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

Home Again

 I've been gone for awhile , over the mountains and far away !

 We were enjoying our place there where there is always plenty to do .We had our children & grandchildren with us for Easter. Our 8 grandchildren were able to spend time with each other , playing in the woods , building a fort, hunting, and hanging out.

 My husband got to drive a tractor ( he harrowed the fields ), thanks to our youngest son who loaned us his. I know my husband enjoyed this ,good thing, because it took all day to harrow the fields to get them ready for hay.

 Everything we did outside was observed with great interest by the cattle next door. They often lined up at the fence line to nose our dogs and would follow us from their side of the fence like curious puppies. I could hear them commenting to each other about our comings and goings.

 Spring turkey hunting kept these three out in the fields and woods. There are wild turkeys everywhere. The turkeys hang out in the fields with the deer and they bed down together at night. If you're in this part of the country you can even find wild turkeys in the towns and cities.

The weather put on quite a show. We experienced snow, hail, rain, sunshine, and amazing cloud formations . This huge pink cloud rolled in just before sunset one night and hovered over us for quite awhile, finally dropping a quickly dispelled rainstorm

It makes my heart glad to see my grandchildren together outside. Here they are running for our woods because the sunshine they began their walk in turned to a down- pouring of rain. When they came back in from the woods there was again sunshine.

What we do not have at our place over the mountains is the internet or television and I rarely carry my cell phone . To me , this was bliss. Sometimes I just need to disconnect from those distractions and take time to think , to appreciate the timeless things and blessings in life. That being said , I am back on this side of the mountains, ready and energized to jump back into the things I enjoy here, and blogging is one of the blessings I enjoy. We are home again at Cedar Pond. "Only that traveling is good which reveals to me the value of home and enables me to enjoy it better." Henry David Thoreau

My Love

Happy birthday Jim , I love you !

Gossamer Wings Or Fairy Dust ?

 There are fairies in my herb garden !

 I hosted a ladies' luncheon one day last month and apparently while we ladies were having a good time indoors, two of my granddaughters were having a very good time outdoors, with fairies !

 My granddaughters created these fairy homes in my herb garden without any help from me. Hey , I didn't even know they were in the herb garden , let alone creating such enchanting little homes.

Imagination, creativity , fun . Who knows  who'll move into these little homes my granddaughters built ? They took their fairies home with them. But I've been keeping watch over the tiny houses and maybe I'll spy a little flutter of gossamer wings or burst of sparkly fairy dust  the next time I peek into one of the tiny doors or windows....just maybe .

Small Havens

An intricate and almost magical world unto itself , this little spot by Cedar Pond. Mosses , Lilies of the Valley , ferns ... so many whorls and cavities in the tree roots creating what seem like tiny homes for very little creatures . And yes ! They are indeed small havens of rest , comfort, and safety for the frogs, insects, salamanders, mice, and garter snakes. There are probably many more creeping and crawling creatures I am glad not to encounter as I walk through our woods near the pond, but not near as glad as the creatures that see me pass by.

Light Is Sown Like Seed ...

" Light is sown like seed for the righteous , And gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord , you righteous ones ; and give thanks to His holy name." Psalm 97: 11,12

 

Picture of trilliums blooming near our pond.