Books...

Who hath a book has friends at hand,
And gold and gear at his command;
And rich estates, if he but look,
Are held by him who hath a book.
Who hath a book has but to read
And he may be a king indeed;
His Kingdom is his inglenook;
All this is his who hath a book.
(Wilbur Nesbit)
I love to read but am too cheap to buy new books. I read many from the public library and the rest from thrift stores (and I donate them back when I am done). Today, I was so easily entertained by some of the titles at Goodwill. Life Lessons Learned While Shopping & Is there Life after Housework? I don't know what these books are about but the titles caught my eye...after all I love to shop and hate housework. Next, was When a Nickel was Worth a Nickel...excuse me...I think it is still worth a nickel otherwise we would call it a penny. I am sure it probably is a great book the title just caught my eye. In the era of reality tv and the popular show "Are you Smarter than A Fifth Grader" you can even find a book What your 5th Grader Needs to Know. But my personal favorite of the day...and the reason I pulled the camera out of my purse was this last one....the juicy tomatoes guide to Ripe Living after 50 complete with several pages still bookmarked with post-its by the previous owner. I just found the title to be outright funny and should have taken the time to browse the content or even purchase it but my life seems exciting enough and the danger of ripe living is things sometimes become overripe :-) So none of these books made it into my cart but I have a few good mysteries, a book of poetry and a Nicholas Sparks one to keep me occupied for awhile.
It snowed yesterday and wind whipped it into small drifts around the yard. It didn't stop the little birds from coming to the feeders but the pheasants really had to scratch to find the corn buffet.

300th post...

Can you believe this is my 300th post...my how time flies when you're having fun. I started this blog of "life in the garden and the garden of life" as a fun little way to show garden/family pictures to family and friends that we do not get to see very often. I really did not fully understand the blogging world and how vast it was and what great people you meet through them. I am grateful to all who read and the wonderful comments I have received.
Here is a sneak peak of another great thing that has happened to me as a result of this blog. A friend of Jayme's reads the blog and loved some of my "nature" shots of birds, butterflies, frogs and bugs. She is a pediatric physical therapist at one of Gillette Children's new clinics. I was asked if I would like to provide some photos for their nature wall that leads to the treatment rooms...of course, I was :-) This is a shot of the hallway (the large prints are from a professional artist) and mine are all the smaller ones at "kid" level. I love how they are inset into the wall and I have been told they are very popular with patients and family. I look forward to going to their open house in April to see the wall for myself. I will share more about it then. Thank you, Melissa for thinking of me and sharing the "sneak peak" photos with us. Mr. Froggy at the top of the page is one of the 10 photos selected.

PS: did you notice I changed the blog banner to the rooster pheasant who visits the backyard on a regular basis? When I first started posting him, I received an email from Rox H. in SD asking if he was a unique pheasant as the roosters in SD do not have the white stripe on the top of their heads. Well, yesterday my husband got his Pheasants Forever magazine and I paged through it and guess what....99.9% of the pheasants shown did not have the white stripe! Jeff says everyone he sees has the white and I don't know if I've ever paid that much attention. We have lots of pheasants we see in rural MN so I am definitely going to be on the lookout for white stripes...what do they look like in your area?

Wishing for blue skies...

This beautiful sky shot was taken early last fall and I don't think I've seen one like it since as it seems like gray skies are the norm these days. I'm anxiously awaiting spring...
While looking back for the cloud photo I came across this shot of a fox sparrow also taken last fall. I can't wait for the migrating birds to come through once again. Did I tell you I'm anxiously awaiting spring...
The goldies have now spent 3 1/2 months just hanging out in a small tank in the garage and have at least 2 more to go. They have not eaten this entire time and most of the tank is covered in ice...I don't think I am the only one anxiously awaiting spring....
Our four resident crows are constantly eyeballing the corn buffet but have not yet had the nerve to come down and feast.

Catching up...

That orbed maiden, with white fire laden,
Whom mortals call the moon.
(Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Cloud)

Moonlight is sculpture.
(Nathaniel Hawthorne)Did anyone else watch the lunar eclipse last night? It was a great night for viewing...now if I only could figure out how to photograph it...looks like I have until 2010 to learn for the next time. Today, is the first time since Saturday that I can actually say I'm feeling better. Can you believe I've had these flowers since Valentine's Day and finally got around to taking a couple photos?

Before winter ends I am hoping to master "in flight" shots...I've been practicing with the blue jays but they are always flying away from the camera.










A shot from last week...the swans flying over the steaming river was a beautiful sight.

Redpolls...

We woke up to -25F this morning with windchills I don't even want to think about. Since the female redpolls (haven't seen a male yet) have discovered the feeder by the window I am able to get some nice shots. This morning's light was perfect as this gal posed all puffed up.
The thistle seed is their favorite but they also feast on hulled sunflower seeds.
The following 3 shots are from yesterday afternoon and the lighing wasn't great but I still enjoyed "shooting" these beautiful birds.


Look how those sharp "toes" cling on to the feeder tray and it is amazing to see them in the "no hands" shot. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

Ringnecks & Recliners...

I have a horrible cold and spent all day yesterday on the recliner. I had lots of time to look out the window and actually see how many birds come to feed during the day. Mr. Ringeck came 5 times and the females came twice, a fat rabbit once and the roly poly squirrel too many times to count :-)
I have tried to take pheasant photos in the wild for years...and now they are right in my backyard...loving it!

Birthday weekend...

No we weren't hiding we were having a fun weekend up north celebrating Jeff's birthday with Jayme & Scott. On the way up on Friday, we stopped off at Monticello so I could show Jeff the swans. It was only 1F out and steam was rising from the river making a beautiful sight. Since it was so cold we didn't stay long but it was fun to see them once again.The corn buffet emptied out while we were gone and I watched 2 hens and a rooster scratch around this morning before going out to refill it.

The redpolls finally found the feeder closest to the house...maybe I can finally get some decent photos if I keep a look out.

Baking for Valentine's day...

Take two cups of kindness,
add one cup of trust.
A half of cup of caring,
and a dash of pixie dust.
Take a spoon of kisses,
add it from above.
Stir it slow and gently,
that's my recipe for love.
(author unknown)
Alexis is visiting today and I am helping her make Valentine's for special people she loves. She doesn't need much help though as she is an experienced little baker and quite a talented decorator. Actually, I am learning a lot from her....
First, if you squirt any frosting on the counter...you are supposed to lick it off and not waste it by wiping with a cloth.
Second, any M & M's that spill out of the bag you are supposed to eat. You can only put the ones on the cupcakes that you reach into the bag for.
and most importantly, make sure you taste them for quality control...you would hate to give away any that were not up to your own standards.
Next you have to pick out just the right Princess Valentine for all of your family and write a loving sentiment.
All bagged up and ready for delivery!

In a rush...

I didn't take the time to find a quote or a poem this morning because I have a busy week and it's time to head out the door again.

I just wanted to show the two little types of nuthatches that entertain us so at the feeders. Usually they feed "upside down" so it was fun to capture a few shots of them with their heads up...

Here is Mr. White Breasted...









and here is Mr. Red Breasted. Looks like I wasn't the only one that had to rush off...I just love the bluejay's wings on this shot!

This is my Father's World...

We woke up this bright and sunny Sunday morning to -16.6 degrees (gotta love those digital thermometers so we can credit every last 10th of this coldness)! First thing I do every morning is look out the window to the backyard...today, a rabbit was enjoying the corn buffet...
a bluejay was all puffed up against the cold...
and the redpolls were once again at the feeder. I took this shot for those that commented on the last post (re: looking like sparrows)...if you see them look for the bright red patch on their heads and the males have beautiful pink chests.



Soon, it was time to head to church...
and lo and behold we turned the corner and faced an empty street. It was still 14 degrees below zero at 10 am so the services were canceled. Jeff suggested since the car was already warmed up and it was a beautiful sunny day that we go for a drive (remember those good old fashioned Sunday drives of our youth?)
There was silent beauty in lonely scenery but we had expected to see lots of wildlife. I guess at these cold temps most everything must have been staying warm in protected hiding places...we did manage to spot a doe & fawn hiding in the woods and a beautiful hawk.

This is my Father's world;
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world;
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.
(Maltbie D. Babcock)

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone,
But on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars.
(Martin Luther)

Say Uncle...

Today, I was trying to get some shots of the redpolls when one attacked a junco that was trying to feed underneath the feeder. I flashed back to elementary school when bullies would make you "say uncle"...
Anyone know where the phrase 'Say Uncle' meaning 'I give up' came from?
It seems that while "crying uncle" is today regarded as an Americanism, its origins go all the way back to the Roman Empire. Roman children, when beset by a bully, would be forced to say "Patrue, mi Patruissimo," or "Uncle, my best Uncle," in order to surrender and be freed.
As to precisely "why" bullies force their victims to "cry uncle," opinions vary. It may be that the ritual is simply a way of making the victim call out for help from a grownup, thus proving his or her helplessness. Alternatively, it may have started as a way of forcing the victim to grant the bully a title of respect -- in Roman times, your father's brother was accorded nearly the same power and status as your father. The form of "uncle" used in the Latin phrase ("patrue") tends to support this theory, inasmuch as it specifically denoted your paternal uncle, as opposed to the brother of your mother ("avunculus"), who occupied a somewhat lower rung in patrilineal Roman society. (from the Word Detective.com)

Amazing what you can learn these days :-) Though it looks like the junco said "uncle" in the last shot he soon righted himself and scared off the redpoll but I wasn't fast enough with the shutter...

Hang in there...

I may be showing my age here...but remember those posters in the 1970's that usually showed a kitten hanging from a branch in a tree with the caption "Hang in There"?Today, I captured my own version :-)
The woodpeckers like to "hang in there" while getting their fill of suet too...My amaryllis is now in full bloom...such a beautiful flower to brighten up these gray February days.