog. 

 ~ Author Unknown ~

Yes It's a Dogs Life! . . . not such a bad thing!