Generally, how do you describe sparrows?  Aggressive?  Cheeky?  Brazen?  Birds of action?

Surprisingly, they behave entirely out of character when their young are involved.  Whenever we sat on the lawn swing, some 20 feet away from the birdhouse, Mother Sparrow regarded us as the most suspicious of characters!  She did not want us to see her going to the birdhouse.  No way.  She would alight on the wooden fence, ever keeping a beady eye on us, and hop her way along the top rail by fits and starts, pausing innumerable times . . . before she flew to the dwelling place of her young.

We were worn us out just watching Mother Sparrow constantly flying off to fetch more bugs for them.   How weary her faithful brown wings must have become.  Father Sparrow never showed up once to bring in the groceries! 

By the way, have you seen my painting titled “Brown Wings”?

The upper garden shed is the dwelling place of the lawn mower, the snow blower, rakes and shovels, flower pots, you name it.  It is getting a makeover this spring, which started by replacing the floor.  Today Lloyd waterproofed its tired roof with a liberal coating of thick tar.  The threatened rain held off, and the temperatures were cool and comfortable for the messy work.

Yesterday, we caught Rabbit No. 5.  I’ll not include its photo, as you’re probably sick and tired of looking at brown rabbits – but I declare, a brown rabbit in a cage is a BEAUTIFUL sight!

From what distance can a rabbit smell a piece of apple?

Rabbit No. 4 is now numbered among the misplaced ‘persons’ who, at this very moment, is sniffing about in a far away woods, choosing where to dig his burrow.

Last fall, I planted several clumps of red tulips with seven bulbs in each, thinking they would make a dazzling splash of colour this spring.  However, the squirrels had their own opinion on how landscaping should be done around here, leaving my ‘clumps’ with only one or two tulips in them.  However, just over the fence in the woods, they planted a clump of five.  How beautiful the clump of five fiery blooms was – emphasis on was.  When I went out to photograph the misplaced ‘persons’  this morning, they were gone.  Someone had cut every single stem!

I should stick to daffodils, as the squirrels abhor them, and wouldn’t think of transplanting any of them anywhere . . . even if you offered them a whole tree full of acorns!

Yesterday was a killer!  Our son, John, came over on his day off and helped lug flooring materials, sacks of gravel, cement blocks and bricks up the knoll in the back yard to replace the rotted floor in the aging garden shed.  More soil had to be dug out, and a large tree root removed before the 2×6’s and 2×4’s could be secured in place.

By seven at night, they were ready to nail down the first section of pressure treated plywood.

I had prepared one of John’s favourite meals, spareribs, which simmered all afternoon.  Our repast rejuvenated us somewhat.

Waking up this morning, our weary backs and joints made us feel as old as Methuselah!

All that subsided somewhat when I pulled open the living room drapes!  There by the hedge, the cage door was down, and Rabbit No. 3 was inside!

It’s surprising how success or good news can perk one up!

Lloyd covered the cage with a blanket so the rabbit would settle down and nap while we had breakfast.  When Rabbit No. 3 was released in the countryside at the same spot as the previous two, he bounded straight up the wooded hill.

“Where’s that apple?  Maybe we’ll catch another one tonight!”

While we were out running errands last week, Lloyd said, “Why don’t we just slip around and look at a Smart car?”

My head swivelled like an owl’s.  I stared straight at him, detecting a suspicious bit of a grin.  “We’re just going to look, aren’t we?”

We drove across town to the Mercedes-Benz dealership which has a Smart car division, and took their all-electric model out for a test drive.  It had a generous government rebate hanging over it like a carrot!  The final price was too high for our budget, and the pre-charge mileage was too low.

Not deterred, Lloyd suggested we take a look at their gasoline-powered Smart car, which was much less expensive.  They just happened to have the exact colour we wanted, and because it was a 2013 demo, they offered a generous discount.  It can go 600 km on a full tank.  We took it for a test-drive, and as you can see by the picture, it passed with flying colours!  Believe it or not, we purchased it at 0% interest!

It seems that no one can approach to look at our little ‘ladybug’ without grinning from ear to ear.  However, when you sit inside, it feels like a big car.  There is ample space behind the seats to fit in a picnic cooler with wheels, two lawn chairs and more!

Best of all, seniors, the floor is high, and to exit, you just put your feet out and stand up ; no prying yourself out like we had to do with the Grand Am.  The model?  “Fortwo Pure Coupe.”

Now, tell me, can you look at this car without smiling?