A Good Weekend

It was a good weekend and I got a lot done. Saturday was sunny and mild. The high temp was only 37 degrees, but it felt much warmer. It was nice enough in the morning to have a couple windows cracked open a bit. As I was drinking my morning coffee, I heard the rooster pheasant crowing out in the yard. We haven't seen him since the snow melted, but there he was scratching around on the ground for birdseed. He's living in the white pine windbreak on the east side of our yard. He's a handsome fellow and he knows it.

I took advantage of the nice day to go out and finish trimming some trees. It took about an hour and a half, and doubled the size of my brush pile. I hoped to hear a bluebird singing while I was out there, but their beautiful song was absent. I closed up several houses in anticipation of their return.

Sunday dawned clear, but not nearly as warm and a bit breezier than Saturday. We finished our chores and went birding for a couple hours in the afternoon. Our destination was rural Fillmore County (with a stop to see Mom and Dad for a brief visit and to drop off an afghan I had knitted for them). The gravel roads were clear and dry with very little traffic so we were able to stop the car to check out the soaring birds.
Here's a list of birds we saw:

Eastern Wild Turkeys

Dark-Eyed Juncos

Horned Larks

Red-Tailed Hawks

American Crows

Eastern Bluebird (2 pairs!)

Northern Harriers

Canada Geese

Bald Eagles*

*Sometimes I have to wait for them to bank through a turn for the sun to illuminate that white tail and head of the adult, but we saw several juveniles today also.
American Kestrel*

*A member of the Falcon family -- the picture below shows the beautiful plumage of a male

Rock Pigeons

American Robins

Grackles

House Sparrows

American Goldfinches

Have a great week!

Made it Through the Week

It was an interesting day at work today . . . Manpower (and IBM?) decided it was time to let some more people go. I heard from my office mate this morning it was going to be secretaries (or admin assistants as they're called now). One of the girls who was axed was Suzy. She and I started on the same day and went through our training together. This makes me very sad, because she was a fun person and a really good worker. The people who got the word today were told they had a job till March 30th. It kinda makes me question how valuable any of us are to the company (either Manpower or IBM). There are rumors flying that some more people (those of us who aren't admins) will be reviewed and possibly let go later this summer. I remarked to my office mate yesterday that it (the 15th) was my 10-month anniversary . . . now I hope I can make it to a year!

On a happier note, I saw a few Cedar Waxwings hanging out in the crabapple trees when I got home. The starlings have picked off most of the fruit, but there's still some left for the Cedar Waxwings until they discover the highbush cranberry bushes which are still loaded with pretty little red berries. Last year they found the cranberries and cleaned up all the bushes in a couple of days. Hopefully when they flock to the bushes this year, I'll be home and able to take some photos.

When I went to put the dogs out before going to bed, my little possum was out in the backyard cleaning up under the bird feeders. I put the dogs out the front door and enlisted Rick to hold the spotlight while I attempted to take some photos. I think this possum is either used to us shining the light on her, or she's just so hungry that she doesn't care what's going on. It was good to see her again. I usually just see the evidence of her nighttime visits in the little gobs of chewed up seeds I find in the feeder trays in the morning, but now that the snow is mostly gone, she's able to clean up more stuff off the ground (and there's LOTS on the ground).

Some interesting possum facts (from Mammals of Minnesota by Stan Tekiela):
*Their ears are black and their feet and nose are pink. In Minnesota, they will sometimes lose their ears and tail to frostbite because there isn't any fur on those body parts.
*They have 50 teeth (more than any other mammal in Minnesota)
*Their home is a leaf nest in an underground den or hollow log
*They're nocturnal, but can be seen during the day in the coldest part of winter (I remember several years ago I was out snowshoeing one morning and saw a possum feeding on the carcass of a deer)
*They are not able to hang by their tails -- their tails are used to hold onto branches or aid in climbing

Hello Kitty

Poor starving kitty . . . here's Penny waiting patiently by her food dish. This is what we saw when we got home from work today. This is where she's usually posted when we get up in the morning and when we get home from work. Obviously she's not starving, but food is a very important part of her life. Every time she has her check-up with the vet, the weight is an issue. We need to cut back on her food, the vet tells us. She's just big-boned, we tell the vet. She's supposed to get 1/8 cup in the morning and 1/8 cup in the afternoon. Of course, Rick always feels sorry for her and gives her an extra scoop. She also gets a quarter of a can of Fancy Feast (about a tablespoon) while I'm making supper; this keeps her from begging for whatever I'm fixing in the kitchen.

The vet is concerned about diabetes; but Penny seems to be healthy enough. She's 11 this month. She's a happy kitty and loves to lay in the sun and watch the birds at the window feeders. She would dearly love to go outside and chew on grass, but she's 99.9% an indoor cat. Sometimes I will let her out for a few minutes on the deck or in the backyard, but only when I'm out there to supervise her. Sometimes she catches a mouse in the house, but prefers to play with it and chase it around till it runs behind some furniture so she can't get it. Then I have to put traps out to catch the mouse myself (and remember to check the traps so I don't have to wonder what that awful smell is 3 weeks later).

It's Lawn Care Time

We got our first flyer in the mail yesterday for lawn care, telling me they can help me "get the thick, green weed-free lawn I've always wanted!" Rick knows that's one of my hot buttons, so he brings in the mail and tells me he's going to call these guys for an estimate. "Give me that f---in' thing" I snarl as he laughs. I look through the brochure before putting it in the recycling bin. This company has an interesting twist, I can pay for "the highest quality professional lawn care service" while a portion of every dollar I spend is donated to local fundraising organizations in our local area. Do you suppose I should alert my local Audubon chapter to this fundraising opportunity?

Years ago when we moved to this 5 acres in the country, we had the experience with our first dog (Candy) having a seizure after she walked on one of the neighbor's treated lawns. We were stupid, didn't know anything about it . . . but you can bet it was one of the most terrifying things that ever happened to us, not knowing what was happening to our furry child. After I called the vet, one of the questions they asked was whether we had recently put any chemicals on our lawn. "Would that cause her to have a seizure?" I asked. "Oh yes," the vet replied. If lawn chemicals can do that to a dog, wouldn't it also do it to a human? You bet, and why would anyone with children playing in the yard even consider using them??

In addition to killing crabgrass and greening-up my lawn faster, the lawn care company also can provide me with "insect control specially designed" for my yard. Do you suppose those pesticides only target certain insects I would consider a pest? Not! They're going to poison every insect. And then what happens to my bluebirds and robins and flickers when they eat one of these poisoned insects? Yes, the birds die too.

You know what, I can live with a ton of dandelions and even crabgrass (the birds love to forage on the ground and eat the seeds in the fall). I have had a chemical-free yard for several years now and have been blessed with a huge increase in birds and wildlife. Not to mention the money I save not having to buy the chemicals or services (which I can turn around and spend on birdseed).

When you're driving past our yard on the highway, did you ever notice the "Do Not Mow or Spray" signs along the road ditch? Know where they came from? That's right, I bought them with my own money and put them up and you know what? The highway department hasn't mowed or sprayed since I put them up probably 8 years ago! Red-Winged Blackbirds have nested in the ditch and you should see the butterflies every summer.

I love the wildness and untidy look of my yard and I'm working on Rick to try and accept this also. Since I'm the official groundskeeper now, I guess he's just going to have to learn to live with it. "Happy Wife, Happy Life"

Welcome Back Robins

The robins finally arrived back in our yard late this afternoon. What a pleasure to hear them chirping from the top of the big maple tree in the front yard. There were also large flocks of grackles and starlings pecking around when we got home from work. Time to get the cages out to put over the tube feeders! Sorry grackles and starlings, but you're going to be limited to tray feeders only - no sunflower hearts and peanuts for you!

The sun was out most of the day and we've been above freezing now since Sunday morning. The snow is almost all gone and the ground is even starting to dry up a little in the high spots, allowing me the "opportunity" to begin dog poop removal. Now I won't have to watch every step I take . . .

Dog and pheasant revealed . . . finally!

It was a real treat to drive home from work with the car window open. Everyone's got spring fever! I suppose we'll probably see a little more winter, after all it's only March 13th, but this little preview of spring will keep us going till warmer weather finally arrives to stay.

Good-bye Ol' Man Winter

Good-Bye Winter -- you've overstayed your welcome & we're all happy to see you go!

Wow, what a difference 24 hours of temps above freezing can do to a lot of snow. Dog & pheasant both revealed plus lots of bare spots in the snow. The birds are certainly happy (at least, that's how I choose to interpret all the chirping going on). Mom called this morning to say she has flocks of robins in her yard. I haven't heard or seen any yet, but this news makes me optimistic.

It's very hazy/foggy due to all the moisture in the air from melting snow. The farther out in the country you get the foggier it gets.

The only bad thing about thing about spring is once the snow melts everything that was hidden by snow is revealed: piles of old bird seed & sunflower seed shells, corncobs, and landmines of dog poop left by Daisy & Sophie over the last 2-1/2 weeks. I know what I'll be doing once things dry up a little bit more . . .

While I was posting today's message, Mr. Cardinal & Mr. House Finch showed up for a snack. "Happy to oblige, my feathered friends! Thank you & please come again."

Sunny Sunday

It was another beautiful, sunny & spring-like day. The weatherman predicted highs in the 50's, but we had a pretty brisk breeze from the south that kept it from feeling warm, but was good for drying laundry on the line. The breeze blew a few grackles into the yard, the first southern arrivals this season. Anna called me to say she heard a killdeer also. It's supposed to stay warm all week, so I'm sure a lot of our spring birds will be blowing in by week's end. The sun was warm and my furry children took advantage of the opportunity to do a little sunbathing.

Lots of snow settled/melted today. If the weather stays warm, we should be able to see the metal pheasant by next weekend.

Have a good week!

Signs Of Spring

We drove over to Owatonna this morning to attend the Minnesota Deer & Turkey Expo. We visited exhibitors, got some information on new products for bowhunting, saw our friends Jim & Michele Leqve, and Marty Stubstad, owner of Archery Headquarters where we buy our bows & bowhunting equipment. We heard an informative talk on making & using mock scrapes for deer hunting & how we can start preparing them already this spring while turkey hunting. It was a good day, topped off by a visit to Cabela's (also in Owatonna). We're getting ready for our spring turkey hunt with bow & arrow (starting on May 18). Now that it's nice outside I can go out to start practicing with my new Mathews Switchback XT bow that I bought in January. Look out turkeys!

On our drive over & back we saw many signs of spring: lots of puddles in ditches where snow is melting, a hardy soul out riding his Harley, a car-killed raccoon in the middle of the road (yuck), lots of rooster & hen pheasants out in the fields, & a kestrel sitting on the electric lines watching for something to eat. I was on the lookout during the journey for a red-winged blackbird, but never saw one. I've been expecting their return sometime this week because the records I've kept for the last 5 years tell me that they've always returned between March 5 and March 14. As soon as I got out of the truck when we got home I heard him . . . I dashed out of the garage &d there he was, sitting in the top of the big maple tree in the front yard, singing his lovely song.

Other signs of spring are shown below:

Lots of snow melting in the yard revealing more of our metal dog sculpture (& the pheasant).

Rick getting all of the slush off the driveway blacktop - "Attaboy Rick!"

Best of all, we fired up the charcoal grill & cooked some venison brats for supper.

All in all, it was a good day for nature & for knitting because with Rick driving & in between taking notes at the seminar, I was able to get this headband knitted for next winter.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead 1 hour!

Happy Friday

It was a beautiful, spring-like day and the sun was out most of the day. The outside thermometer says it's 72 degrees (in the sun). Snow and ice is really starting to melt. The metal pheasant sculpture is starting to show his head and the dog is starting to get legs again. The weather forecast is for mild and sunny weather all weekend.

I'm taking care of some plants and birdfeeders for some people who were my co-workers when I worked at Wild Birds Unlimited (while they're birding in Mexico). Joyce is a Master Gardener and has some fantastic flowers at her house. Here are some picture of the blooming amaryllis and orchids she has.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Anxious for Spring

We saw a few snow flurries on our drive into work early this morning, but later in the morning the weather cleared and we ended up with a nice, sunny day. The temperature actually got above freezing and there was a fairly brisk breeze from the south. The snow is starting to settle and the roads are getting slushy.

We have a metal sculpture in the backyard of a German Shorthaired Pointer and it's pointing at a metal sculpture of a pheasant. We haven't seen the pheasant since the last big snowstorm. Because the dog's head comes up past my knees, we use this sculptures as a gauge of how deep the snow is. Here's a picture I took yesterday of the dog. There are still spots in the yard where the snow is drifted at least 2 feet deep.

Next is the picture of the dog I took late this afternoon. If you look really close you can see just a little bit of light underneath the dog's tummy (due to the settling of the snow today). In this picture you can also see the well-used bunny trail coming from one of the bigger pine trees in the yard to the brushpile in the middle of the wildflower patch. The brushpile is the stopping spot on the way to the other birdfeeders and corn in the yard closer to the house.

While I was filling the bird feeders, Sophie entertained me by chasing her ice cream tub lid (aka frisbee). This is a good toy for her because it's cheap and I don't feel bad when she chews it up. The bad thing is it's white and really hard for Sophie to find in the snow, especially if she doesn't watch when you throw it. She gets really tired running through all the snow but she never gives up -- even when her entire tummy is coated with snow. She'll plunge her head into a snowbank and eat snow when she starts getting thirsty and runs till she's panting. She's scared of the camera, but I was able to get these pictures because she was distracted with the frisbee.

She has to flip the frisbee upside down to pick it up and bring it back to me. In this picture she's trying to flip it over after she stepped on it and pushed it down into the snow.

"Come on Sophie, let's go in the house."

Look at how much snow is still piled up along our road. It's going to take quite a few days above freezing to get those piles melted.

Until next time, keep thinking spring!

P.S. A correction on yesterday's post: Brother Phil was 44 on his birthday, not 43 (I'm still stuck in 2006).

Happy Birthday Baby Brother!

Today (March 7th) is my baby brother Philip's 43rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Phil! I hope you enjoyed a sunny, warm day playing golf in California.

This is a picture of Philip and Charlie (learning to pet a snake) from a visit to Minnesota a couple years ago.

We don't get to see them often enough . . . California is so far away and the plane tickets are so costly. Philip and Charlie came to visit us last fall. On the next to last day of their visit (September 24), the Minnesota weather finally warmed up and I drove Dad, Philip, and Charlie to visit the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin where we looked at old steam trains and took a train ride.

Watchin' the countryside roll by from the door of the baggage car (notice Charlie has the deluxe milk can seat!)

Grampa, Charlie & Philip in front of a big steam locomotive and coal tender.

Next summer when they come from California for a visit, hopefully we can visit the railroad museum in Boone, IA and ride their steam locomotive train too.

This is a test for my first blog posting. This Cedar Waxwing was photographed in the crabapple tree outside my dining room window during migration last fall. Don't you think they're one of the most beautiful birds?

I also took this photo of one of its young'uns (same tree, same day).