Paint, Plants and a Predator

I had several errands to run yesterday from hair appointment to hardware stores.  My hair came out very cool--still loving the champagne/dark chocolate effect, though my attempts to find Fuchsias for my three remaining hanging baskets was a bust.  Seriously, how hard can it be to find Fuchsia plants? Apparently very hard in southern Oregon.

I had to go to Lowe's and Home Depot to look at deck stain and/or paint. I'm having a really hard time deciding if I want to stain again, or use a new product that's a combo deal of stain/paint/sealer. Once I go the paint route though, I can't go back.  This is one of those times I wish I had someone to discuss ideas, colors, choices with.  Ah well...

After the deck ponderings, I looked at both garden centers--to no avail--then hit my grocery store and found two little--totally pathetic--Fuchsia plantlets underneath a large table.  I wasn't sure they would even make it home, but they did, poor neglected things.

This morning I decided to take the boys to the county park since in just a few weeks it closes to dogs until September.  The other reason was to go to Kruse's, the farm produce and gardening place in the valley which is along the same highway. They would surely have Fuchsias; they have six enormous greenhouses full of plants after all.

The park was quiet, with only occasional murmurs from the fishermen bobbing in their boats on the river. The boys haven't been to the park in quite awhile so the walk was exciting (for them), and seemed endless (to me), what with all the stops and starts, the peeing and sniffing and dawdling.

Every tree, peeps, every single tree...and this is just the beginning trail of a very large park filled with similiar trails...and trees...sigh.

Along the wooden fence that divides the park from a field and the University of Oregon Master Garden area, these beautiful wild iris have decided to grow...

I will never tire of my total and complete fascination with the inner workings of flowers...

So, now we leave the trail and cross a narrow road to the other side of the park that borders the river.  There has been a decrepit and abandoned bird's nest at the top of this large pole in the three years I've been coming to this park.  I automatically look up, but don't expect to see anything, then as we pass underneath, I notice several bits of moss and broken branches littering the grass.

Excited, I drag the dogs toward the river so I can turn back to see if there might be an osprey up there since I know they nest along the river...

Wow.  Just...wow.  If I could have climbed a tree for a better shot, I would have.  The only thing I could do was use my telephoto.  I was amazed that even with the dogs twitching at the end of their leashes, I managed to get these two photos.  I know they're not perfect, but who cares.  A most spectacular bird (and yikes, what a beak), and an aerie made of oak branches, no less.

Then, off to Kruse's, but alas...no Fuchsias.  Either someone in town has bought them all for some weird reason, or I live in a very peculiar place.  I know which one I would pick.

So, I gave up my original idea of five hanging baskets of lush and beautiful Fuchsias--damn and blast--and bought some other trailing foliage instead.  But then as I was paying I saw a large, already-put-together Fuchsia basket hanging near the check-out area.  I brought it home and plopped it inside one of my own baskets.  Hey, whatever works.

Okay, gotta go now. There are books to read, movies to watch and plants to..well, plant. Have a great first weekend in May, dear readers!!

(Can you tell how happy I am that April is over?? Woo hoo!!)