Day Three Hundred Thirty One 2013

I’ll Fly Away




I heard the honking overhead from our backyard this afternoon and stood there in the cold, watching them because they’re fun to watch. This flock of Canadian geese flew back and forth and around in circles, I suppose waiting for a leader to emerge. They finally formed a clumsy V and flew away, heading south. Seems a little late in the year to be migrating to warmer climes, however, it does sound like a smart idea on a day like today. Better late than never.

Day Sixty One 2013

Ever Lovin Saturday

We’ve had some snow here, starting this past Thursday.

It started coming down again late last night.

We got maybe an inch. Maybe.

Really pretty. We don’t get big snows any more. I miss those. But we’ll take what we can get.

A bird in hand is worth four in the bush. Inflation, you know. I think these are waiting their turn at the feeders.

Since daughter Kelly and grandson Knox are visiting this weekend, Neil made yummy blueberry waffles for (a late) breakfast.

His blueberry waffles are the best. Did I say they are yummy? They are.

Grandson Knox didn’t care for any waffles. He just wanted to take his socks off.

We went to Starbucks for some coffee (what else?), squeezed in at a little table by the window, all cozied up next to about ten other people, and watched it snow. There’s something about Starbucks that just makes you want to kick back.

And fall asleep in Grandpa’s lap. Not even the aroma of caffeine could keep him awake at this point.

The proverbial blanket of snow, sliding off the hood of the car into fluffy white folds. It snowed again tonight and replaced all that was lost with a fresh blanket.

Neil finally got to celebrate his birthday this evening. He turned 62 on February 28, but due to other stuff happening in the family, we postponed the party until a more opportune moment which turned out to be tonight.

Happy Birthday, honey/hubby Neil! We enjoyed cake and ice cream and punch and a whole lot of chatter and laughter, as always when our family gets together. (Not that there’s always cake and ice cream and punch but that would be nice.)

And Neil enjoyed lots of cool cards and great gifts, which as you can see, he gave a thumbs up. Fun party. Worth the wait. Let’s do it all over again next year.
Happy Saturday, everyone!

Day Fifteen 2013

Randomness

I got this in my Christmas stocking~~a dark chocolate orange. I finally broke into it today and wondered why/how could I have let it sit there for three weeks?? Two slices~~that’s all I could eat. Very rich.

Got these in my Christmas stocking, too. Santa knows what I like, even though I tell him every year not to bring me stuff like this because I’ll eat it. Pistachios are supposed to be good for you/me. [Like dark chocolate.]

We recently got a big old bag of naval oranges at Sam’s. They are so huge I can hardly get my hand around one. They are sweet and juicy. These are mine. Neil’s are in the fridge. He likes cold fruit. I don’t. Plus he eats more fruit than I do. I’m too busy eating dark chocolate oranges and pistachios.

“Oh that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!” ~Psalm 55:6   I like this Bible verse. We recently refilled our bird feeders for the winter, and the doves have been all over them, which is odd. These birds are usually pecking around on the ground under the feeders. Maybe they don’t like having cold wet feet.

Today was the 100th day of school this year. Grandson Elijah has been talking about this day for weeks. His class celebrated by making these cool crowns and bringing 100 of something to class to show and tell. He brought a hundred Legos. Others brought things like cereal and gummies. It was a fun day for him, especially after going in two hours late because of potential icy road conditions this morning.

He played with those Legos most of the time he and Shelby were here this afternoon, building stuff, instead of playing video games on his 3DS. By the time he started with the video games, mom came to pick them up. Aw, Mom!

I leave you with a little visual warmth on this cold wet winter evening. We are toasty. Hope you are warm and safe and dry. (Or maybe cool and safe and dry if you happen to live in the southern hemisphere )

Day Fourteen 2013

Angry Bird. This momma cardinal was not happy about sharing the sunflower seeds at the feeder this morning. She scolded the little bird next to her, and he/she took off. (Been a while since I took any bird shots~~forgot to change the camera to sports setting~~the birds are a blur.)
God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest. ~J.G. Holland

Day Eight 2013

My back yard was invaded by giant birds today. I’ve never seen anything like it. I mean, what have these things been eating? Not really. But you already knew that. This is my decorative winter flag that hangs on the fence beside the bird feeders. Neil finally filled them up with seed, but we haven’t had many takers so far. I think the giant birds might be freaking out the real birds. Either that, or the bird word hasn’t gotten around yet about the free food. And heaven help us when the squirrels discover the full feeders. Maybe I should get a giant squirrel flag.

Day One Hundred Thirty One 2012

RANDOM

The birds have discovered the mulberries, which make for a very colorful mess (literally) on the windshield of my car.

The baby birds have flown the nest and are everywhere. They, too, know a good mulberry when they see one.

Beautiful pink lilies basking in the sunshine

What an awesome day! Felt a bit like fall which is always OK with me.

And last but never least, Grandson Elijah played T Ball this evening. His team, the Diamondbacks, got beat by the Reds 17~11. They played well, though, and Elijah did some great fielding. They turned an eleven point lead into a six point lead. Not too shabby.

Day Ninety One 2011

The Mourning Dove. My question is how do they tell each other apart? I can just hear one of them now: "Honey, is that you? Oh, sorry, I thought you were...."

Here are some fun facts I didn't know about these creatures. (They've always seemed a bit dumb to me, lumbering around the yard, but since I read this, I have a new respect for them):

The Mourning Dove is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also the leading game bird, with up to 70 million birds shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure stems from its prolific breeding: in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods a year. Its plaintive woo-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, and the bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph). Mourning Doves are light grey and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning Doves eat almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk by their parents. (from Wikipedia)

Did you learn something? Good. Now go and have a happy weekend!