Hummingbird Look-Alikes

This month we had a bit of stamping fun at our Close to My Heart Scrap Club. Monica provided us with  pretty Veranda papers and the Stamp of the month (called Something Splendid), so we could make a page entitled Sunkissed. Though I had fun creating the page, I just did not have any photos to go with her Sunkissed theme, so had to change it up a bit. I've always wanted to make a page with photos of these huumingbird look-alikes and finally got the chance.

Greg and I have long been fascinated with these amazing little bugs. The first time we saw one we were sitting in a window seat at the Food Court on Camp Foster back in 1996. Outside the window the bushes were in full bloom and these amazing little creatures were drinking nectar to their heart's content. At first we thought they were humminbirds. But no - hummingbirds don't have stripes and they're not brown. These little things were even tinier than a hummingbird and had a long probiscus that they furled and unfurled as they darted from bloom to bloom.

The more we took notice as we travelled around Okinawa, the more we saw these fascinating bugs. Unlike hummingbirds, they don't seem to mind if you approach them to get a closer look.

Now that we are back on Okinawa after a 10-year absence, we can enjoy watching these litttle guys once again. The street outside my window is lined with their favorite flower bushes and they busily flit around not minding me a bit as I follow them with my camera.

Our newest addition!

 It didn't take us long to start feeling like the house was too quiet and lonely without any pets at all. The decision was not made lightly, but we felt like Shima would not mind if we had another kitty in the house. We always talk to his photo and felt that we were making the right decision. So off to the kennel we went and found this poor little white kitty all alone in a cage. Abandoned at one day old, he was found by the military police, brought to the kennel and bottle fed. Two months old to the day when we brought him home, he was a bit undersized and disheveled looking. His fur was like the down on a baby bird - not quite grown in and all fuzzy in spots. His tummy was distended, probably with worms. So he was given some worm meds and we brought him home. He had a rough first night as he seemed to be having a bad reaction to the worm medication, but a call to the vet assured us that he would be fine come morning. So one week has gone by and he has become playful and loving and we are enjoying each other's company very much. His name is Tsuki, which means 'moon' in Japanese.

We have since discovered that he is deaf - a common trait among blue-eyed white cats. So now we are using sign language to try to teach him his name, and to come when we call, etc. And we spray a blast of air from a can on his back when we want to teach him 'NO'. It's a learning experience for us all, but we are enjoying every minute of this new family addition!