Housecleaning Has Started and Birds, Birds and Birds

Let me start out with the important things right away. Voting for the latest LJ Idol stories is now open at this link ( https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1123882.html ) and I'd really, REALLY, appreciate your vote for my latest tale - a conversation between my BFF Sharon and I in the "Unconventional" challenge. I used the format - dialog only - as well as the topic, my own unconventional activities while in High School, to meet the parameters. If you haven't read it, you can click on the story from the voting page listed above. We're getting down in numbers, and I'd really like to be one of the few left standing when all of this is over. 

I'm having a ton of fun writing for LJ Idol, and I'm now 
one of under 20 writers still left in the pack, after we 
started with more than 80. But, it's more important than 
ever to get the votes, so if you liked my story for 
the "Unconventional" theme, please follow the link 
and put in a vote for it. 

I actually got quite a lot done yesterday. Not as much as I wanted, of course, but quite a bit. One of the major things I did was pull the area rugs up from the "guest" bathroom and toss them into the wash. That's not as easy as it sounds, I keep those carpets safe and in place with carpet tape under each one, and getting the tape off the carpet or floor was a PITA. Still, as the saying goes, I persevered. LOL I ended up being so busy yesterday, however, that I didn't even have time for a half-hour in the garden. That was disappointing, but I got repaid later in the evening. 

This example is a bit more mature than the juvenile that 
was in my tree last night, but it's the right breed. A 
Cooper's Hawk - beautiful bird that BETTER NOT 
attack or spook my Hummingbirds. 

After dinner, before I settled down at my computer for the night, I went to the back door because I was hearing a bird call. A little patience and I saw one of my young hawks flew into the maple tree that extends over our patio seating area. It perched there, calling out, for several minutes before moving to another branch in the tree. I think we've been adopted by at least one, and maybe two hawks and I'm thrilled. 

We've also been adopted by at least two 
Least Flycatchers which like to hang 
around in the upper back yard. They flit 
around the yard, and preen in front of our 
side door. They're delightful birds, and 
I'm very pleased to share my trees with them. 

I also had a chance earlier in the day to restock the hummingbird feeder. They've found it now and it's on their flight path. I'm having to restock it every few days, 2-3 times a week. It's a good thing DH picked up a new bag of sugar the other day. I'm going through it like crazy for my little hummers. 

I have one of these - a Hoover SteamVac 
Ultra - that DH bought for me decades 
ago. It works really well, but I haven't used 
it in a LONG time. I think I need to do a 
deep clean this year, so I'm bringing this 
out and I'll use it because my carpeting 
really needs a good clean. 

I pulled out my carpet steamer/vacuum, cleaned it off thoroughly, gave it a good look-over and downloaded the operators manual for it (since I couldn't find my original). It looks quite do-able,  and I still have the various detergents and spot cleaners, so I'll begin tackling carpeting on Friday. The other thing I'll do on Friday is set up the new WiFi Extenders that I got. I wasn't happy with the last ones, so I've replaced them with a different type which will, hopefully, work even better. We'll see - LOL. So ... time for photos and then off to the pool for my final swim of the week. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.