A milestone of sorts...

“Life isn't a matter of milestones but of moments”
(Rose F. Kennedy)
I'm approaching a blogging milestone that will probably happen today or tomorrow. If you read this and are the number 20,000 visitor on my hit counter please email me at the address listed in my profile. Of course life isn't a matter of milestones but of all those fun moments and this morning it was watching this little white throated sparrow take a bath.

It is very cold and windy out there and I imagine the water is pretty cold. Brave little bird...he must like his baths brisk & refreshing!

Birthday weekend....

We had a wonderful long weekend up north with Jayme & Scott helping Jayme celebrate her birthday. We left home Friday morning in the rain and Saturday morning we awoke to this snowy sight in Jayme's backyard. Thinking it only hit up north was a mistake as we were told we had even more snow & wind back home on Friday.We pulled the trailer full of some of Jeff's tools and Grandma Mary's piano. Scott called in a couple of strong friends and the four guys flexed quite a bit of muscle getting it in the house. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture but it is a joy for Jeff & I to see Jayme have & play Grandma's beloved piano. On Saturday, we put the tools to use and helped the kids install all the wood trim in their family room.
Of course since I am always looking for birds, I spotted this one all puffed up hunting for food under the tree line. I'm thinking veery but I will have to look in my bird book.
By Sunday, the snow was melting and it was a chilly but beautiful, sunny day, so we went to Jay Cooke state park. After all the snow they had up north this winter we could not believe how high and fast the St. Louis river was. This area of the river is known for all these beautiful layers of 45 degree angle rocks sticking up everywhere and now they are all under water.
The rapids could be heard everywhere in the park and it was a little eerie crossing the suspension bridge with the river roaring underneath us.

Follow this LINK and the photo above is where Jayme & Scott were pictured sitting, and the photo below is the same spot as the last photo in the link. As you can see only one rock is still above water.

The power of the water was so breathtaking that it made me think of one of my favorite verses...
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea. . .
the LORD on high is mighty.
Psalms 93:4
and he showed us that even in the midst of all this dangerous water, he could make a rainbow.
Happy Birthday Jayme!
We had such a wonderful weekend celebrating with you and we are so proud of the woman you have become.
We Love You,
Mom & Dad

April Showers...

The roofs are shining from the rain,
The sparrows twitter as they fly,
And with a windy April grace
The little clouds go by.

Yet the backyards are bare and brown
With only one unchanging tree--
I could not be so sure of Spring
Save that it sings in me.
(Sare Teasdale)
It is raining today and the forecast for tomorrow is rain & snow again! Can it really be late April? Since it was forecasted to be wet I got the fish back in the pond yesterday. They have been living in the garage since November 14th and today was the first time they have been fed since late October. A six month diet and they look no worse for it!
While photographing the fish I noticed this frog sitting on the edge of a tile I use to hold plants in the pond. The close up makes him look almost prehistoric.
Since it was raining, I went to town to run some errands. I stopped at a local farm supply store to pick up birdseed and you coul hear these little guys all over the store. I pulled out the purse size camera for my bird photo of the day. They are so cute & fluffy!
I have not seen the female cardinal again so I consider myself lucky to have seen her on Tuesday. The few cardinals we have seen have usually been a one day stop for rest, food & water as this male did last July.

Oh for Joy...

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
(Thich Nhat Hanh)
I'm smiling WIDE tonight! We have lived here for almost 27 years and I have been actively feeding the birds for at least the last 15. This beautiful lady cardinal is a first ever sighting in our backyard. I could hardly believe my eyes! How exciting would it be if a male is around too! I am cautiously optimistic as in those same 27 years we have only spotted a male about 4 times. I am keeping the safflower seeds stocked and crossing my fingers.
The brown thrashers have also arrived.
Have you heard the expression "oh, for joy" before? We had a dear elderly friend, Wupke, who has now passed but whenever we would share good news with her she would exclaim "Oh, for joy!" I thought of her today...JOY, it's a good thing!

Spring Happenings...

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
(Ruth Stout)
It has been a busy five days since I last posted and my little grape hyacinth has fully opened. I was up in Duluth for a few days helping out Jayme and then when I got home I took advantage of good weather and spent all my spare time in the garden and not on the computer. This weekend, Jeff & Nathan helped me drain and clean out the pond (and believe me that is one dirty job). Today, I set out the water plants, refilled the pond and turned on the rock fountain. I been waiting for this day since November 28th.
The big limestone rock chips off a few layers each year as you can see by the brighter gold spot in the above photo. This rock is probably a piece of ancient sea bed as you can see by this newly exposed fossil. Over the years several have been exposed and worn away.
Once the rock is turned on, I usually sit with the camera and wait to see which bird comes to use it first. Almost always it is a robin but this year it was a pesky grackle. I think they are here in much higher numbers this year, does anyone else think so too?
Though he stayed high in the tree tops and did not come in for a drink, I enjoyed watching this male flicker calling out for his mate. This is such a wonderful time of the year, and I think I can finally say it is truly spring as the juncos have left and yesterday we saw a blue heron.

more signs of spring...

The sunlight speaks. And it's voice is a bird:
It glitters half-guessed half seen half-heard
Above the flower bed. Over the lawn ...
A flashing dip and it is gone.
And all it lends to the eye is this --
A sunbeam giving the air a kiss.(Harry Kemp)

The white throated sparrows have arrived and I found my first tiny flower bud. While others are showing beautiful daffodils, tulips and other blooming plants, I was happy just to find this bud (with rabbit chewed leaves) and to see yet another migratory bird arrive in the garden.
I spent another day doing garden chores and raking up leaves. It feels so good to be outside after such a long winter. The tulips still have a long ways to go before I see any blooms. I think I lost quite a few over the winter as there are not many out there.
I was also happy to see my indoor cactus garden starting to bloom. No matter how much neglect it receives over the winter it blooms every spring...I love it!

Robbie the Rabbit...

Robbie the Rabbit is fat, fat, fat
His soft little paws go pat, pat, pat
His soft little ears go flop, flop, flop
And when Robbie runs, he goes hop, hop, hop.
(author unknown)Today, I worked outside and started some of the garden cleanup. I was surprised to see the corn I put out yesterday was already gone so I put more out. Tonight, just as the sun was setting I looked out and saw a rabbit at each pile enjoying a full meal which would explain the amount of corn I am using these days. As I was watching them, Joseph and the girls came in for their evening meal. It is such a delight to still have them visiting daily. I was so excited to see them at the same time as the rabbits that I didn't do a great job of focusing, Oops :-)

Signs of spring...

The snow is melting and there is still a large flock of juncos (including this one with unusual coloring) in the garden, but I have been seeing signs of spring with more new arrivals over the weekend.
Several pairs of woodducks have arrived...
as well as the the fox sparrows who have been enjoying the corn buffet.

Shared joy....

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. (Swedish Proverb)
Allow me to share some of the joy from our roadtrip yesterday...
Pictured above is my invitation to the open house at Gillette Children's new Maple Grove clinic. This is the clinic that is displaying some of my photos so of course we were honored to attend this event. The building is displayed below through my raindrop splattered lens.
Once inside we received a personal tour from Melissa who serves as the Site Operations Manager/Rehab Supervisor and is a pediatric physical therapist. She is a beautiful person both inside and out! But back to the clinic...Jeff and I were amazed at all the wonderful technology and services this clinic provides. The clinic offers physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as customized seating, orthotics, prosthetics and other assistive-technology services. I can't say enough about what wonderful services and technology (that I never knew existed) they provide so if you are a parent of a child in the NW metro area in MN in need of this type of medical care...look them up!
Of course since I don't go anywhere without my camera I took a few pictures inside. This is my favorite...as this mother/child are walking down the hall touring the new facility, mom is looking to the left at all the wonderfully equipped treatment rooms but the little girl is looking at my photos displayed at child level! What a wonderful concept displaying things for children at their level!
Melissa, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to be part of this wonderful clinic.
I wish we could have stayed longer at the open house but we made an early exit due to the quickly changing weather and our 2 hour drive. The drive home was slow going with snow, slush, sleet and icy roads. We saw several cars in the ditch and one go in right in front of us. We just took it slow and had lots of time to talk about how much we enjoyed the clinic. This morning we woke up to 6 inches of snow that is melting as I write this. More is predicted for this evening but it is nothing like the inland hurricane Jayme & Scott are experiencing up north. Can it really be April 11th?

Finally, some color....

"Spring would not be spring without bird songs."
(Francis M. Chapman)


How fun it was to look outside and see some "summer" color in the garden. The purple finches have arrived!
Seeing several of these guys lifts my mood today. It is gray, cold (30's) & windy and we are in a winter storm warning for up to a foot of snow tonight and tomorrow. Yikes!
Of course it has to be on a day when we have a fun road trip planned late this afternoon. We will keep a close watch on the weather and hopefully we'll be able to go and be back before the nasty changeover from rain, to sleet, to snow happens.

There is a huge flock of juncos gathering in the garden and the ground is full of them feasting off of spilled seeds. As much as I love them, I am hoping they head north soon because then we can finally say...spring is here for good.

This last photo is a house finch that was here yesterday. See how he has a little brown on the top of his head as well as the streaks on his breast.

Mr. Downy...

That little bird has chosen his shelter. Above it are the stars and the deep heaven of worlds. Yet he is rocking himself to sleep without caring for tomorrow's lodging, calmly clinging to his little twig, and leaving God to think for him.
(Martin Luther)
This little guy is a frequent visitor at the suet feeder. Today, he seemed like he was waiting for me to get a good shot...
because as usual someone always shuts their eyes in at least one photo!