Just Hanging Out With the Chickens

 I have kept chickens for almost 20 years now and have quite an accumulation ( hoard ) of old poultry stuff . The old waterers are rusting out and leak so I have re-cycled them. (Yeah...that's the word ! )

 Right now the tops of the waterers are keeping the fence posts dry , but I have a better use for them later. Um, well, I keep telling my husband that anyway.

 I have filled the bottoms of the waterers with plants, placed them on old benches around a comfortable Adirondack chair , along-side a table and there ya go ! I now have a lovely place to sip my morning coffee or tea while I watch my chickens. Hey....don't laugh, chickens are fun to watch !

My dogs agree, so there !

I am just hanging out with the chickens ...and the dogs. Happy moments for sure.

Rhododendron Explosion ! ( from the front porch )

 Morning coffee on the front porch in the spring is truly a rhododendron explosion !

 There are no other words for me to express the sight that fills my eyes and overcomes me with awe as I behold the glorious blossoms of the bushes that surround our front porch ...rhododendron explosion !

Thus far the month of May has been an unexpected cornucopia of blessings and celebrations for our family. My husband & I have attended a memorial service of someone who matters, a wedding of one of our sons ( very happy about this ! ) ,worrying about very ill family members and trying to help out, plus attempting to keep up with the practical every day matters . Our garden is one of those everyday practical matters . Weeding , planting, watering .....but still my husband & I take time to sit on our front porch and watch the birds at our well-stocked feeders and remember to take in the beauty of the rhododendron blossoms as we simply enjoy each other's company. God is so good to us. Praise Him !

Just An Ordinary Day ~ Tea-Time Tuesday !

I have been away and when I came home there was so much  catching up to do in the gardens and chicken & sheep pens. All things I love to do but sometimes the work can be daunting after I've injured myself and have to take things slower. I find myself spending more time on my porch watching the birds during my breaks. The work wears me out quickly and when I have time for blogging I decide to go to sleep instead. That's all good because sleep after a hard day's work is healing, but I have missed my Tea-Time Tuesdays.

Two of the sweet ladies who come to the Thursday Ladies' Luncheon & Bible Study gave me a most wonderful gift basket the very day I left on my small vacation over the mountains. The gift basket contained teas, an electric tea kettle, pretty napkins, tea-towels, delectable cookies, and TEACUPS ! Look at this beautiful teacup .

I made myself some of the white mint tea from the basket, helped myself to a very healthy home-made muffin , and went to savor the moment on my front porch where I could watch the birds at the feeder and the birds who'd set up house-keeping in the birdhouse near-by.

The teacup is by Victoria of England. There is no other information on this teacup that I can find except a hand painted number , and I love this teacup ! Especially because of the two ladies ( mother & daughter ) I have grown close to during our Bible studies.

There is a lot to be said for ordinary days at home, and I myself appreciate them immensely. They settle my soul and remind me of the simple pleasures we all have . Sipping tea or a cup of very good coffee while watching birds from the porch are among the treasures of just an ordinary day at home.

Thank-you Marlene & Marjorie !

• I joyfully join these ladies of the teacup for my Tuesday celebration :Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *, Terri at Artful Affirmations * , Martha at Martha's favorites * , Bernideen's Tea Bernidee's Tea Time Blog * ,Ruth at Antiques & Teacups *.

 

Bird Drama

 It's that time of year again when birds are courting , mating, nesting, and raising their young. There is so much excitement and drama anywhere there are birds that it is hard to get any yard work done for all the distraction this causes me. This bird house is home to a pair of chickadees. Their young have not hatched out yet but soon, very soon. Last year this location was used by chickadees and juncos , they seemed to take turns raising their families in it but I think the juncos moved on to ...

... this bird house nearby, above my sheep shelter .

 Yes, it is now home to a pair of Oregon Juncos. If you look very closely at the bottom left of this elaborate house you will see the pair of juncos chose to build a nest on the porch ! I think they prefer open air housing. Mama Junco's head can barely be seen over the horizontal branch, but she is there faithfully sitting on her eggs.

 This is one of 4 robin's nests in our trailer shed . We have another in our hay shed. I am glad the robins are able to safely raise their young here now. For years we watched the robins lose their eggs and young to crows but when we built this shed to protect our travel trailer we discovered the robins  also found it to be a safe haven.

This bird house is actually 3 houses in one structure and sits in front of our porch .This is part of my view when I sip my coffee in the morning while I watch the birds .There is a family of chickadees living in it , not the bird you see in the picture . Maybe this bird is considering living in the triplex , wouldn't that be interesting porch entertainment ? It could provide a lot of bird drama .

These are but a few of the many places I have observed birds nesting here at Cedar Pond . What is most fascinating is watching the bird drama as each tiny area around our home seems to have its' own bird community , its' own birdy squabbles, its' own bird beauty. Oh , I almost forgot, its' own bird comedy . The show begins before sunrise and ends after sunset , but not really. If you sit on the porch in the evening you can hear the owls in the woods and if the moon is bright enough you can see the bats silently flying about snatching mosquitos from over the wet grasses and the pond. Bird drama , better than anything on T.V. !

A Walk In The Woods

One of my granddaughters and I set out with my dog Whimsy for a walk in the woods. We were hoping to find two other granddaughters in the woods who told us they had made a shelter and hide-away there.

We had a very pleasant walk together. A walk in the woods with granddaughters is a very special time. Two romping  dogs make it even more so. We found the pond hidden in the woods and the dogs took full advantage of it. But where are the other granddaughters ?

Whimsy and Beatrix played in the shallow pond , but where are the other granddaughters ?

We discovered quite a few stumps and trees riddled with holes ...

...and one of the makers of the holes . A pileated woodpecker, one of many living in these woods , but where are the other granddaughters ? All it really took was my German Shepherd Whimsy to find them. We would have surely passed them by but Whimsy rushed to a hidden place in the woods and when I went to retrieve her I found her wagging her tail as she licked the other granddaughters profusely. She loves my granddaughters.

See ? You really would not find them if you did not know where they were or if you had not brought a dog who likes them with you ,

 

but yes, here they are in the bower and hide-away they made out of branches and leaves. A true hide-away , a magical place I know they will tuck into their memories of childhood  to bring out and be remembered as happy times with cousins, with family.

This granddaughter and I ( and Whimsy ) left the other granddaughters to their hide-away in the woods and walked back home , sharing conversation and thoughts as we also simply enjoyed the walk. "Take a walk outside - it will serve you far more than pacing around in your mind." Rasheed Ogunlaru ~ " Walking is also an ambulation of mind " Gretel Ehrlich