Let's do the Hokey Pokey...

You put your right tail in,
You put your right tail out,
You put your right tail in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your left tail in,
You put your left tail out,
You put your left tail in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out,
You put your right foot in
And you SCRATCH it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your head to the left & in,
You put your head to the left & out,
You put your head to the left & in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your right wing in,
You put your right wing out,
You put your right wing in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put both wings in,
You put both wings out,
You put both wings in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your whole self in,
You put your whole self out,
You put your whole self in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

I am so easily entertained :-)

Spring sunshine...

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature— the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.
(Rachel Carson)
April showers are here today but for the last four days we have had beautiful spring weather with temperatures up to 60. Like the chickadee shown above I enjoyed being outside and basking in all the sunlight until it was low in the western sky. Winter seemed extra long this year and I am grateful that spring is finally appearing in the sweet melodies of the song sparrow...
and in the first signs of growth in the garden...
and in the huge flocks of honking canadian geese migrating over the yard.
The white dove did not stick around and has moved on. I sure was hoping he would have decided to call the garden home this year.

more shots of "whitey"...

Here is the shot of him reflected in the morning sunlight...and here is one from this afternoon.
After seeing this link from Project Feeder Watch, I do think it is a ringed turtle dove. This last shot is when I first spotted him this morning, he is about the same size as the mourning dove on the right side of the watering dish only chubbier.

a tale of three doves...

One of my very favorite times of the day is having my morning coffee while watching the birds out the window. I cannot wait for warm weather so I can be back out on the patio enjoying this time of solitude amongst the birds, enjoying their songs and not being hindered by the sheet of glass. This morning, my highlight was watching as several doves groomed themselves on the big rock. A mourning dove doing what appears to be "the twist"...and this one looks to be taking a nap...

before plucking out some of that extra winter down.
This is the one that really captured my attention. I have never seen a white one...is it another species of dove? Edited: I just looked it up and it is a ringed turtle dove.
He was gracious enough to come out from behind the water bowl so I could get a better look.

Oops, I was spotted at the window...
and only got in one more shot before they all flew off. Later, he landed on the birdhouse tree and in the reflecting sunlight he shone a brillant white. I sure hope this one decides to stick around for the summer.

out like a lion...

March had one more heavy snow in store for us before we could start dreaming of April showers. The only good thing is that it has already started to melt and probably will be gone in a day or two.
The robins sought warmth on the big rock...
and Mrs. Hairy had to peck through snow to reach the peanuts.
I had to get out the bird book for this one and I believe it is a song sparrow. It has gray stripes on the side of it's head and is not as russet colored as a fox sparrow. Correct me if I am wrong but it is hard to get a good shot with the white snow glaring.

The hen pheasants continue to feed daily. Joseph is still here and struts through the backyard once in a while but the hens are capturing his interest more than the corn.

brrr....another sign of spring!

It's 43 degrees & windy today but I just saw another sign of spring :-) Brave soul rode 6 1/2 miles to town to get a new front tire put on. After all, it might it 60 degrees one of these days and we have to be ready to RIDE!

The Springtime Fairy...

She was wafting pretty robins
And provoking their sweet song;
Though the air was still quite chilly,
She assured me not for long.

She bid all the clouds be fluffy,
And she painted skies so blue;
I just saw the springtime fairy,
I have seen her, haven't you?
(Georgia Adams)I saw my first robin last Thursday before we left for vacation but it has taken me till this morning to capture one on camera. Other bird signs of spring have been the red wing blackbirds, a lone mourning dove, a few house finches and a huge flock of grackels. But, for me the "true" sign of spring is not the robin's arrival but the juncos leaving and there are still many here so I am afraid we are in for a few more bursts of winter before we can welcome springlike weather for good. Though I am not anxious for them to leave (they are one of my favorites), I am ready for the beautiful birds of spring/summer, warmer temps, green grass, flowers and open windows!

Five days of fun...

Last Thursday's snow predictions were correct. This is what we saw as we woke up on Friday am and it was still coming down as we headed to the Mpls airport.A 3 hr flight later we were in sunny FL ready to have a fun family vacation with Jayme & Scott at the Royal Pacific resort.
Spring was in full bloom...
and the gardener in me just had to stop and admire all the many flowers.
My family was patient with me until I realized they were everywhere and I didn't need to stop and look at every one.
We packed our days full of fun and excitement. We watched whales dance...
and barely escaped the jaws of a great white shark.
We helped the Men in Black save the world from aliens...
and flew to another world with ET.
We saw dinosaurs on the loose in Jurassic Park...
and screamed and hung on for our lives while we plummeted down to a pond and safety.
It was a fantastic time of family fun and we only wish we could have convinced our son to come with us. So on our last day we all ate hot dogs in his honor...
Back to the garden and the birds tomorrow.

Spring...

When springtime slowly wakens
In country woodlands fair,
I hear the rustle of the breeze
And smell spring in the air.
(Jennie Buteyn)
Spring is officially here! This morning I saw my first geese flying overhead and a few grackels have arrived but so far no robins or other migratory birds.

The forecast is for up to 6 inches of snow in the next 2 days so it may be a "white Easter" as well.

It is a busy week for our family so I am sending out wishes to all my readers for a Blessed Easter!


I love all things vintage and we recently aquired a box of family treasures. These postcards were all written by Jeff's great-great grandmother to his great-grandmother. The first one is from 1911, the second one is from 1912 and the third one is from 1914. Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday, Scott

From the garden of life today...Happy Birthday Scott! You'll always be our favorite son-in-law and we hope you have a wonderful day!
Even though we were not creative enough to put your day on a sign and Jeff, Nathan & I couldn't be with you to celebrate your special day today...your father-in-law managed to have a green one in your honor anyways :-)