Hanging out to dry. . . .it's Spring!

We were fortunate - Thursday afternoon/evening storms passed our immediate 

area with very little havoc. Sadly, not far off though, many towns and communities

 had severe damage from tornadoes touching down, terrific winds causing 

 falling trees and roof damage etc.

Our bluebirds sheltered on the front porch looking quite straggly coming in from

the rain. . . . . . .  

~ Female Eastern bluebird ~

. . . . . . . but once dry and fluffed up again they were back in the fig tree 

and eating at the feeders. Note tiny green buds just starting on the fig.

~ Male Eastern bluebird ~

   

We welcomed a very chilly Friday morning with the unfurling of a bright

 Spring flag.  Today, Saturday, finally it's here, the Spring Equinox.  

We are starting a deck repair job so hoping for some warmer, drier

 weather over the weekend.

Enjoy your weekend.

Come rain, come snow, come sunny mornings -

 

Our pair of beautiful Northern flickers are constant visitors. Several years ago I noticed them on the ground in the back garden. They had a youngster and the father was apparently training it on how to find and eat insects, ants and beetles being their favorite food, while the mother watched from the fence. They are the only woodpecker to regularly feed on the ground.

I fell in love with these spotted and striped woodpeckers that morning!  

Northern flicker - female - 12" brown and black woodpecker,

black necklace above speckled breast, red spot on neck

Male flicker, same except for a black mustache making

 it quite easy to distinguish.

Since our one dismal snow fall of this winter - just when a nice 6" would have been great as there was plenty of free time to play, build snow people, make snow angels, throw snowballs, and give housebound children, and adults, "something different to do" - the flicker pair have been devouring suet cakes which I stay busy replenishing. These could be their next favorite meal when insects aren't plentiful.  

Even as I write on this lovely morning, bright with welcome sunshine and the promise of a fine day with a high of 63F,  the pair of flickers are enjoying breakfast. The female seems really hungry, perhaps preparing to become a 'mom' this spring.

The male usually selects the nest site, taking up to 12 days to excavate. They have one brood per year, laying 5-8 white unmarked eggs, and both parents incubate for 14 days. Babies fledge in 25-28 days and both parents feed the young.

I hope we see babies this year.

I'm adding this photo to show the size of the woodpecker compared to the Eastern bluebird. They seem to get along fine together at the feeders, the bluebird usually sitting patiently waiting for a chance to nibble. . . . . . .

. . . . . . and this photo, showing the beautiful flash of golden wing and tail feathers displayed as this male flicker flies away with a bill stuffed with suet, under the watchful eye of the bluebird.  Here in the southeast, populations of these woodpeckers swell in winter when northern migrants arrive, and our own, being non-migrators, grace us with their presence year round. 

We really are so lucky. Nature is so generous.

All photos taken from my dining room window.

Bluebird Real Estate -

 

 This was a surprise yesterday!  

A male Eastern bluebird visiting a decorative bird box hanging on the front porch.

Our large family of bluebirds have been nesting in the larger bird house

 on a post in the garden for the past three years, and hopefully they'll

 continue to use it this spring. We truly enjoy the bluebirds year round here.

It's a very cold morning here with a little icy rain falling. 

34F now and high today only reaching 36F, brrrrr!

Many bluebirds seem to enjoy the porch on these chilly, wet days.

These damp bluebirds are sheltering on the hanging lanterns which

 have become a favorite spot . . . . . . and I do admit to scattering seed 

on the porch railing on the really cold or wet days!

Some interesting bluebird info I found online today:

It is quite common to see Bluebirds visit nest boxes during the winter. 

You may even see them carry some nest material into the box. 

This is not actual nesting behavior but more than likely a male showing

 off a good place to raise young to a female. It never hurts to get a head start.

Bluebirds will typically raise between 2 and 3 broods each year, and they

 will often re-use old nests. It could take a couple of seasons for them

 to start using your nestbox, but after that, bluebirds generally return

 to the same area each year.Bluebirds prefer their nests facing – in

 order of preference – east, north, south and west.

Enjoy the weekend.

Hope you see "bluebirds of happiness" in your garden.

The week that was -

 

I was up with the sun on Saturday. A mild morning with such a fiery sky it

 took my breath away for a few fleeting minutes. 

Followed by scattered bird songs from around the garden, I sat down

 to listen on the front porch, wrapped in a chunky cabled throw, coffee

 mug in hand, hoping this would be a good day.

I picked up a lovely bunch of mixed fresh cut greenery from a nearby 

garden center - today I will arrange it on the mantel and hopefully 

it will remain pretty through Christmastime.

Now it's already Sunday with a little rain from the night glistening 

on the shrubs and grass, but the sun breaking through and a pleasant

 day reaching 68F predicted. . . . . . .perfect for me!

Yesterday this bluebird was caught showering in one of the backyard

 baths - always a sweet bird to see.

Cooking this weekend included a tasty cauliflower soup - and although

 not shown here, I added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard noted in a French

 recipe, and it did give an extra flavor layer which was really tasty.

I also made that good spinach quiche again - it's delicious right out

of the oven but, for me, the leftover portions reheated gently are actually

 my favorite when the ingredients seem even more tasty.

At long last the city leaf collection truck showed up in our

 neighborhood on Friday - here they are working on our pile. 

Fortunately the leaves were dry and sucked up quickly - of course

 there are still more to come down but hopefully a second clean up

 will happen in January.

The 'Apple Blossom' amaryllis continues to bloom - four flowers

 open fully now, one more bud just beginning to open this morning.

This has been a stunner.  

The old bulbs are showing a bit more green but it will be 

some time before a stem and buds appear - if ever! Fingers are

 crossed for them, also for the Christmas cactus which hasn't 

done much despite my care in the year since I was gifted with it.

 

When it comes to Christmas mail, I love to discover envelopes

 with beautiful stamps waiting in the mailbox at the end of the

 driveway. So far, this year, my favorite is this one on my card

 from my family in France. It's not actually a Christmas stamp but

it's a lovely illustration of the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral.

All snail mail cards are so welcome, especially with the

exorbitant cost of postage for overseas mail.

I had a health scare last week which included having to return for a 

second (diagnostic 3-D) mammogram when my annual screening one

 showed an abnormality. Thankfully it was determined by the radiologist

not to be anything resembling cancer - and I walked away from the 

clinic feeling free and so grateful after several days of nervous thoughts.

Always have your annual check ups even if, like me, you are older. 

I was going to skip my annual due to COVID and having to go

 to a medical facility - thank goodness I didn't.

They can save your life!

Here's to a good week ahead for everyone.

Hope your 'different' plans for Christmas this year will go smoothly.  

Gardening for Christmas -

Other than raking, gathering and piling the leaves - and no sooner that's done

more fall - there's not much gardening going on around here!

Very different weather this morning.

Rain, steady but light, temperature a few degrees above freezing

 (could have been snow if colder), enough to dampen down the dust and

put a sheen on the gazebo now sporting the annual Christmas tree 

to brighten up the dark nights.

While working out there yesterday, our family of Eastern bluebirds returned

 to enjoy the birdbaths and suet feeders. I managed a few quick photos of this

 handsome male, so colorful at this time of year. . . . . . and they brought me 

much happiness.

Christmas preparations are in full swing here, although mine are much

 more simple than those of many younger bloggers I've noticed.  

Did I used to have that much energy?

Do I wish I still could do all that? 

Yes of course.

Happiness. . . . .

The lovely bluebirds have returned to the garden this morning bringing a

spark of proverbial happiness.

 Just one pair so far, perhaps the same ones who nested in the birdhouse

 last year, or perhaps their offspring.  

The rain fell in torrents most of yesterday and all through the night, flooding 

the garden yet again. A shower this morning with constant rain expected

soon and continuing through the remainder of today, and through this week,

means we are saturated and flash flood warnings are out.

Last evening we drove through the heavy rain to eat at a nice restaurant 

which annually supports our beloved veterans. They give a free meal to 

 veterans, of which Bob is one, and he always enjoys a steak, something

 I rarely prepare in my usually non-meat kitchen!

We don't go just for a free meal, we go for the atmosphere of camaraderie

between the diners, many introducing themselves to each other and stating 

where and when they served their country, often in wars on far off shores.

I need a little happiness this week. 

A lovely member of my family in the UK passed away unexpectedly and the 

sadness for his family is overwhelming I'm certain. 

At times such as this I feel so far away from where I want to be.

The continuing California wildfires are just devastating and my

 heart goes out to all who live in those areas. 

The fig tree is now bare, the maple behind it still has clinging leaves now 

changing color. Some trees are still quite green, others are dropping leaves

 and raking will begin soon. In late winter we will have to prune the fig which has

grown by leaps and bounds and is much too big! 

We will be away for an extended Thanksgiving Day trip this year.

That, along with computer problems, may mean I will not be posting 

regularly. Quite honestly I'm finding blogging exhausting lately and, 

once again, apologize for being lax in commenting.

Hopefully with new computers (although I dread having to learn new

technical stuff which I'm certain will come with them), and after a

change of scenery and time with our quite large family in Arizona,

I will be inspired and can keep going.

I care about you all so much and don't want to lose touch - you are 

my best friends and bring me such a lot of day to day happiness!

The bluebird carries the sky on his back - Henry David Thoreau

Motivation. . . . . . . . . .

This morning:  I watched this sweet female Eastern bluebird searching the

 feeders for breakfast on yet another below freezing morning in the garden.

Her mate soon joined her, always delightful to see.

The sun is bright but the air bitter cold.

Snow is forecast for tomorrow, starting around 5:00 am which will cause

 early morning traffic havoc. Yellow school buses are likely to remain

in their parking lots, kids will don parkas and boots, fashion makeshift sleds,

 then search for a hill - which around here is usually no more than a slope.

Tonight will see a rush to the grocery stores to 'stock up' on bread,

milk, and perhaps wine and beer! Although the snowfall is expected to be light, 

and on Thursday it will warm up again and surely melt, people in the south get 

nervous at the thought of being snowbound without a stockpile of essentials. 

This is the roller coaster winter weather of the southeast states.

~ Female Eastern bluebird ~

While outside checking the firewood supply for tonight and tomorrow - we'll be

 staying close to home - filling bird feeders and melting icy bird baths, I also chased

 off five squirrels gobbling down seed and suet. This one refused to leave, playing

 'catch me if you can' on the tree branches - I gave up yelling and hand clapping

 allowing it to return to nibble for a while.

Oh, why the title of Motivation for today?

Last night I went to my first Tai Chi class!  

I roped in daughter, granddaughter, and two neighbors to join me.

 We had two hours of verbal instruction and learning the beginning

 position of this ancient Chinese exercise.

I'm planning to continue and hope the others will also. The group was

an interesting mix and the instructor pleasant. I've always wanted

to try this gentle, excellent way to get the body and mind moving.

I'm now having to admit that at this age 'gym rat' is not listed in my

 personal profile!  This way of exercising (although great for all age

 groups, and the younger you start the better) seems to be the way to go.

I need more balance and less stress so hopefully this will work for me.

Have you ever tried Tai Chi?

P.S. Don't forget, if you haven't entered my

 travel contest yet, do check yesterday's post.

  Many of you have already submitted some awesome guesses. 

There will be a little prize later for the winner when

 I return from the trip! 

Bluebirds of happiness. . . . . . . . .

The past few days have been sunny and quite a bit warmer giving some respite

 from the bitterly cold we experienced earlier. Weather in the southeast is strange

 as to how it can change so rapidly. Today the barometer is already at 60F early

 in the morning, so different from the 10F reading at the beginning of this week.

We're not coddling the garden birds quite as much - no rows of seeds along the

 porch railing in addition to filling feeders and suet holders, no buckets of hot water

 being sloshed into the icy birdbaths several times a day.

They are managing fine, still singing in the bare fig tree and scuffling about in the

 leaf mold...........and now and then I'm able to get some unexpected photos such as

 these from a couple of days ago when of a pair of beautiful bluebirds arrived together

 for a few fleeting moments in the back garden.

These birds are non-migrators in the Carolinas, feeding mostly on insects and fruit, 

but also come to suet and seed feeders in winter months. 

Interesting fact - a pair will have two broods of 4-5 a year and the young from 

the first brood help raise the young of the second.

Eastern Bluebird: Sialia sialis

Easy to tell apart, the deeper blue of the male is somewhat faded in winter, and the

 more grayish female only ever has touches of pale blue on tail and wings, both have rusty

 red breasts and white bellies

To think this lovely bird was nearly eliminated from the Carolinas due to lack of
 natural nesting cavities as trees were felled and farmland built upon. However, with
 the aid of bird enthusiasts who put up thousands of bluebird boxes, they have made
 a remarkable comeback - thank goodness! 

"There's a bluebird on my shoulder" says the song, well not quite, but they do 

frequent my garden and that makes me happy.