Spring For All The Senses

I stepped outside this afternoon to get a dose of nature inspiration. At first I was drawn to a lone daffodil in bloom on our hillside. Beautiful as it is, I’ve already “done” daffodils.

Returning inside, not yet quite inspired, I noticed lots of robins out at the front of our house. So, I again grabbed the camera and headed outside. Of course as soon as I opened the door, all the robins flew away and the squirrels went running (as if I was going to shoot them – only with a camera though!).

Standing outside, waiting patiently for the birds to come out again, I was struck by the amount of activity that was occurring all around. Multitudes of bird calls, squirrel sounds, birds flying in all directions from one tree to another, or from tree limb to ground or the feeders, or shimmying up and down the side of a tree. Robins were searching for and pulling up worms. Squirrels were jumping from fir tree branch to fir tree branch at unbelievable heights.

While observing all of this, Mother Nature was playing hide-and-seek with the sun, scattering a few raindrops here and there, and blowing a gentle-but-still cool breeze letting me know it’s still March.  

Such an amazing amount of activity just outside the door. All the while, many birds were coming to our feeders – juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, finches, and this beautiful woodpecker with my very favorite chestnut-backed chickadee.

Step outside and witness spring for all the senses.

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee

One of my very favorite birds is the chestnut-backed chickadee. I’m not even sure why it’s a favorite, but I think it has to do with its characteristics. It’s a little round bird that is very cute – in my opinion. True to its name, it has the coloring of chestnuts. It is a slightly smaller size than the black-capped chickadee. But there’s something else…

This is not a bird I grew up seeing. (Just like I don’t see any cardinals here, but do back east.) I’ve only seen it while living here, at our current Oregon location. To me it is unique. And like new babies, puppies, and kittens, it is adorable.

Admittedly, I’m hardly an experienced photographer. Trying to catch a photograph of any type of chickadee takes some patience I have discovered. Unlike finches, a chickadee comes to the feeder only for a moment to grab a seed; then flies off to eat it elsewhere.

Here is a picture of just one of those chestnut-backed chickadees. I’m glad I was able to capture one in a photo.

Cute, isn’t it?

Spring Has Come Again

Once again spring has arrived.

These daffodils are not from the store – they are returning flowers from previous years’ bulbs. In the midst of our messy, untended garden, they are a wonderful reminder of what’s ahead.

This week for us is spring break – as in no school for the kids – but it is notoriously wet. I prefer drier weather to do the gardening. Guess I’m just not a diehard gardener.

In the meantime though, I do enjoy these little bursts of yellow that I can see from the kitchen window while I’m doing dishes.

Spring is here. There’s so much more to come in the way of flowers, herbs, growing our vegetables, etc. Not to mention warmer weather and sunnier days!

Happy Spring!

A Chickadee Let Me Know

From time to time I work outside of the home. This past week I worked a full week. With a family of five, those weeks that I work are an adjustment for everyone. Each person has to do more than normal to make the household run smoothly. Chores that are normally taken care of by me are divided into lists for our boys to do.

One of those daily chores is to fill our three bird feeders. Two evenings during this past week, I arrived home to some empty feeders. I am conscientious about keeping up with the feeders because the birds (and squirrels) depend on that food.

I was really glad to have had help with the laundry, so I wasn’t upset about the feeders not filled. I did feel badly for the birds though. As soon as I was able to fill the feeders, I did. And wouldn’t you know that as soon as I turned to head inside, I heard a chickadee calling out chick-a-dee-dee-dee.

That bird had been waiting for food. Once the feeder was filled, it alerted the others that there was now food. I turned and saw that black-capped chickadee perched and calling out. I’m glad to have heard its call because that shows just how important feeding those birds is.

And a chickadee let me know.

Irish Soda Bread

Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved to bake. I know it’s in my genes. My paternal grandmother was a baker (as much out of necessity as her love for baking). She would start baking in the middle of the night so my father could deliver her baked goods to folks early in the morning. That was one way to bring in additional income, along with selling her large, handmade quilts. 

When there is any special occasion, I start baking. For St. Patrick’s Day, I make Irish soda bread.

I’m a little early for St. Patrick’s Day. I decided to bake my Irish soda bread today because next week I’ll be working and there won’t be time to bake. (And I’m one of those people who likes to sleep during the night!) Bread freezes so well that it made sense to bake while I could. Then when the actual day arrives, I’ll be ready for it.

Never mind that it smells soooo good now and we are ready to dig in. No, no, we’ll be patient.

Changing Decor

Last week when we turned the calendar from February to March, I decided it was time to retire the snowmen. These are the indoor kind – décor for after Christmas. They are now hibernating until next January.

Technically it is still the winter season, but everything else is screaming SPRING. Thus the indoor mood needed to go along with this change. In place of the snowmen are vases with greens, pictures of flowers, bursts of yellow color, and a green/lilac/yellow flowered teacup.

I’m one who craves variety, so the changing of seasons and all the different holidays gives me reason to change out décor. I enjoy reflecting inside what occurs outdoors. As bushes and trees show buds sprouting – all that new green growth – and daffodils and crocuses are popping up everywhere, well, it’s time to change the colors inside too.

For now that means green, yellow, and white.

And I’ll be watching as the weeks move on into spring. Pretty soon there will be beautiful tulips showing all their glorious colors. Lots more color to be coming soon to the outdoors and indoors.

The Squirrel and A Bee

We finally met, The Squirrel and I. He came right up to the window and we locked eyes.

I knew it was him, because you know what he did next? He went to the spot where the sunflower seed used to be. He looked. He sniffed. I know he was perplexed. Whatever could have happened to his personal stash of food?

I would say that we are now even, but I actually think the squirrel came out ahead. He still has access to seed in the feeders – so he can always eat – and I’m just slightly inconvenienced.

There has been another sighting around here – a bee. I know, I know, it’s still winter. How can there be a bee already?

Art can make all things possible. In this case, Mark has created a copper bee. Here is the bee for you to see. (And this cute creature doesn’t sting either!)

That Darn Squirrel

Revenge. Pure and simple.

That darn squirrel was mad at me for putting the lid on tight on the container holding the sunflower seeds.

He was determined alright. He was so determined that he chewed a big hole right through the lid. He didn’t even start at the edge of the lid.

I almost took a picture of the destruction, but it looked so pathetic and depressing. Not a cheery sight at all.

Yes, he chewed right through the lid; then sat in the seeds eating away, leaving behind the hulls like a vast wasteland. He had his fill and went on his merry way, laughing with his belly full thinking he had outsmarted me.

Nope. The battle is on. Well, it was on already, sort of. I knew the squirrel was getting into the stash of seeds. So I countered by putting the lid on tight. Now he’s ruined the lid, and my ineffective method of keeping him out.

What now?

Well, I’ve moved all stashes of sunflower seed back to the garage, where it used to be. (We had moved it to the back deck for convenience and because of mice in the garage – another story.)

Let’s see how clever that squirrel will be now that the seed is out of his reach. Will he make his way to the garage? Stay tuned…