Showing posts with label chickadees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickadees. Show all posts

Monday, February 13, 2017

Never Give Up

Saturday was a very mild day so I headed to Kilally Meadows. I might have been rushing the season just a little. While it was warm enough for a spring jacket and no gloves it wasn't warm enough or sunny enough to melt all the way through the ice on the trails.

The forest was chock full of robins, cardinals, crows, chickadees and a busy woodpecker - it was a very noisy and busy place! 

It's a good thing I brought along my trusty walking stick.

It was a little a LOT sloppy  and although I safely reached the bridge I heard loud cracking as I gingerly tiptoed across the ice.

The sun wanted to peak through the cloud layer but just wasn't strong enough yet.

The highlight of the day was stalking a gorgeous red-tailed hawk - a sure sign of spring!!
 Zooming in...
 



Our Christmas cactus continues to bloom. It bloomed just in time. I actually had it in my hand to throw out because some bad kitty had chewed the end off each stem and leaf as you can see and I figured it wouldn't ever bloom. Just goes to show you - NEVER give up on a plant!


Here's the culprit but how can I get mad at this sleeping cutie all curled up in a ray of sunshine? 
Doesn't she look innocent?
HAH!!

Friday, February 10, 2017

Foto Friday

 A year ago today was the day of the BIG snow. A week before this my snowdrops were up a few inches as well as a few other perennials.  I was hiking in short sleeves.


This was the only significant snowfall of the entire winter.

I was really happy to be retired!

I could watch the snow piling up from the safety and warmth of my home :)

Dougie - you can stay right where you are!

Too bad sucker.....!

This year we sent our snow to B.C.!! You're welcome!


I took the photo below looking out across the street from my bedroom window and posted it on facebook last year asking if people could guess which of my favourite books was represented by this photo.

Can you guess the book?

Meanwhile the snow got deeper and deeper...
 Lily decided to ignore the weather from the comfort of her box!  Smart kitty!

I kept shovelling an area on my patio and tossing out birdseed for the juncos and chickadees and the doves...

This year we have next to no snow and what little there is should melt in the +7c temperatures forecast for tomorrow. We've had oodles of rain and very little snow. My maple tree has buds on it. Not good!


Saturday, January 9, 2016

Dreams and Treasure

My two cent bird feeders are working well - I made two new ones yesterday and the chickadees have been dashing back and forth from the huge cedar trees behind my house and the super deluxe feeders.


I am a technician of the highest order. Take two empty toilet paper rolls, slather in peanut butter, roll in birdseed  and stick somewhere that hopefully squirrels won't be able to access. I stuck mine onto a butterfly garden ornament - the antennae to be exact.

They work well for small birds, not so sure about larger birds.

Luna and Lily are thrilled that CAT TV is back and running once again! I mean, this is riveting stuff!

Speaking of larger birds a dove kept them captivated all morning. While I watched, a black squirrel came into the back patio and tried to scare off the dove, but the dove was having none of it. She stood her ground and the squirrel left in a hurry. I assumed the dove would just continue to munch on the seeds that fell to the ground...

 ....but no siree that dove was able to perch on the butterfly and have a lovely lunch - it was a bird's dream come  true!

And the black squirrel?
Relegated to sifting through the dove's droppings! (Note wee kitty ears at the bottom of the photo!) Don'tcha just love free entertainment?

And the treasure?

I thought I'd check my gramma's sewing box for any scraps of ribbon for Luna. She keeps losing (and I keep hunting for)  the Christmas ribbon that she fell in love with. I found some ribbon but even better.........my gramma's crochet hooks! I've been wanting to buy more and have a piece of paper in my purse listing the few sizes I already have so I won't purchase duplicates. I may have enough now after uncovering this treasure trove!
My gramma was a master crocheter - she could look at a picture of a doily or afghan and reproduce it without a pattern. Looks like I have a few crochet hooks to use with crochet cotton if I ever make it to that level of skill.

Ignore my spool knitting - it is sitting on a crocheted table cloth that my gramma made for me using crochet cotton years and years ago (she died in l986 at the ripe old age of 94). This is the sort of work she could do with her eyes closed. They almost were closed as she had cataracts that were removed in her 80's.

I think it's just incredible!

Plus there were a number of needles similar to the plastic one I bought for finishing a crocheted piece, tucking in the last bit of yarn. I'm sure they have other uses as well.  How lucky am I??

I've gotten out for a couple hikes this week, pictures to follow on another day. The temperature continues to rise above 0c most days and today we're getting some drizzle. Seems kinda weird for January. Lots more to tell but his post is already long enough!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Winter Camping in a Yurt - Day Three

Yes, the saga ends tonight! Tomorrow I'm going to talk about my love affair....... with pads of paper! AND how to spend and still have a NO SPEND DAY!! Ooooh, that's a good one!!


So here's the last of the photos from the Yurt adventure:
A wee bit of sunshine struggling to get
through the grey clouds. Mmmmmuch
colder today - down to -18c!

Before you think we're getting
all mushy here, I was a bit of
a grumpus because it was so
ccccccold and Michael was all
gungho about going for another
100 mile hike. Sometimes I just can't
handle his high level of gungho-ness!
This is how he
tries to improve my mood!
Pretty underhanded
wouldn't ya say?

Where all had been open water yesterday
is now covered with a thin veneer of ice
and snow - would NOT want to fall into
the river or the lake today!

We took a different trail but then drove
down the road a ways so we could go to
the lake again - lots of wave action again
today - I don't know HOW cold it was with
the wind chill.

Inviting no?
NOT!!
No sand today - just lots of ice formations!

Because of the size of the waves and the
frigid temperatures everything
within 20 - 30 feet of the shoreline was
now coated with ice!


Just hanging around trying to stay warm!

Lumpy ice is nice!

I felt sorry for the long grasses -
they were frozen solid!

Won't be long now til the river is all
covered with ice.

A very different shoreline
than yesterday! Everything
is frozen solid.


As we were walking back to the car we
came across a family feeding the chickadees!
So I joined in and Michael snapped a few
pictures. I tried it without my mitts but
my hand froze within seconds.
But the birds didn't mind my mitts.
So was I glad that Michael dragged my
butt out for a hike - YES!!
Just an example of the pros and cons
of living with a life coach - ya just
can't get away with being a grumpus!
Look - two chickadees!
Gotta go, going to finally finish watching
"Couples Retreat"!!
SO FUNNY!!
Don't ya just love Vince Vaughn?
Ya sure wouldn't catch him on a
100 mile hike!!