The Weekend

Early Friday morning we set off for the hours drive to the big stores. Stocked up on bird seed and groceries. I bought a sunflower seed feeder, just what I need, another feeder, lol. I saw it was on sale so I couldn't very well let that go now could I. We decided then to go to the Dollar Store. This is a great store where every thing is a dollar and I like to pick up napkins and the odd bits and pieces. Roger spent time going through the cds and ended up buying one with Russian Tenor Zurab Sothilava singing Georgian and famous Russian Folk Songs. I've never particularly liked Russian Tenors but on hearing this guy, wow! His voice is enough to make you weep. Beautiful!

Saturday morning, although I kept saying I wasn't going to go, we headed off for the flea market. We got there about fifteen minutes before it was to open and there was a line up. Although it was snowing, nobody seemed bothered by it and were happy enough to stand outside and wait. Once the doors opened and we got inside it was packed with people. Could hardly get down the aisles. I got myself a great shoulder bag for one dollar, a coffee press..again one dollar and the cutest blue cooking pot for, I think, 25 cents. Not a bad morning at all.

Looking outside after supper last night I saw just the tail of a bird on the sunflower feeder. From the angle I saw it I thought it might be the first sparrow of the season. Went out and took a picture and it was this little cutie.

Testing

I'm testing to see if I can get a video on here. Very short and you can see the Boreal chickadee. The one with the brown cap.

Yep, Still Snowing

I must be coming across as the worse whiner ever but I'm not, truly, I'm not. Very little gets me down, it's just that we are a few days from April and THIS has to go before I get out at the garden.

Consequently, these days, I feel as though I'm waiting for something to happen. Spring I guess. I can't seem to get into anything and keep looking out the windows hoping that all of a sudden I'll see green grass.

It's hard to believe that it will be the weekend again tomorrow. The weeks seem to be flying by. We will make our monthly trek to the big stores in the morning to stock up on food. I'm just about out of bird seed again. Saturday morning there's a large flea market in one of the small communities nearby. I expect there will be quite a crowd as it's the first one of the year, indoors of course. No doubt we will go. It can be a lot of fun and we usually come home with something we don't really need.

A friend came by last night and brought me two small Grapefruit plants he had started from seed. As I was putting them on a table by the window, he says "What's that growing there?" I said "Huh"?? Here's the story. I got some buckthorn seeds from a lovely person and immediately put four in a small pot before I found out that I should soak them for 24 hours. They had been in the pot for so long that I figured that there was no hope for them so had the pot shoved to one side behind a couple of other plants. Well, much to my surprise and delight one had come up. Oh joy, oh joy. I can't say how excited I was. Now of course I'm treating it like a baby, lol. I did soak the rest and have them planted in a tray on the windowsill so hopefully they will come as well.

A couple of pictures taken this morning.



Two Juncos taking cover in the vines.

Haven't been doing much. I managed to eat a one pound solid chocolate bunny on the weekend, tut, tut! Still cold here and lots of snow still about. The bay is packed with ice as far as the eye can see, consequently the wind blowing off it is making the temperatures cold. Hopefully I'll get into the city to see parents and daughter in April. Have to see a few good days in a row before I attempt it. I've hauled my box of seeds out three times lately, going through them and putting the box away again with a sigh. Oh well, soon I hope.

I haven't seen the Robin for a while. I put out a bag of chopped apple, banana, etc. in case he came back. The Redpolls are still coming but not as many. The Blue Jays, which I hadn't seen for some time are now here every day. I do believe there were two Woodpeckers doing the mating thing as one was chasing the other up a tree trunk. And I've heard tapping in the woods, they apparently tap on trees during mating season.

Black Capped Chickadee




Dark Eyed Junco

Shades of Blue

Well, what can I say. There is so much snow down and still falling and more to come. Once daylight came and still in pyjamas, I threw on my winter jacket, winter boots, hat and heavy gloves and made my way to the flatform feeder. The birds were trying to get through the heavy load of snow to get at seeds that were left there overnight. Grabbed the broom and managed to get through the snow to that feeder. Managed that, then brushed all the snow off the feeder while some of the birds were fluttering around my head anxious for breakfast. Put food out and tons of birds were coming down from the trees like leaves falling in Autumn. Started making my way back to get feed for the chickens when my pyjama bottoms fell down to my knees. I don't know what the problem is with me and my drawers falling down as some readers will remember that this has happened to me before. Well, what could I do but stand there stuck in the snow and laugh. Problem was that I couldn't get them back up as I had heavy ski doo mitts on and containers in my hands. Anyway, slowly I managed to make my way back and into the house. Luckily, this time there weren't cars going back and forth the road. And NO, no picture of me naked to the world.

Then after getting dressed we decided to start on the driveway. What a task! I finally gave up, came back in the house and made a Lemon Meringue Pie. I do things like that when I'm frustrated. Then my daughter phoned. She said she opened her back door and there was a solid wall of snow up to within about a foot from the top of the doorway. No way for her to get food out to the birds she feeds and there were loads of them out there waiting. So, she finally figured that if she went up on the third floor, opened a window and put food out on a lower roof the birds may come there. She did manage to get food out to them. She suggested I take a video of the birds at my feeders. Says I, "I don't know how." Anyway, after hanging up I got out the wonderful manual that came with the camera, the one that I can't understand a word in it about all the terrific things I'm suppose to be able to do with the camera. It seemed I was just suppose to push a button. Well, I said to myself, I'll try it. It worked, lol. Took it off the camera, now have to figure out what to do with it next.

So, we've given up doing anything about the snow this day and will probable hire the plow tomorrow to get us plowed out. It's just back and forth to the feeders now.

The car!

NOOOOOO!

Another 50 cm. of heavy blowing snow going to hit us starting later today. Once the plow goes by there will be 100 cm in the driveway. Five foot icicles hanging off this little house. The bay is frozen over, hands are frozen typing this, cat just threw up.....sob....I can't stand it any more. What a way to start the day. Anyway, enough of that! Can't do anything about it. Back and forth to the feeders once again. Poor birds! Got to try to haul the ladder down and put suet blocks in the suet feeders.

I'm loaded down with eggs as the chickens have been laying every day. Don't know how many dozens I've given away. Yesterday I fried up a dozen for the crows. They were leaving the feeder with so much in their beaks that you couldn't see their heads, lol. Saw a Robin on a branch by the window so chopped up some apple and got some berries out of the freezer to put out, hoping he would see it. It was eaten by something. Put more out this morning. Well, got to do a wash now and hope I don't accidentally dye the mans white undershorts pink as I did last time. lol

Jay

Robin

That Which Surrounds Me.

Snow, Snow, Snow!

What a load we had dumped on us! We were just out in the driveway hoping to shovel the car out, and I was standing by the car, up on the snow. My feet were just about level with the roof of the car! So, we've called for a plow to come and clean it all out. Don't know when he'll get here as he's very busy, but I don't care. I hope this is the end of the damn stuff but I now hear that we are getting more on Sunday but don't believe it will be too much. The sun is trying hard to come out but there are still fine flakes of snow coming down.

I can't count how many times I've been bringing seed out to the birds. The Redpolls are here in force along with the regular Juncos, Woodies, Nuthatches and Chickadees. The Boreal Chickadee is still hanging around with the Black Caps. I saw the Evening Grosbeaks on the feeder and quietly opened the door enough to get the camera through when Roger shouted and startled them back up in the trees. So kept waiting and waiting until they finally landed again. They are lovely birds.

Braving the storm yesterday.

Lots around today.

New Bird at Feeder

I've been debating all day on whether to put these pictures on or not. They are only fit to put in the trash. I was excited and didn't take the proper time with the camera because I was afraid he would fly off before I got a picture. Another lesson learned....take your time! I looked him up in my bird books and it appears it's a White Winged Cross Bill. He did fly off after I took the pictures and I've been looking outside all day hoping he would come back. I'm hoping after the 40 cm. of heavy, blowing snow ends tomorrow, he may return looking for food. No doubt I will be inundated with birds.

Brrrrrr!

I don't think I've ever seen a March month thats been this cold. -18C last night. I'm more than a little fed up with it and getting cabin fever to boot. I can only hope that this won't last much longer. With the couple of days earlier this month with a bit of rain and milder temperatures, about six to eight inches of solid ice had built up on the wood pile. This morning we had to go out with the sledge hammer and beat it apart. Couldn't get all the ice off it but brought a load inside anyway. So, had to go to the store, came back, fire was out. What else did I expect with the wood being so damn wet. So, cut up a cardboard box, got some newspaper, more splits and tried again. It's going good now and hope it continues as I'm having company in for supper tonight.

Not much else happening in this neck of the woods. My daughter may come for a visit on Saturday but if there is any sign of snow that won't happen. I can't blame her as the highway can be pretty bad when it's snowing. Now, I check out the long range forecast and they are calling for snow on Sunday and Monday. Argh!!

Although it's chilly today, the sun is shinning so took a few pictures of the regular visitors to the feeders.

Ralph

A lovely young man phoned me recently asking if I'd like to come and see his new pet, a Chinchilla, named Ralph. Well, of course, I was quite excited about this as I'd never seen one before only in pictures. Yesterday morning we went to have a look. What a beautiful creature! I didn't realize they were so big and the fur is absolutely wonderful. Huge ears and a squirrel like tail. I took some pictures but unfortunately I didn't get one good one. He was moving so fast and the light coming through the windows was picked up by the camera. Anyway, I'm putting them on here.

The first picture, and you can hardly make him out, he's in his bath. There's a special dust that goes in it and he gets quite excited when he sees it. So funny to see him jump right in and roll around. In the other pictures he was out running around having a great time.

Scenery

For Pete, who wanted to see more pictures of the scenery. I'm afraid I rarely take pictures of the scenery around. I'm more into birds and bees, etc. Anyway, these are some I took last summer.