Snow Days

Jon took this picture of Charlotte running around in the backyard when it started to snow Saturday morning. We only got a dusting. That storm missed us by a lot.

The storm coming up from the South on Monday did not miss us. They called off school on Monday in anticipation of the storm. I still worked since they made it a teacher work day. Charlotte was excited to stay home with her daycare buddies.

Tuesday morning we woke up to about an inch of snow and a layer of ice on top. The patio was a skating rink. The snow that had fallen on the slightly warmer patio had melted and refrozen to make the ice even thicker. They closed schools completely for Tuesday.

The birds have been very busy.

There's a waiting line for this feeder. Maybe these are the Three Musketeers of the Gold Finch world.

Here's a video of one of 4 busy feeders in our yard. Jon's playing piano in the background. He didn't know I was taking a video but it worked out well to give the video a soundtrack.

Here's our driveway in front of the cars.

The ice broken on our doormat.

Jon went out mid-day to scrape the cars off and shovel the driveway the best he could.

The road was a skating rink. We saw only a handful of cars brave the road. We haven't seen a snow plow or salt truck.

I got a lot done during our day off yesterday.

I spent an hour organizing my knitting bags, finished projects, and yarn.

I made 9 batches of spaghetti sauce for my brother to bring home with him when he comes for a visit later in the month.

On Monday I made a huge batch of chicken/turkey stock with carcasses of the last few birds we roasted that I had in the freezer. After the stock cooled in the fridge overnight, yesterday I put the stock in containers and froze it.

Last night I used some of the stock to make a big pot of turkey and veggie soup. I made some dinner rolls to go with it.

It was a great way to end a chilly, productive day.

We have off school again today due to icy roads. I'm not sure I feel quite as productive today. I think today's plans include knitting while watching some TV, catching up on some blogging, and maybe baking some cookies.

Our New Toy & The Birds of Winter

Jon and I just bought a new computer. Our old computer was 5 years old and starting to get painfully slow. Okay, it past painfully slow about a year ago. It was taking me up to an hour to upload 5 pictures to my blog. On the days that it only took me 30 minutes, I felt like cheering.

Now that we have the new desktop all set up, I'm ready to test it out by blogging. Guess how long it took me to upload 5 pictures today? Two minutes!!! I couldn't believe it! I think this will mean more frequent blog posts, for sure!

Typically, I'm not one to get too excited over technology. I don't own a cell phone, no GPS, no laptop, no flat screen TV's... but I tell ya, this computer is one technology upgrade that I think I'll really enjoy. I can check my email and blog in less then half the time and get back to life instead of wasting time on the computer waiting for uploads.

Now for the pictures that uploaded in two minutes....
Here are the birds from our Christmas snow. Well, not all of the birds. Just the ones I was fast enough to catch on camera. Double check my bird identification, please. I'm still learning.

I was so surprised at the focus I somehow achieved on this little Sparrow or is it a Finch?

I'm not sure if there are any birds in this picture. I just love panoramic pictures.

I'm finding that Chickadees are hard to photograph. They take their seed back to the trees to eat so they're only at the feeder long enough to snatch a seed and fly off. I'm glad to have caught this little guy. I think his buddy is a Dark-eyed Junco but he's not looking at me so it's hard to tell.

Now this guy on top of the snow pile waiting his turn is definitely a Junco. The little house finches on the feeder make him wait a while. The lights from the Christmas tree make a pretty reflection in the window.

Here's a Downy Woodpecker eating suet a few days after the snow storm. I thought I saw a Downy woodpecker last week but my mom taught me that it was actually a Red-Bellied Woodpecker. I definitely saw the difference when I saw this little guy eating from the suet feeder. The Downy Woodpeckers are so small and cute.

I'm loving feeding the birds. I need to go get a 40 lb. bag of black oil sunflower seed because they're going through it so fast. I'm filling the feeders every 4-5 days. It's worth it though. The birds make the view more fun!

I'm A Bird Watcher, I'm A Bird Watcher, Everyday....

Can you tell I've caught a few episodes of Wheel of Fortune lately?

My mom has always had more bird feeders then anyone can count. She loves nature and being able to watch it right outside her window. The number of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks that visit her house is amazing. They're such fun to watch when I visit. I'm not sure why I've never had a bird feeder. Maybe because so many beings are depending on me for nourishment and care that I didn't feel like adding any more to the list. Now that I don't have any "babies" anymore, the thought of feeding birds sounds pretty fun.
My mom and Mark got me a large bird feeder, a big bag of seed, a hanger, and a suet feeder for my birthday. I was so excited to hang it all up, plus a smaller feeder I already had, and see what would happen. It took the birds a day or two to find the feeder but once they did....

it was as if I had just opened the most popular restaurant in town! The birds would wait on the ropes above the feeders just waiting for a "seat" to open up.

The kids love to watch for the birds to come eat and yell out "BIRDS!" so we'll know they're eating and run to come watch.

Last weekend we bought two other smaller feeders to put closer to the windows in the living room and kitchen. The cats think it's the best thing to happen around here in a LONG time. Luckily for the birds, the cats watch from the inside of the house.

In just the last two weeks I've learned little things about the birds. I learned that they don't come to the feeder all day. They tend to all want to eat around mid-late morning. Then there will hardly be a bird around for hours. Right before dark they all come for a snack before bed.

I've also learned the funny little flight of a Tufted Titmouse. He kinda bounces when he flies.

So, once again, thanks Mom for inspiring me to take up another hobby! Those little birds are such fun to watch!