Sunday

 The weather is crazy with strong winds. We are at the bottom of the blizzard zone and we don't really have much snow. 

 The wind does cool down the house but we are staying warm. We went to early church this morning and it was raining. It could develop into a bad storm for us but it doesn't seem to be much right now. 

 The deer is peaceful as it stands at the feet of Saint Francis of Assisi. The light glows through from the window's light. We will have a quiet afternoon and evening with no plans to venture out. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  

Saturday's Stuff

 It isn't a bird but a welcomed squirrel. We rarely see them any more so it is fun to see them crawl around and feed, stuffing in birdseed as fast as it can. I have whole kernel corn that no bird wants to eat but this guy will pick them all up off the deck floor. 

 The house finch travels in pairs to where ever they go. The male has the red head and the one with all the patterns is the female. 

 If one of them shows up to the feeder one can count on the mate to follow pretty soon. I don't see this in many birds but this house finch are tightly bonded. 

 We have new neighbors and they have three different dogs. This one poodle mix is the leader of the pack and he can be seen tearing around the back yard chasing and barking. The owners have a vertical dog door that fits in their sliding glass door so the three can come and go as they please. The photo is shot through a screen wire so it has special textuers distorting the focus. 

We are suppose to have blizzard like weather tomorrow and the warnings are everywhere. Today we are cool but the wind is blowing strongly from the east.  It is a wait and see situation to see if we can get out for church. Thanks for stopping by today. 

Blowing Through

 It is cold and very windy. I didn't expect to get a good shot as I ventured out onto the deck. 

 I refilled the feeders yesterday and all kinds of birds showed up. There were a couple of grackles ot there with their shiny blue or green reflect head sheen. 

 I don't understand why a couple of crows also showed up too. They must have been really hungry. I rarely see them out there. The grackle above was even trying to get seed out of a hanging tube feeder. 

 A pair of mourning doves showed up and had a sit-in at the top of our stairs.  There common behavior is one of roosting out there and just looking around. 

 

I guess it was just the right weather for them to be out there and hungry.  The feeders are empty again as all the birds finished it all.

We are hunkered in and are told that we have severe weather is coming.  I think it all went north and also south missing us all together. Thanks for checking in today. 

A Red Visitor.

 One looks out the window on a gray day and this flash of red shows up. It takes a few seconds to realize that the cardinal has landed.

 He comes for sunflower seeds. Lots of times he flys off to a tree to open in and eat it. The tray seems to work well for him and stays right there to consume his seed.

 The bird keeps looking around at all times to watch for intruders.  He eventually eats it and looks for another seed. 

 Thanks to the cardinal for stopping by today and you too! 

Tilted

 A clear sky to start the day. We have warmed up to 70 degrees F. It is causing the grass to green and it feels good. 

 The sunset glow did color the clouds of the previous evening. It was a subtle change and the colors went away quickly

 

 We have a window open to help cool the house down as we are too warm inside. I refuse to turn on the air. the poinsettia likes the new weather and lives in the sun room full time now. The tilting photo helps to drive one crazy and you do try to mentally straighten it to level. 

I am in survival mode today as I am fasting for a medical test that is coming up. Solid food will taste so good someday and I will be able to chew it and not just drink it. Thanks for stopping by today.  

Sunday PM

 

 On the shores of Galilee, at a place called Tabgha, an ancient mosaic rest on the floor of a small church. It was created over 1,500 years ago. It depicts the scene of bread and fishes placed before the crowd to eat. The carving of the fish is made into a bowl of recycled olive tree wood. 

 The Armenians have a fourth section of the old city in Jerusalem and their artistic works are well known. They are predominately decorators of many items. This bowl is from there, created by their artists. Things like this can be bought from their many shops as well as from vendors on the streets.

 My wife's Christmas village is now gone. It took about three days of boxing and snow folding. We both really like it but now it is  all in storage on the shelves in the basement. It is good exercise for me to go up and down those eleven steps.

We warmed up today and my grass is starting to turn green The rains did help things out. I know we can get snowstorms yet in late March so we won't declare it being spring just yet. tThanks for checking in today.  

First Robin

 My wife saw the first robin yesterday afternoon. I took a few pictures and the bird just would not turn its head for the shot. 

 I lost one of my trees that had dried fruit in it. The one that is left over does have a few fruits on it. The robin just sits and waits until its mate arrives to the area. Our cardinal definitely has his territory marked as we hear him most every morning as he calls from our maple tree. We saw an unusual sight this morning of a small bird chasing a kestrel hawk, as it was pecking on the top of its head. I looked up the kind of birds that do that and they call it "mobbing" A lot of different birds do that. The do it  to keep them away from their territory. The kestrel really wasn't too bothered bu it did seem to fly around in a hurry. 

 The cardinal seems to find a area on the tree that is branched filled. It cuts up the view and on a dull day it blends in with the colors of the tree. 

 The female is not seen as often. I would not think they would be nest building with it still beingvery cold out there. We hit 42 degree F. this afternoon. We do finally have sunshine this afternoon after clouds for days. We got a good rain and some thunderstorms the past two days. At one time it was reported we had over and inch of rain. The weather guy said it was unusual to get that much at this time of the year but we really do need the moisture. 

I am watching a garden show right now that is of the Sonoma Desert. It is in the Tuscon area. It reminds me that I can put out humming bird feeders in a few months. Thanks for checking in today.