Great to hear there is superior design talent alive & well. Would love to see some pictures of your new retreat.

I saw a baby last week as well, love to see them, but hate what they do to my garden. They leave the cactus alone for the most part, but they will try to eat the flowers. I've noticed nibbles on the jades and the orchid cactus, though. Other than spikey cactus, the only thing they don't seem to have eaten yet is anything in the mint family or butterfly weed. Everything else will at least get a taste and like a great white shark taste, the results are usually just as fatal or at the very least, quite disfiguring. And I agree that if it isn't deer, then it's gophers, moles, voles or magpies........

Well, I'm going to have to read up on Orioles, and Phoebes too. Wow Lindac, a buzzard! Marlingardener, I'm happy to give your ducks a home during the summer months. It's good to share, you know! No hummers here yet, but they should remember me, so I'm hoping they show up soon. I'm very faithful to put out fresh food for them, even though I haven't planted their garden. I'm just barely moving myself after the winter we've had, and feel a little behind the times. Blueiris, I named ours Henry and Henrietta long ago. They're very comfortable dropping in (literally) and leaving again. It's always a pleasure. Oh wow. I just saw one of the little owls on the owl cam devour a small bunny, the entire hind quarters in three gulps. YIKES.

Sheilajoyce has decribed our porch except our floor is maroon: "The porch was constructed of the brick which was used on the first floor of the house, with a solid brick "railing" about 3 feet high enclosing it. The wide cement flight of 6 or 8 steps that led to the porch and front door were flanked by wide brick sides, the kind on which a stone lion could have been comfortably ensconced. The living room windows formed the back wall of the porch, but the sides and front of the porch were open above the stone capped, brick mini walls. Tall brick pillars supported the solid roof, which was lined with a ceiling of varnished bead board. The floor consisted of 4 inch wide planks that Dad painted a blue grey every other year. The porch was furnished with a wide porch swing suspended from chains secured in the ceiling and those great springy metal outdoor chairs that also infrequently got a fresh coat of paint. When outdoor chaise lounges came into being, one was purchased for the porch too." Instead of chaise longues, we have vintage metal chairs that accompany our swing. We use our porch daily in warmer weather, including when it rains. Our neighborhood is fairly densely packed with homes. Including us, there are loads of walkers in our neighborhood. Families are outdoors most every evening and we are excellent friends with many in our neighborhood. Porches encourage friendship! The second major expense we incurred after moving into our 1919 bungalow was to have our porch stabilized. Underground water through the years had started to move the porch sideways from the house, cracking the mortar and moving the bricks out of line. Major excavation was needed for the installation of underground anchors and alot of masonry work was required to realign the brick....but we knew we didn't want to lose our porch! This summer we'll be stripping white paint off the bearboard ceiling which we know was originally stained brown. After this project, the porch will be as good as 1919 new!