Birds and Stuff

Meanwhile during the snowstorm. 

We spotted a bluebird!

The bird never turned around for me and I had to get this hind end shot.

I couldn't help myself.  I had to go out and mess around looking for some fun in the bright white snow.

I thought the guy who plows would have showed up, but he didn't. The snow was supposed to melt quickly. Under the white snow, we had dirty slush from the dust in TX I think. This is the second time we've had dust and dirt in our snow/rain.

I decided the driveway might be too iffy for the visiting Home Health person to go up and down, so we cancelled that for this week.  My 'Ru could handle the hill and the snow, but maybe not the cars they have for Hospice workers. Though, I did notice that three of them drive Subaru CrossTreks. 

While I let Charlie wander the yard looking for mice or voles, I thought it would be fun to 'shoot' this Pegasus on a snow covered stump in the yard. White on white.

The hood of the Subaru provided a nice ski slope for my minifigs. They enjoyed using it over and over again!
I wish I had their energy.

While my minifigs were playing, I heard a 'goose' like sound in the sky east of me. I looked up and saw swans! I've missed many opportunities this year to go watch the Eagles on the Mississippi or hunt for Sandhill Cranes and Swans at the KVR.

So, I was quite tickled to watch these guys fly overhead.

With nothing on my schedule, I waited for hubby's afternoon nap to take a walk.  Charlie is being such a good boy, but he does need some hiking time too to keep up his musculature and health.

We went east through my favorite woods and ended up in a round about way in the valley and then followed the creek back up to our land and up different trails to get back to the house.

~~~~

So the day before the storm we had this going on in our yard! I never really saw until I shot this series ... that Robins actually get airborne to dive into the ground! Like a fox catching a mouse under the snow!

Such a common bird, but still so great to see them appear to let us know spring is near...

The snow melted quickly and when I went out to check the meadow and the fence, I came across dozens of Cedar Waxwings.

The photo isn't great, but I didn't have a long lens ... but there you go. Birds are moving about and it is so pleasing to hear all of their songs again.

....

I still have to get to the rest of the fun photos I am doing for the new minifigs that arrived from Aurora!

Here is a taste...

Poetry and art?

I had some sort of epiphany while studying a certain type of photography. I've done macro before. I love macro in every sense because it fits with the world around me.

But I wanted to take it to the next level. 

Maybe Macro is the wrong word because it isn't truly macro macro like itty bitty insects and microscopic items [although I really love tiny tiny things to photograph!]. 

I think 'Artistically' different may be what I want to say or

...try.

I even decided to try my hand at creatively writing a blurb -- in the poetic sense to describe what the feeling was when I took the shot.

This whole process uses more thinking skills than I've previously done.

Maybe it is just a phase or a distraction to keep my mind occupied during the 'brown' month of November. It is fun though.

I sway
whispering secrets
untold
with the 
zephyr's sighing song...

The sun golden light

illuminates 

the last fern.

Autumn whispers...

Miss Aurora introduced me to her fascination of grasses a couple of years ago. Since then, I've stopped and looked at grasses and tried to figure out the best way to make them something special when seen through my camera lens.

Catching the sunlight
the grasses sway
in the wind
waiting for
the seasons to

pass

In a sense, that is exactly what grasses do. The have beautiful seed heads that the winds spread over the ground. The seeds wait for spring to arrive and sprout up with new life.

So fall in a sense is just a way for nature and plants to take a break so they can resume their jobs come spring.

These photos were taken while Aurora and I explored the Old Settler's Trail. I enjoy walking with another visual artist that introduces me to new ways of looking at nature's beauty.

And of course, I could not resist taking along our Minifigs to represent us hiking together.

How to take a photo of Minifigures in the wild by Aurora:

...with Charlie's help of course!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Squirrels, seeds, and Charlie

Charlie's nemesis is back. The squirrel[s] are going 'nuts' under the hickory tree. Charlie believes that it is his duty to chase them away. 

I told Rich that we should build a ramp for Charlie next to the kitchen window so he can watch all the activity going on in the yard. The poor little guy is so short he can't see unless he is sitting on the porch.

Morris used to lay down on a step in the open stairway so he could view out the windows. Charlie hasn't mastered the stairs which are not carpeted any more, but are wooden. His long body and short legs make it hard for him to go up and down the stairs.

Charlie likes it even better if I put up the little hammock and let him sit in my lap so he can watch the tree above him. 
I have one of the old hammocks with the wooden ends that he will actually lay in on his own, but that is such a pain to put up and take down.

He is really quite happy on nice days to sit on the porch and watch the yard. I have a tie out for him that is a boat anchor. Everyone chuckles at that but in truth, it works so well for him!

He normally lays on the bench and watches the world go by.

As the zinnias start fading now, I am collecting seed heads for next year. However, the Marigolds that reseeded themselves by the porch along with the Nasturtiums are exploding in brilliant colors.

I will plant Nasturtiums for sure again next year, they really added mounds of beautiful greenery and flowers all around the porch. 

I should be able to collect a lot of seeds from these. I have a large board that sits on the old trunk in the kitchen with several bowls. Each bowl has different seeds that I have been collecting. I can recall my Grandmother doing the very same thing each fall. She'd put her seeds into envelopes that she'd saved from her received mail and then carefully label each envelope for her flower garden the next year. She repurposed before her time.

I would love to take out one of those old metal wagon wheels next year and add morning glories to my tiny side garden.

I think this coming winter I will really miss having a flower garden. Most of all, I'll miss the mini gardens I created this summer.

This morning it was cool enough to turn on our heat for a bit. 

Time to get moving with the rest of my day.

Charlie Bones Decisions

Meanwhile, Charlie had his tooth surgery and came home. I worried like a ninny of course. He was groggy last night but ate his kibbles and cuddled on the couch with me until I feel asleep there.

Tuesday I busied my day working on garden projects. I'm kind of a go ahead and do it person. I imagine how things will look and then go for it and change things on the fly.

The BS Pile

Moving stuff 
trying to be smarter about that...

I planted 3 tomato plants and a few piles of flower seeds along with spices in a few slates of the pallets. 

The one section of the pallets is going to have Birds/Bees/Butterfly attracting plants I can pick up at the garden center.

I told hubby that I was taking that rough section of the yard and going to chop it up with a potato fork and a spade to plant a packet of wildflower seeds and sunflowers. It may be a total flop, but then again, it might look neat.

Third day without the Forteo aka: The Teriparatide injection ~~ I feel like my normal crazy self. I have the normal aches and pains and felt well enough to work on my funky garden yesterday. 

This morning? Almost NO leg/bone pain!

Apparently there could be alternatives still. One being an Estrogen type shot that is like a last resort?

For today, I'm going to enjoy the rain. I'll use the time to catch up on indoor projects. 

Maybe after my VA Caregiver class, I'll take a nap!

The Bone Doctor's nurse called and she wants me to go back to the first medicine. 🤯

...or try another one which is an injection that lasts for 6 months.

Those suggestions just broke me. I went outside in the rain and just started to cry 😭.

Never do I want to go through the pain I have had off and on for the last few months as side effects of medicine.

😱

Huh. Whut? 6 months of possible agony? Once you get the shot, you cannot undo it. Right?

My questions will be this. Lower doses of any meds? Every other day or short rests between doses?

Or. 

Since I have never had a fracture of any kind other than a little toe when I was 10 years old....

🤔🤷

Why not let me do the proper exercises and a great diet for the next several months and re-evaluate??? Rescan and see if I am losing more ground? 

My understanding is these meds are indicated when fractures show up [or a terrible score for BMD in my case]. This bone crap didn't happen overnight and I have crashed into rocks, fallen on ice, and done a ton of things. Nobody had to put this Humpty Dumpty back together as of yet.

So what could be wrong with that? My dang body right?

Yes, an ounce of prevention is a good thing. But?

Going to be busy.

While cleaning out the back 'almosta' room, I came across and abundance of seeds.
Apparently I am a hoarder of seeds and didn't realize it.
I have now located all seed packets past and present.  I have an ice cream bucket full of them.

Combine that with all of the perennials that I have yet to dig up before the remodeling starts and those I gave away, it is a wonder that I should even have a yard.

Well this year I am sharing my seeds and my neighbor is getting quite a few perennials as we thought sharing would be fun.

I know some of the seeds are old but I'll plant them anyway and see what happens.

I finally got some Stella Doros to plant.  I have always loved their cheery blossoms in the summer.
I look out my window at the place where we have our garden.  Last year it was used as a pumpkin/squash patch and not weeded.  It looks like it will be an intimidating job to clean up and plant.

I am hopeful though.  I have beets, lettuce, and green beans to plant.  

Of course then reality hits.  I have a mess in the driveway from the last big snow fall, I had raked and cleaned the yard already once and now need to do this task again.

It looks rather daunting.  I started work on it again yesterday until the rain/snow/sleet forced me back inside.

After it quit, I went out to do some more work.  Alas the mess had turned to muck and there was no raking or shoveling it.  It needs to dry out again.

Then there is hubby who is finishing up cleaning up the Dexters's summer pasture.  We spent a whole day picking up the last remnants of stumps and debris that we intended to take care of last year before he had to go through cancer treatment.

This section was the messy area. The tree stumps are those left over from trees that were damaged in a bad storm.

It has taken us quite a while to get it all cleaned up.

The rest of the cow pasture is in good shape.

As soon as this weather breaks, it looks like I'll be back to fence repair in the Merry Meadow.  The deer and coyote have busted some of the electric line on the second wire.  We have brush piles to burn and more trimming to do.
Oh.
That is to be done while we are remodeling, and somehow I need to stick gardening in there also.

Hmmm.  Don't forget work!

Looks like a very busy spring.