Man, I am WAAAAY Behind!

Ok, so I guess I've been slacking the last year, because I've hardly posted anything on the blog. I have so many photos over the past year, that I'm not even sure where to start. So, I'm just going to add them as I get to them, starting with Hannah's 12th birthday photos.
One of Hannah's friends shares the same birthday with her, even the same year, so the girls decided to have a double birthday party. They decided on a trendy rock and roll theme, with lots of bright colors, and polka dots. We just had a small party, with each of them inviting a couple of friends, and just family in attendance. Because of this, we decided to go with a cupcake tower, rather than a traditional cake, and it turned out GREAT!
The kids had a blast playing games, including limbo, and they even rocked the house with the karaoke machine.
Dawson had a great time playing the guitar, and dressing the part, and he even rocked the microphone, with a duet with his friend.
This party was much more successful than the last one, with regard to RSVP'd guests actually showing up, and Hannah had a great time.

4th of July Fun

For the past several years, we have celebrated the 4th of July by spending the day at the local lake. This year, we were blessed to have close friend and family share the day with us, and we had a blast! The weather was nice, only in the upper 80's, and the clouds provided some welcome shade from the sun.
The boys, Dawson, my nephews Justin and Logan, and my friend's son Clayton, spent most of the day fishing. This is one of my favorite photos from the day, showing them all relaxing, with their fishing poles in the water.


It was a great day for Logan, who at 4 years old, caught his very first fish. He is now tied with Uncle Dave, who at 31 years old, just caught his very first fish in Kansas back in June. After the big catch, it was a mad ash back to the lake for a little fishing competition. I mean what adult wants to be outfished by a 4 year old? Unfortunately, the fish were not very cooperative, at least not for the men. Our neighbor Brenda caught several fish, and Hannah had one on the line, but it escaped as she was reeling it in.
Aside from fishing, we spent the day playing badminton (I beat Dave at both games we played, as I do every year) and we also played football and soccer throughout the day. Dave grilled up some hamburgers, hot dogs, and bratwurst, and we enjoyed dinner together.
A little after 9, the fireworks show began, and although not as long a last year, it was a beautiful show. After the show, we packed everything up, and headed back to our neighbor's house to set off our own fireworks. We set off fireworks until after midnight.
With good food, great company, and lots of laughs, I do believe a great day was had by all!

Dawson's 1st Mutton Busting Experience

We went to the Abbyville Rodeo, and Dawson had his 1st mutton busting experience. He LOVED it! It scare me to death, but it was worth it, to see the smile on his face after it was over. There were about 10 children in the competition, and Dawson rode the second longest. Most of the kids fell off right after they opened the gate, but Dawson held on for dear life!
Conversation of the day:
Daddy: "Ok Dawson, make sure you hold on really tight when they open the gate."
Dawson: "Hold on to what daddy?"

Happy Halloween, a Few Days Late

This year, Dawson decided he wanted to be a pirate. So, I checked Wal-Mart for a costume, and decided very quickly that I wasn't going to pay $20.00 for a costume, so I set out to make it myself. I bought a pirate package for $5.00 that included the eye patch, bandanna, false teeth, and earring, and I used the make-up we had leftover from last year. The hook and bucket came from an auction, and the sash was 2 yards of ribbon I bought for $0.49 each. I made him a sword out of cardboard, and wrapped it in foil, and the wooden sword was made by Pop Pop for Dave when he was little. The black t-shirt was on clearance for $3.00, and the blue pants are just a pair of sweats he wears. Put it all together, and you have an instant pirate costume.

Hannah was grounded from trick or treating this year because of her grades, so she had to sit at my dad's house and pass out candy while we were gone. I don't think she minded too much though; she's too cool for trick or treating now.

Dawson filled up his bucket twice while we were out, and had a blast. It took us about 4 houses for him to remember to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" but once he did, there was no stopping him.

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

For your viewing pleasure, I present Dawson and Daddy, trying to fly a kite. The kite was one of 3 in a box of items we purchased at an auction, and Dawson was adamant that they were going to fly the kite, even though, miraculously, there was hardly any wind. The result was a kite flying attempt too hilarious not to record. enjoy! :)

Our tax dollars at work...

Space Station Trash Plunging to Earth By Tariq Malik, (Oct. 31)
- A piece of space station trash the size of a refrigerator is poised to plunge through the Earth's atmosphere late Sunday, more than a year after an astronaut tossed it overboard.

NASA and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network are tracking the object - a 1,400-pound tank of toxic ammonia coolant thrown from the International Space Station - to make sure it does not endanger people on Earth. Exactly where the tank will inevitably fall is currently unknown, though it is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere Sunday afternoon or later that evening, NASA officials said.

"This has got a very low likelihood that anybody will be impacted by it," said Mike Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager, in an interview. "But still, it is a large object and pieces will enter and we just need to be cautious.

"NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson threw the ammonia tank from the tip of the space station's Canadian-built robotic arm during a July 23, 2007 spacewalk. He also tossed away an unneeded video camera stand overboard as well, but that 212-pound item burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere early this year, Suffredini said.

NASA expects up to 15 pieces of the tank to survive the searing hot temperatures of re-entry, ranging in size from about 1.4 ounces to nearly 40 pounds.If they reach all the way to land, the largest pieces could slam into the Earth's surface at about 100 mph (62 kph). But a splashdown at sea is also possible, as the planet is two-thirds ocean.

"If anybody found a piece of anything on the ground Monday morning, I would hope they wouldn't get too close to it," Suffredini said.

Known as the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), the coolant tank is the largest piece of orbital trash ever tossed overboard by hand from the space station. Larger unmanned Russian and European cargo ships are routinely destroyed in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean after their space station deliveries, but those disposals are controlled and preplanned.

The recent destruction of the European Space Agency's Jules Verne cargo ship was eagerly observed by scientists hoping to glean new information on how objects behave as they enter Earth's atmosphere. Observers aboard two chase planes caught photographs and video of the double-decker bus-sized spacecraft's demise, but no such campaign is possible with the returning ammonia tank.

The last object to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere with prior notice was a small asteroid the size of a kitchen table that exploded in midair as it flew over Africa on Oct 7th.

It's taken more than year for the ammonia tank to slowly slip down toward Earth due to atmospheric drag. During its time aboard the station, the tank served as a coolant reservoir to boost the outpost's cooling system in the event of leaks. Upgrades to the station last year made the tank obsolete, and engineers were concerned that its structural integrity would not withstand a ride back to Earth aboard a NASA space shuttle. Instead, they tossed it overboard, or "jettisoned" it in NASA parlance.

Suffredini said that while astronauts have accidentally lost a tool or two during spacewalks, the planned jettison of larger items is done with the utmost care to ensure the trash doesn't hit the station or any other spacecraft as it circles the Earth. Engineers also make sure the risk to people on Earth is low, as well."

As a matter of course, we don't throw things overboard haphazardly," Suffredini said. "We have a policy that has certain criteria we have to meet before you can throw something overboard."

Ok, now maybe I'm a little confused here, but did they just say that the tank's structural integrity was at stake with a ride back to Earth on a shuttle, so they decided the better idea was to toss it overboard into the atmosphere? Um, where exactly did they think it was going to go? Did they think there was one of those gigantic Glad trash bags floating around up there, protecting the planet? (You know the one; the commercial with the piano that falls from several stories high, and misses the trash bag, so the furniture movers throw all the pieces into the trash bag, and take it up to the owner).
I used to be supportive of space exploration, and even wanted to be an astronaut myself, but I hate math so that pretty much tabled that dream. But, there have just been too many catastrophes and bone headed decisions made over the past 20+ years to warrant spending so much money on the program. That money could be put to better use in school systems across America. We have more students than the classrooms can hold, and not enough teachers to go around. Did you know that NASA's proposed 2009 annual budget is $20.211 billion? Yes, I said billion. That works out to be approximately $0.15 per day for every tax paying US citizen. We can sponsor a starving child for only $0.10 per day. Imagine how many children could be saved with that kind of money, either from starvation, or from dropping out of school due to cuts in programs such as art that keep them interested.
With our crippled economy, and the unemployment and dropout rate steadily increasing, I don't see how congress can continue justifying a program with no definitive purpose. They have been spending billions of dollars over several decades, and have managed to accomplish 2 things:
1. A space station with no real purpose other than accommodating the occasional docking shuttle
2. A space shuttle who's only purpose is to fly to the space station with no real purpose
Without the shuttle, there isn't a US purpose for the space station, and without the space station, their isn't a purpose for the space shuttle. So, why is so much money being continuously pumped into a program with no real purpose, and no real accomplishments? Seems to me, if more money was spent on the education of American children, we wouldn't need an expensive space program to give us something to be proud of. We could instead be producing scholars in every field. That would be something to be proud of.

Fun Pics. Enjoy! :)

And before you ask, no, I am not a mean mommy who makes my 4 year old son vacuum the living room for my own amusement. Dawson LOVES to clean! This was a $2.00 vacuum we picked up at an auction for $2.00. It lasted a little over a month before it gave out, but he enjoyed every second of it! He now has a new vacuum, a $4.00 auction find, that he enjoys almost as much. I think he has the cleanest room of any 4 year old around! :)

Look Ma, no baby wheels!!

Since Dawson is convinced that he is no longer my little boy, but is instead a big boy, he has decided that he no longer needs the "baby wheels" on his bicycle. So, big sister Hannah rummaged through daddy's garage, until she found the right tools, and removed the wheels for him.

All in all, it went very well, once he figured out how to fall gracefully, so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Then I think he started having more fun falling then riding the bike, so the wheels went back on, then off, on, and finally back off again. They are still off right now, but it is too muddy for him to ride right now, but hopefully it will warm up by the end of the week, so he can try again.

Where did the month go?

I am so sorry I have not posted in such a long time, but it has been such a hectic month. I was sick for almost 3 weeks with what the doctor thinks are allergies, and then when I finally got over that, I started a new job. So, we have been busy getting our new routine down, and I'm still working my home based business, so that doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else.
I do have a lot of new photos and stories to share with you from the past month, so I promise to start posting those tomorrow. :)

We will Remember...

I thought I would take this day to remember

9-11-01. I have collected numerous photos and poems over the years, and I thought this would be a perfect time to share a couple of my favorites.

Calling All Angels

Written by Lea MacDonald

SFFD-Captain-227
Submitted 10/5/05

As a firefighter, I decided I'd send along a poem I wrote to help folks understand what might have happened that horrific day. There are several layers of meaning marbled within it; words of healing as well. It is written in iambic pentameter, the preferred style of Robert Service - you'll find the rhythm.

"Calling All Angels! Calling All Angels!" Went out his thunderous plea.

"I am thy Lord beseeching my horde to assemble in front of me!"

In a flash the angels did dash to gather at His feet,

And hear His plan to help all man by use of Heaven's elite.

"The Devil's made a play this September day to hurt the ones I love,

He's loosed upon earth his demonic worth now push has come to shove.

I'll not stand by and have good men die without awareness in their heart,

So this day in my plan-full way a battle I'm going to start."

"Gabriel old friend to this end welcome every woman and man,

That'll come our way this fateful day who died by Satan's hand.

And before you go you need to know a few you'll bring straight to me,

Firefighters all now standing tall known as The Three-Forty-Three."

With Gabriel gone and quiet the throng they wondered at His plan,

To send and quell the flames of hell by use of mortal man.

All manner of doubt filled the strongest and stout of Heaven's holy array,

And fear fell upon the heavenly throng at the plan the Lord set this day.

"I can sense in thy hearts hesitation to start a battle you don't understand,

But confused as you Satan is too and that is the heart of my plan.

Fear yea not for what I've wrought I'll ask none here to face his fork,

But I'll send into hell those who fell the firefighters from New York!"

Then Lord raised his staff and began to laugh in roaring thunderous glee,

And in a booming blaze they stepped from a haze The Angelic Three-Forty-Three.

They fell into line in very short time making perfect formations of rows,

And the Lord caused to slip onto every man's hip a golden heavenly hose.

"The gravest mistake Satan did make when he struck down these men so brave,

Thinking idle I'd stand not extending my hand and their souls I would not save.

Have no fear for the men standing here the way to his place they know well,

For verily each day they've collected their pay by stepping into hell.

These men know their task now angels I ask that you hasten straight to earth,

Then comfort their friends when the tally begins and they start to question their worth.

Console them with wings and all heavenly things on their shoulder your head is to rest,

Send whispers of thanks from our heavenly ranks, say: 'God knows you did your best.'"

Are you ready for some football?!?!

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for Some Orioles football. Unfortunately, I think someone forgot to tell the football team. They played the Haysville colts, rather the colts played them, as the score was Haysville 26, Augusta, 0. I am so hoping that they can get it together, and get that first touchdown. Sometimes, that's all it takes to turn a team around. Of course when the opposing team look like 12th graders instead of 6th graders, it can be pretty intimidating. They grow their boys big down in Haysville!!

The cheerleaders, and the football players, were lucky enough to get new uniforms this year. The cheerleading uniforms are a vast improvement over the old ones. The girls call themselves the Oreos instead of the Orioles because the uniforms are black and white with a little orange, but they are cute none the less.

I only snapped a couple of photos, and one video from this game, because I wasn't feeling well, and it was cold and rainy on top of that. I promise to add more photos and video from future games. :)

God has truly blessed our family...

I am so happy to announce that I have a job! I have been trying to get on with the school district for a couple of years now, and it finally happened! I am a para-professional, and I will be working with special needs children in the elementary school that Hannah attended here in Augusta. I had my TB test and physical today, and should start next Monday. I am so excited!! This is such a blessing for us, as the hours are perfect. I will be working 8-2:55 M,W,F, and 8-2:15 T,Th. This will give me 5 minutes to get to Dawson's pre-school on M,W,F to pick him up by 3, and will allow me to be at home on T & Th, so that Dave can get to work on time. As many of you know, my college major was elementary education, and I have about 40 credit hours left to complete it. I am planning on going back to school once Dawson starts kindergarten next year.
I also rented a small space at our local antique's mall, so we can have an extra outlet for all of our auction finds. I have so many glass pieces, that I just don't have the time to list them all on Ebay. Besides, Ebay isn't the best place to sell anything these days. It is only $27.50 per month for the space, so it is incredibly reasonable. And most importantly, it gives me a new excuse to go to an auction every weekend. :)
I am also going to keep my business going, I'm just going to scale the advertising back a bit. Since I will be working a school schedule, I will need to have some sort of income coming in over the holiday, and summer vacations, so hopefully, these avenues will work out. :)

When in Doubt, Look Up

Here are a few photos I took in the Dillons parking lot Tuesday night, of a gorgeous sunset.

Little Man on Campus

Well, today was the big day. Dawson started preschool, and he has been excited about it for weeks. He was up at 9am this morning, dressed, and ready to walk out the door. The only problem was, it is very cool here today, and he was in shorts, and school didn't start until 12:30. So, we spent the next 3 hours counting down the time, and listening to a lot of "I can't wait".

Once we arrived at the school, I snapped a few photos of the mementos occasion, and took him in to find his coat hook, and his cubby. We then had to wait about 10 minutes for the teacher to open the room, and during that 10 minutes, his shyness kicked in again. He wouldn't let go of my hand, and was glued to my side. When it was finally time to go in, I had to push him in, find the necklace with his name on it, and tell him several times to go sit in the circle. I backed out of the room, and he was looking all over the place for me. The teacher finally got him to sit down, and Dave and I left. I'm not sure if it was harder on me or him.

Jake strikes again...

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted. I've been so busy this past week, I just couldn't find the time, or the quiet, to sit down and concentrate.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about our not so little puppy Jake, and his chewing problems. Well, he struck again, and almost became a pound puppy again. Apparently, Jake missed the memo on what a complete fanatic Dave is for the Nebraska Huskers. That, or he just doesn't care. Either way, it doesn't matter.

Dave and I have had the discussion time and time again that you can not leave anything that might make a good chew toy at eye level of the dog. That means regular eye level, or standing on his hind legs eye level. I guess he thought I was being ridiculous, and not learning from his past mistakes, he left his beloved Nebraska Huskers hat on the coffee table. The result is a Nebraska Huskers hat, with free A/C. I told him you could barely notice, but for some reason, he didn't buy it.

Poor Jake. He ended up spending a couple of hours in his pet taxi, and was a hop, skip, and a jump away from a car ride to the pound.

Now, one would think that after losing 2 hats Dave would have learned his lesson, right? Wrong. Over the weekend, Dave left his leather boots laying in the middle of the laundry room floor. He always puts his boots up, and out of reach of the dog, but for some reason, he neglected to do it this afternoon. The result is one funny looking boot, that he wouldn't let me take a picture of, but I will take one while he's sleeping. He's still wearing the boots, but part of the back is missing on one of them. I tell you, there is never a lack of humor in our house.

Combatting Auction Boredom

On Sunday afternoon, we went to an auction in El Dorado. The sales bill showed several things we were interested in, so we anticipated a good day. I collect different types of cut glass, mostly milk glass and clear glass depression pieces, and there were several of these pieces at the auction. The problem was, the collectors with unlimited funds were out in full force, so I did not purchase one piece. They were bidding individual pieces of glass up to $40 and $50 per piece. Many of these pieces won't even sell for half of that in today's market, but I guess a true collector isn't concerned with money. I purchase glass to use in my business, and I keep some of the pieces to either use in the kitchen, or collect if it's nice. I also have several flats that I plan on reselling, as we picked up the flats of 6 or 7 pieces for $1.00 each, and each piece will sell for $10.00 - $30.00 a piece. Not a windfall, but nice none the less.

The kids were pretty bored, so they went to visit the horses that were on the property. They had fun feeding them grass, and petting them. Dawson was a little apprehensive at first, because he was afraid the horsey was going to eat him, but Hannah helped him, and he warmed up to the idea.

I took these photos with my new camera phone, and I have to say I am pretty impressed with the quality. They are large enough to do something with, and they are not grainy, like the last 2 camera phones I have had. I don't always have my digital camera handy, so it's nice to know I have a cell phone camera I can rely on.

Broken Tooth

About 3 months ago, I was eating some peanuts, and I bit down on a particularly hard one. It hurt like heck for a few minutes, and then felt better. I didn't think too much of it, but over the next 3 months, I noticed that I have been unable to chew anything on that side of my mouth, without it hurting. Since we do not yet have dental insurance, I just learned to avoid chewing anything hard on that side. Well, last night, I took the kids to Sonic to get some ice cream, and I bought one of those new Fried Ice Cream Blasts. It has tiny pieces of cinnamon toast crunch pieces in it, and I didn't think anything of it, since they aren't that hard, and I chewed on that side of my mouth. I felt that same immense pain I had felt three months ago, and then noticed that I was chewing on something incredibly hard. Well, that turned out to be a corn kernel sized piece of my very back molar. Apparently, I had cracked that tooth 3 months ago, and it finally broke all the way off last night.
Luckily, there is absolutely no pain of any kind. No sensitivity, so swelling, no throbbing, nothing. I think I may be lucky as far as any exposed nerves or major problems. And that's a good thing since our dental insurance waiting period is not up until September 28. When Dave returned to his old job, where he had been working for 9 years before leaving for 10 months, he discovered that they had switched insurance plans, and now had dental insurance. But, that insurance had a 240 day waiting period before we could use it. That is completely ridiculous!!
To get me through the next month and a week, Dave bought me some Temparin One Step Repair at Wal-Mart. It's technically filling repair, but it should work to cover the entire top of the tooth, until I can get to the dentist. The break left a very jagged area on the inside of the tooth, and I cut my tongue on it sometime while I was sleeping. I also just want to make sure that no further damage is done to the tooth between now and the end of the idiotic waiting period, so I'm hoping this will work.
I have always had good teeth, and have only had 2 cavities in my life, and have 2 fillings in those teeth, so this is new to me. I am definitely not looking forward to a trip to the dentist, especially for whatever procedure awaits me to fix this tooth.

Not a lot going on in Kansas...

I haven't had a lot to post lately, as we are still settling into our school routine. Hannah enjoys middle school, and wants to be dropped off half an hour early each morning to walk the halls with her friends. That brings back memories.
I have requested information from the local pre-school for Dawson as he is adamant that he wants to go to school, so we'll see what happens. I want him to go, but I also don't want him to go. I guess I'll just have to ask them for a desk right next to him, then I can have the best of both worlds. I don't know what scares me more, him missing me so much he cries to come home, or him not missing me at all.
We've been going to one or two auctions a weekend, and we have managed to accumulate a massive collection of glass, furniture, and odds and ends. We picked up a very nice coffee table for $2.50 last Saturday, and it makes a nice addition to our living room. We had been wanting one for quite sometime, so I was happy to pick this up for such a bargain. I also picked up 2 very nice shelves for my office. Once is a large 3 shelf wooden bookcase, and the other looks like it was a tv stand, and has doors on it. They were both also $2.50 each. You just can't beat that. We are going to an auction this Saturday in Derby, and it looks like it will be a good one too. The weather report shows that it might rain, so we might pick up some even better deals. We seem to do better when it rains, as it keeps people home, so we don't have as much competition. I can't really think of anything that we need now, but I'm sure I'll see something that just has to come home.
I am still trying to photograph our very elusive hummingbirds. We have a brown one and a green one in our flower garden, but by the time I see them, make a dash for my camera, and return to take their photo, they are nowhere to be seen. I thought I was just imagining them, but the mom of one of Hannah's friends dropped Hannah off here at the house the other day, and she saw one of them dining on my red Cannas. Then yesterday, she saw it again in the same place. When I returned home from dropping Hannah off at cheerleading practice yesterday evening, I saw the brown one near the Cannas, but it flew away before I had a chance to photograph it. I will have photos to post soon because I am not giving up!!
Let's see... Oh, Hannah is having some knee problems, so I am taking her to the doctor. She started having problems with her knee during cheerleading last year, but the problem went away when cheerleading ended, and didn't bother her again until this week. Her knee was twice the size of the other one, and very stiff and sore, so we're going to find out what's going on. It never bothered her when she played softball this year, so I'm sure it has something to do with the range of motion used in the cheers. But we'll see. :)

ATC's and Swap-Bot

I found this cool site called Swap-Bot, http://www.swap-bot.com/ and it's been keeping me pretty busy lately. This site deals with swapping items, mostly craft related, with partners from all over the world. When you sign up for a swap, on the last sign up date, the computer randomly selects the partner you send your items to.
I am hooked on their ATC swaps. ATC's are artist trading cards, that measure 2-1/2 x 3-1/2. They can be made from any medium; stamping, paints, pencils. stickers, scrapbook paper, etc, and embellished any way that you would like. You trade these cards with other ATC collectors, similar to baseball card trading. The only rule for creating an ATC is that it must measure 2-1/2 x 3-1/2, and the backing you use for the base of the card must be a heavy duty card stock or chipboard, which can withstand glue, all of your embellishments, and of course the US Postal system.
The picture above are 4 ATC's I made for the baby ATC swap on Swap-bot. When creating your cards, you are limited only by your own imagination, and the theme of the swap. I enjoy using various scrapbook papers and Jolee's stickers, as well as patterned ribbons, and lots of sparkly things.
Between my business, and the kids, it was hard finding the time to do something just for me, but making these ATC's only takes an hour or so a night, and it gives me something to look forward to. If you have the time to give something new a try, check this out. You can sign up for as many or as few swaps as you have time for, so if you're afraid you might not have the time, just try one at first. You can always join more swaps later. Happy swapping! :)

Hummingbirds in Kansas... Well, almost.

A couple of nights ago, Hannah started yelling that there was a hummingbird in our flower garden. I ran to the window, but didn't see anything. Well, yesterday afternoon, I was walking past the window, and happened to look out right as a black and white hummingbird was flying by, en route to my red canna plants. I hurried to the office to grab my camera, and was in position to snap a few shots, when Dawson came out the door and let out a big "Mom what're you doing?" which scared the bird away.

Last night, the kids and I went for ice cream, and were sitting on the porch swing when we saw another hummingbird dining on my pink Naked Lady Lilies. (On a side note, the naked lady lilies came with our house, and there were only a handful of them when we moved in back in 2005. They have steadily multiplied, and I have around 135 this year) I ran inside and grabbed my camera, and proceeded to snap several great shots of what I thought was a hummingbird. I was able to get very close to this creature, and not startle it, which was my first tip off that this was not a normal hummingbird. As I was snapping the photos, a second one joined the first, so I was able to take some great shots of both.

After they filled their tummies and flew away, I went inside and uploaded the photos to the computer so I could see what the creature looked like. It's wings were beating so fast, and it was flying so quickly, that I wasn't able to get a good look at it, but my camera did. I was amazed with what the camera caught. What I though was a hummingbird was actually a species of moth known as the Sphinx or Hawk moth, but is more commonly known as the Hummingbird Moth, because of it has similar characteristics to the hummingbird.

From what I have read, these moths are very rarely seen because they fly at night, or at dusk, when there is an overcast sky, as it was last night. Although I was hoping to see a hummingbird, this was still a wonderful thrill for this nature lover.

Other than the quick glimpse yesterday afternoon, I haven't seen a hummingbird since we moved back here from Missouri. They are the most beautiful creatures, and I hope to see the one that visited here yesterday again.