Right at home . . . . . . .

The days continue.  They are different.  

Sometimes we argue - other times we laugh!

Yesterday we did a deep clean of the master bedroom

together!  Will I let him color my grey roots? No way!

Will I try to give him a haircut? Perhaps!

We are in close quarters.

We are not ill, thank God.  

We are not out of work, but are sorry for those who are. 

As retirees we are on fixed incomes. We have noticed prices

 are already rising in the grocery stores. 

We feel somewhat safe financially as we saved for 'rainy days'

and for what we hoped would be a comfortable retirement.  

We, like you, never expected those days would include a

worldwide pandemic which could cause us to be very ill, or

even kill us!

We are going about these days - which for us are not that appalling - doing

 what we can do close to home. We miss seeing family and friends.

Although we are still avid travelers we have had to change that part

 of life for the time being. We can weather this storm here at home as

 long as we stay healthy. 

I'm sad not to be crossing the pond as hoped this Spring to see my family, 

friends and hometown. . . . . . .but we are now planning to go in the 

Autumn when hopefully all will be well in the world.

Male Eastern Towhee : Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Common name comes from its distinctive "tow-hee" call, but known

  mostly for its characteristic call that sounds like, "Drink-your-tea!

One of my favorite garden birds - the female is beautiful too, brown

 feathers where the male has black ones. . . . . . . .a handsome couple
 when seen together, which is often around here.

He's been sitting in an oak tree singing his songs so beautifully

lately, and I'm sure his mate is on a nest nearby.

Hope is the thing with feathers,

    that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson : American Poet - 1830-1886

Let's all have hope.

Sing if you can.

Listen to the music if you can't.

Eastern Towhee. . . . . . . . . . .

I managed to get this quite good shot of the male Eastern towhee earlier

 in the Winter garden. Have been trying to photograph his mate without

 much luck until a few days ago when she sat on the fountain for several minutes.

 I was so happy to get these closeups through the dining room window.

Isn't she a sweet girl?

Somewhat secretive, the towhee, who is sightly smaller than the American robin,
 may be noticed first by the sound of industrious scratching in the leaf-litter under
 dense thickets. In the mating season, which I guess is imminent, the male
 becomes much bolder, singing from high perches.

Mrs. Towhee is mostly brown with rusty red sides, a white belly, and a long

 brown tail with a white tip. The bill is short and stout, the eyes a rich red.

The male is similar but black not brown. They are non-migrators in the Carolinas.

Mrs. Towhee stays busy in Spring building a nest either on the ground under

 a shrub, or in low bushes, usually less than 5 feet above the ground.

 She will lay 3-4, sometimes 5, rarely 2-6, creamy white eggs with brown spots

 at the larger end. She will incubate, the male will do most of the feeding

 of the nestlings who remain with the parents for some time after hatching.

This very warm week has certainly brought a lot of avian activity to the garden.

Sleeping with windows open has brought a rousing dawn chorus these past couple

 of mornings. You can bet I'll have more bird stories and photos to share soon.