I absolutely love this time of the year in southern California. The gardens are blooming, the weather is mostly pleasant, the days are longer and we get to see more wildlife. I'm sometimes surprised how many "wild" critters there are around Downey.This morning I was greeted by a little squirrel who was taking his breakfast in one of my pine trees out back. Interestingly enough the squirrel was actually eating one of the softer, new pine cones like we eat corn on the cob. It was fun to watch until Ivan (my Husky) spotted him. I'm sure if Ivan could talk he would have shouted "Squirrel" like the dogs in the movie "Up." Needless to say, my morning squirrel watching was over for the day. The Downey Patriot will periodically feature photos and commentary from photographers Pam Lane, Joan Anderson and Allison Mansell, creators of DowneyDailyPhotos.com.

********** Published: April 23, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 1