Friday, February 19th

Enjoying our little red squirrels on the deck - who are enjoying all the sunflower seed exposed as the snow melts! :)

Oddly enough (and sadly), our bluebirds have not been back since Tuesday. Right after we put put all those mealworms! I'm wondering if they were migrating and never meant to stay on? Lots of other kinds of birds in the yard, though ... juncos, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, cardinals, etc. so really I shouldn't complain!

Weather: clouds moving in, snow on the way for tonight (just a coating), but up in the 50s all weekend!

Wednesday, February 17th

Recent cold/windy weather has brought down a lot of branches on our property. Several were blocking our driveway this morning ...

Just mild enough today that the chipmunk tunneled his way out for a peek! (44°)

Lots of ice melt, bright sun ... the light seemed stronger today. :)

Tuesday, February 16th

This morning's icy weather ...

I took these pictures quite early (roughly 7:30 a.m.) as I tended to the birdfeeders - dumping out the snow that had fallen overnight, adding extra mealworms and scattered mixed seed. Above is the bank of trees on the east side of our property ... I love watching the sun rise behind these evergreens, and look how pale and frosty everything looks!

I know you can barely see it, but at the very top of the tree beyond the roof is a cardinal. He was singing his dear little heart out this morning! Oddly enough, despite all the snow and ice around me, the temperatures were on the rise and there was a feeling of Spring off in the distance ...

And yet ...

Everything was glazed with ice!

Happily, the mealworms we put out yesterday seem to be a hit with the bluebirds! Below is one on top of the table (where I scattered some mixed seed and "bluebird nuggets") and in the foreground are two lovely goldfinches.

This is also attracting the blue jays! And squirrels and juncos, too ...

And here's my dear little red squirrel, scavenging beneath the rhododendron.

Now, crazily enough, we are in for a very rainy afternoon ... heavy rain is on the way as well as temps in the 50s! It won't wash away all the snow, but will leave behind some black ice tonight and tomorrow morning so I hope everyone is safe on the roads.

Monday, February 15th

Another terribly blurry picture I'm afraid, but I am just so excited about our bluebirds, I had to share! :)

The pair of them keep visiting ... and I say pair because there is only ever two of them in the yard BUT ... today there were two bright blue birds and previously there was a bright blue bird and a drab blue bird (a mated pair I assume), but the presence of two bright blue birds tells me there may be more about!

Anyway, I keep noticing them hovering around the feeders but not really doing much eating. I know they don't like seeds and though they do seem interested in the suet cage, they only pick at what the woodpeckers messily drop on the ground. So today we headed over to the local agricultural co-op where we stocked up on all kinds f seed AND a bag of mealworms ... which - are kind of gross, yes but - are apparently the preferred food of bluebirds. 

So here is another terrible picture but it shows the tray feeder which is now full of mealworms ...

Note the blurry red-breasted blob sitting just above the feeders! They seem a bit wary of the tray (it being a new feature and all) but it definitely piqued their interest ...

I am just so pleased to think we might be able to not only sustain these beautiful birds, during this incredibly cold weather, but also, perhaps, encourage them to make our property their year-round home. (Apparently not all bluebirds migrate.)

Other birds at the feeders this week: juncos, chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches.

Weather: Super frigid (single digits, wind chills -30)! But tomorrow comes rain and wind and temps around 50! Got to love a New England winter ... !

Thursday, February 11th

 

Quite cold and flurries all day yesterday, as well as this morning - a squall, in fact, a bit ago. Very wintry and pretty. Enjoying the antics of the red squirrel on the snowy deck. Chased a hawk off from the front yard. Bitter cold ahead this weekend!

Tuesday, February 9th

I know it's very hard to tell from that blurry photo (taken through my less than pristine kitchen window) but those two birds at the suet feeder are bluebirds!! 

I absolutely love bluebirds, but have only ever seen them (in real life) once before - last winter, actually. There was a whole flock of them in our front yard! I was all excited thinking we'd be seeing more of them but that was it ... until today. :)

There was just the pair of them - and they spent a good bit of time in the big tree above the feeders (there was a little squabbling amongst the woodpeckers), but they did dip down to the suet a couple of times.

What a beautiful sight! The younger boys and I were sitting right at that kitchen table, working on our Mardi Gras masks, when I spotted the birds. I love seeing new (or uncommon) birds at the feeders!

Weather: Cold, in the 20s, partly sunny.

Monday, February 8th

More snow! Blizzard conditions in some parts around here, so fingers crossed we don't lose power again. We're expecting 6-9 inches hereabouts. It's very pretty, I must say ...

Saturday, February 6th

Well that was QUITE a storm! We got several inches of snow and it was quite heavy and wet. Beautiful to look at, but dangerous, too. We lost power Friday afternoon - and it's still not back yet! Such is the price to pay for living where there are lots of tall trees ...

We're keeping warm though, and enjoying the "snow globe" scenery all around us. It's actually quite a beautiful day - bright sun, cold air - and apparently there's more snow on the way this week!

So pretty to watch the birds at the feeders and of course, we'll be keeping our eyes open for more tracks in the yard. Shown in the picture above is a creek near our home ... it looked so lovely as the sun rose behind it. We had to pull over and take a snap!

Friday, February 5th

Welcome back, Winter!

This is outside our window at 7 a.m. We're expecting 4-8 inches by the afternoon ... what a nice way to start the weekend!

(Says she who doesn't have to shovel.)

:)

Tuesday, February 2nd ~ Candlemas Day!

Well, just moments ago, our resident groundhog emerged from his den - did NOT see his shadow and therefore predicted an EARLY SPRING!  But before we get too excited, this old Candlemas verse declares the opposite to be true ...

If Candlemas be fair and bright, Winter takes another flight.

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Winter will not come again.

Well, it's bright and sunny here! A beautiful February morning and as I always say (or think to myself anyway) whatever the weather might be - this day is a gift. So whether the coming weeks bring snow and bluster or sun and soft breezes, I'll take it! :)

• Snowdrops, shown above at our old house. Still waiting on the ones we planted here! This is a lovely, old-fashioned spring bulb, also called "Candlemas Bells." With all this mild weather recently they may be on their way up ... but we'll take a look today and see. Last year they never appeared, buried under all that record-breaking snow.

• Coloring pages for the younger boys (groundhog, snowdrops) and a check of the temperature at noon.

• The Story of the Snow Children by Elsa Beskow

• How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry 

Today, I will clean out the "Crafts & Candles" cupboard and organize the materials to make some beeswax candles with the boys. If there is patience and focus we will attempt this craft later today! If not - outside we go to burn off that energy and look for our own shadows in the fading afternoon light.

:)

* Temps in the mid 40s, bright sun. *