Cedar Waxwings are here

Personally, I love foggy days. There is just something mysterious about a day that tries to hide so much from you!!

Yesterday morning it was foggy, misty, chilly. In other words, my kind of morning.  After weeks and weeks of feeling sick and weak and "old", the joy of digging and transplanting is hard to describe.

The joy was only increased when  clouds of Waxwings landed in the old cottonwood tree and then lifted off and settled on the tippie top of the Chinaberry tree. They were here in February and I thought they wouldn't be back.

Oh yes, and while watching the Waxwings, I noticed a pair of Bluebirds settled on a branch waiting for me to leave.

Who needs more? I don't know if I will catch pictures of the feeding frenzy, or the Bluebirds.  It is a marvel to watch Waxwings  hanging upside down on a branch feeding and Bluebirds busily filling the birdhouse with nesting material. 

This morning, it is foggy and low 60's.  I spent an hour and a half drenching the soil around transplants and the trimmed Salvia greggii

The Waxwings arrived around 8:30AM. I didn't even bother to put up tools.  It is time for me to eat breakfast and let the Waxwings feed. They are here to feed on the Yaupon bushes.  Yaupons are a messy, invasive bush and should never, never have been planted where they are.  Hubby has a problem "killing" a living tree and I have learned to "pick my battles". So, the berries ripen and fall and make a nasty mess on the stone path and patio.

This is a short explanation of the Waxwings and the Yaupons.  Years ago, the bushes had started the ripening and dropping sequence and then, one day the berries were gone?  We were both working at the time and wondered what had eaten all the berries.  We watched every year and never caught the culprits.
Retirement frees a person to be in on a marvel of nature and anticipate it every year.  I realize full well that had I not been outside enjoying my garden, I would have missed the visit again!

Winters past

Don't forget to click on picture for larger view

As last week's cold is fading in memory.  Looking ahead to warmer weather.  
I was going through those mysterious folders on my desk top that were an idea for a blog.

This folder is such a nice memory of winter 2010.  "Just another winter day".

The male Cardinal perched at the edge of the patio is actually checking out seeds on a piece of newspaper between my window and the feeders.  Worth mentioning is that the Cardinals rarely, if ever come to the patio.

One or two of these pictures are a few of the "good ones".  Still making friends with my camera at the time and took tons of not so good pictures.  Thank goodness for digital!!  I have wished many times for one of those magical, mysterious DSLR cameras for "better shots".   There would still be a learning curve.

My camera and I were stationed at the kitchen window with the screen off and the window even open, for the best I could do.  Cold, yes. Crazy, yes. Caught up in the magic of capturing, YES.
No better way to spend a morning in my mind.

                                                          ,,"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination." ~Ward Elliot Hour
                                                        










"Surely as cometh the Winter, I know
There are Spring violets under the snow."
-  R. H. Newell

Winter isn't over

3" over ice, no big deal?  Not safe for me thank you

Life can be frustrating when your "brains grow in". TG&T

This morning, up in the wee hours as usual. I rambled to the kitchen for coffee and it was bright as day outside.  I peeked out the kitchen window and there was the moon in the trees and beautiful shadows.
I got so excited, forgot the coffee and went for my camera.  I adjusted it for night time and hooked up a tripod and headed for my garden boots.

Then, the brain kicked in; 75 years old................dark shadows......................ice last night........................

This snow will all be melted by this afternoon

 I put the camera down on the kitchen table and
went to my bedroom and my book.
                                                                                           

There is ice under all that lovely snow

Front porch view

 Even the messiest yard can benefit from a nice cover of snow.  Much prettier views than bare ground littered with leaves and Sweetgum tree balls.

March came in like a Lion

 Winter is a time of promise because there is so little to do — or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so. ~Stanley Crawford, A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm, 1992

February was our winter all month.  Unrelenting rain, snow, and ending with ice and snow.  Not the snow the north had, just enough to turn things a lovely white blanket for a time.

It was also a month of health ups and downs.  I hope this month will be better!

The gardens are needing a good cleaning and raking.  Time to think of what plants I want where.  

Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat. ~Author Unknown

We have a new visitor. A gopher has been in the area of the gardens.  If it tunnels under there and makes mounds it can be a problem.  I need to check out how to get rid of him.

I am in hopes that we will have more rainy weather. We are still in drought conditions.

These are California poppies.  Beautiful plants on Feb 15.  Don't know what they look like now but I can guess

Rainy weather

Weather is a great metaphor for life — sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella or choose to dance in the rain! ~Terri Guillemets

The sound of the rain needs 
no translation. ~Alan Watts


Don't forget to click on a
picture to enlarge

Open space because we finally took down the ratty fence
 We woke this morning to1½ inches in   the rain gauge!!

It is hard to believe it is nearly the end of January.  For the most part, it has been cold, blustery and sometimes wet.  No snow and very little ice.  The main thing is rain!!
I didn't get this finished so will update and post.

On cable TV they have a weather channel — 24 hours of weather. We had something like that where I grew up. We called it a window. ~Dan Spencer

Since Christmas I have run into reminders of my age.  Things are becoming more of a challenge to finish independently.  Being an independent person, this rankles.  Thank goodness hubby has stepped in to help.
That can be a challenge in itself.  His schedule is not anywhere near mine.  I want to keep going before I run out of steam or excitement of finishing a project. Not so with the better half.  I just look for something else to work on or a book to read while waiting for him.  We laugh a lot about our differences in keeping at the task.

Just to mention a few delayed ideas that I could have completed by myself before:

1. Hanging shelves in the garage to store Christmas things.  (I don't want to climb that little drop down ladder with boxes in my hands anymore)
Between the cold and the mess in the garage, there were days I could not work out there. To get to the wall involved moving the accumulated Christmas storage boxes.
Then aches and pains slowed me down.  Hubby finally stepped in  finished hanging the strips for the shelf brackets.
Oh yeah, he did remind me of a great tool he gave me. It works like a charm and works with my Skill screw driver.  He found this drill adaption at a flea market.  What a great idea!! This drill bit was welded to a hex shank by a clever person.  I found manufactured ones on the Internet.
The studs in the garage have become very hard to screw into.  30 years of heat and cold I guess.

2. Shelves for said new wall space. Hubby is going to cut.  Still waiting.
January 30.  Update on shelving.  It is finally finished.  7 days later.  Started and stopped until I was concerned it wouldn't be done.  Not professional by any means.  We used scrap plywood from other projects. A little warped, but not a problem

The thing is, I DON'T HAVE TO CLIMB THAT LITTLE LADDER ANYMORE!!

 

3. A clever idea of hanging an old 3 panel screen.  Simple idea? You bet. Getting it hung? Not so much.
First of all, that sucker is heavy!  Never used to be slowed down by that minor detail.  Second, the panels were hinged, which means flopping..
Even my daughter got into the idea.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and she had to return to Chicago and family.
The waiting began again.  A lot of talk and deciding and delays with aches and pains.  Seems hubby hears something different than I say................................ So, now it is only 2 panels instead of 3.  This involves rethinking and re cutting the braces I want to use to keep the screen together.

 
Maybe today, since it is supposed to rain all day.............................maybe?  More later.

Update:  this morning we finally got the panels hung!  No small feat.  Normal for my projects no matter how much I plan, the execution of plans go awry.  After breakfast, both in our pj's, we spent a lot of hours and consternation and confusion and fun.  After 57 years we still have silly fun. 
It was "only" 2 panels after all. How hard could that be?  Hard, frustrating, hilarious, and voilá!  

It is level, secured to 3 studs and won't keep bouncing against the wall when I toss and turn.  I am so pleased to have this long awaited headboard done!!  The brown?  This was a picture screen.  Just got the thing hung and will deal with that later 

 Today, Sunday, I decided on the pictures.  I am so pleased with the result.

4. An old wooden windows project.
This project started over a year ago and is still unfinished. First summer heat, a baffling illness for a month and lack of energy to try again.  While our daughter was here this past week she wanted to see if we could finish putting the mini conservatory together.
Hours later, the kitchen table and every other flat place in my tiny kitchen covered with tools. We did get 3 of the windows hinged together.  The resulting product is so heavy 3 people had to waggle it out to the patio.
Who'd a thunk??
The new glass panes make the whole thing very heavy.  No one woman task there.

5. A found small 3 drawer piece that was part of a vanity.  The plan is to clean it, sand it, paint with chalk paint.
So far, just the cleaning and sanding.

None of these ideas are all that difficult.  Well, maybe the windows project.  AND I AM GOING TO FINISH ALL OF THEM THIS YEAR!
Three down, one to go.  I am certain the windows will be showing off in the garden by summer.
 

Happy New Year!!

We welcomed 2015 with a wintery, icy morning.  We live in the country so our temperature is always a bit cooler than town.  Things are dripping now. It was an odd start for a new year.  Drizzle that became ice that clung to trees, branches, anything off the ground.
I dressed, found my camera and headed outside.
It was too cold to stay out long as the camera is sensitive to cold.  Caught what I could.

 I love digital cameras in that I can see what I have now.  This is a picture of a dessert willow that keeps on surprising us.  This tree was hit with a freak wind years ago and I wanted to take it out then. Hubby cannot stand to "kill" a tree that still has green leaves.
Thus, at least 10 years later, this tree is still green (sort of).  With the drought, the roots have come up out of the ground and it is leaning precariously. If it weren't for the fence that is gone now, it probably  would be history.  Last summer it still gave lovely lavender, orchid shaped blossoms. They attract bees and humming birds.

And than, there are the pine trees.  They are survivors as well.  They go through a period every fall where they look like they are dying. The needles turn brown for months and then, the green needles become the star all over again.

Even the grasses are covered in ice

The yaupons are thriving in the cold.  The berries sparkle red against the green and covered in ice.

The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread. ~John Burroughs, "The Snow-Walkers," 1866

I am writing this in the late afternoon.  The ice is all melted, streets clear and a few cars venturing out. 

We have had nearly an inch of rain, before that, ice, before that fog, before that shoppers frantically gathering food for the siege.  An interesting 12 to 24 hours to start the year.

The best thing?  The birds were here all day visiting the water bath and feeders.  Tiny goldfinches, house finches, a junco, a titmouse pair, chickadees, sparrows, many cardinals.   They are welcome.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Winter

Per Garison Keillor; The lovely thing about Christmas is that is compulsory, like a thunder storm, and we all go through it together.  

                                                                                                                                                                          Don't forget to click on the picture to see all larger. 

We will have a warm Christmas this year.  In the 60's and no hope of snow in the future.
Being a former Minnesota kid, I sort of miss the snow. It has been blessedly rainy for a few days, cold enough to wear a coat outside and socks to bed at night. A whole inch by my five gallon bucket reckoning. I always set them out when there is a good chance for rain.
We had finches and cardinals and sparrows and doves on the feeders today.  Had to make a run into town to get more seed.

We are staying home for Christmas. Not even having turkey or ham.  Our favorites are the menu plan..

Slow cooker chuck roast with plenty of broth for gravy and future soup.
Left over broth and gravy make a lovely base for my soup.

Mashed potatoes
salad; fruit or lettuce or slaw
green beans with butter and garlic (my favorite not hubby's)
Probably will do French bread toast with nice sprinkle of meat rub. Like it better than garlic butter.
Oh, yes and green and black olives.
Then tiramisu  and maaaaaybe pumpkin pie.

When all is eaten and kitchen is clean, I will take a stroll in my garden.  We have a plum thicket that died in the third year of the drought.  We had over 70 days of 100+ weather. No rain most of that year.

Some may look at the tangle of dead plum, vines, honeysuckle and wild rose and other varieties, and think "why don't they take that mess out?"
I will tell them they if they ask.

My stroll in the garden will be accompanied by the chatter of birds. Cardinals, sparrows, finches, waxwings, and probably others who use this mess for shelter.  I have heard the wren calling for a mate already.  This is music to my soul.  I have heard the Cardinal calling its mate.  I have learned that the Cardinal will hang around if this sort of environment is available.

Neat, tidy, uninteresting (no matter how pretty) yards are not for me.  I have a good pair of hearing aids now and relish in those quiet whispers and chips I hadn't heard in years.  My heart is full!

I wish the world a peaceful Christmas, and all who "believe".

  One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present. ~ Author Unknown

 I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~ Charles Dickens

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas - Robert Kirby