Thankful Monday

I am thankful to be home.

And yet another cat picture. The cats were also thankful I was home.

After two different trips to visit ill family members, I am glad to be home. While the trips were good, there is no place like home. And for that I am thankful.

A Second Look--March 25, 2015

Signs of spring are finally here both on the calendar and in the yard. Here a few of them I saw this week during a Second Look.

What would any spring be without a variety of weather? We had four more inches of snow.

We saw more birds on the feeder during the snow including another visit from this female pileated woodpecker.

As soon as the pileated flew away, this red-bellied woodpecker swooped in for a snack.

As usual, the squirrels were around getting their share. But notice, new daffodils are poking up also.

There was one lone crocus that was trying to bloom during the snow.

But the snow melted quickly (because it's Spring), and three more crocuses have bloomed.

Including this little crocus that was planted in the middle of the yard by a squirrel.

And what could symbolize Spring more than a robin?

Thankful Sunday--March 22, 2015

I am thankful for smooth travels.

One of the places we visited during our travels this past weekend.

This weekend, we took a quick trip north to visit family. Our flight was delayed for a day because of weather, but after that everything worked like clockwork from the traffic and flight to the rental car and parking. Because of that, we could concentrate on making the most of our visit. And for that, I am thankful.

A Second Look--March 18, 2015

This week the weather warmed and the the snow finally melted, so I was curious to see what had been hiding and ready to peek out now that it was gone. I found no crocuses anywhere, but I did find a few daffodil leaves emerging in a couple of places. But the best of all were the snow drops. They were up with buds and blooms. Spring is coming very soon. :)

Here's what I saw this week

 during a Second Look.

(I only got a couple of pictures because I wanted to feature signs of spring.)

Snowdrops

Emerging daffodil leaves

Crow enjoying the warm weather. It was about 60F this day.

Book Nostalgia

I recently reread both of these.

I had a discussion recently with a librarian, Sue, about how girls today are still reading Nancy Drew books. Sue said she loved Nancy Drew as a girl, but has never gone back and reread them because she is afraid she will disappointed. She is afraid that the magic she felt from them as a child will be gone. Because after all, Sue realizes now that they were not great literature.

I had not really thought about things that way before. I wondered if this would be true about my favorite mystery series as a girl, Trixie Belden. Even though I read and enjoyed plenty of Nancy Drew books,  I liked Trixie better.

Trixie was 13 and lived in a cozy farm house with her two older brothers and her mischievous younger brother, Bobby. Trixie had regular chores of watching Bobby and helping with other things around the house. However, she was often preoccupied trying to solve a mystery, and she forgot her responsibilities. These lapses were usually forgiven with a smile and warning by her mother, who always seemed to be cooking up some delicious, hearty meal.

Next door, lived Trixie's rich, best friend, Honey, and her adopted older brother, Jim. They lived on a large estate with servants. However, their parents were often away. Honey and her brother, and Trixie and her older brothers had a secret club, BWG or Bobwhites of the Glen. When the BWG's weren't busy riding Honey's horses or ice skating, they were often raising money for some worthy cause. However, Trixie's curiosity always seemed to lead the club into one adventure or another.

What I remember that I really liked about Trixie and the others was that had to do chores just like I did. Also, they had the best of both worlds with Trixie's cozy house and family and Honey's big estate, not to mention a secret club. I wanted to live in Trixie's world.

So recently, I decided to take a chance and reread a Trixie Belden book to see what I would think of it now. Would I feel the same warm, relatable feeling with Trixie? Or would I be sorry that I had burst my nostalgia bubble?

The results? Sue was on the right track. Trixie Belden was not great literature. Not even close. But am I sorry that I reread it? Was the magic gone? No. While I had a different perspective reading the book as an adult, it took me right back to being a 10 year old girl curled up on her bed lost in the world of Trixie and her friends. And that was a good thing.

Have you ever reread a book and been disappointed?

But wait, there's more.

--I also reread a Nancy Drew book. Once again, not great literature, but I was able to get involved with glamorous, sophisticated Nancy and her mysterious, dangerous life.

--However, there is great children's literature out there and I recently reread one of the those books, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Wonderful. I think I will always be enthralled by the awakening of Colin and the garden.

Thankful Sunday--March 15, 2015

I am thankful for shared family memories.

When I talk to my family, I can mention someone like Mrs. Schoolcraft or something like a pea sheller and get a smile and a knowing look. No explanations are needed, but stories often follow. For these shared memories and the family closeness they bring, I am thankful.

A Second Look--March 11, 2015

The weather warmed this week and the snow has started to melt. I finally made it out for a good look around the yard to see what I might find under and on top of the snow.  It had entirely melted in some places and in others it was about six inches deep and difficult to walk through. I found a few broken branches and lots of animal tracks--mostly deer.  The next day after doing a little research about the tracks, I decided that I would show some of them to you this week. If I had only known that was what I was going to do, I might have taken some more representative shots with something for scale. However, the rain came and I decided that what I had would have to do.

Here are a few things I saw this week during a Second Look. The first few pictures are of tracks and the last few are just a few other scenes I saw..

Among the deer trails, were drag marks which are characteristic of a buck. Because bucks walk with somewhat stiff legs they drag their hooves as they walk. We rarely see a buck among the deer that visit us, but apparently he was out during this recent snow. The picture on the right is from last October.

It's not very clear, but there are no drag marks between the hooves on the left. They very well could have been made by the group of does on the right. The deer were having an afternoon snooze as the rain was waning and the fog was rolling in.

When I first saw these prints, I thought they were from a rabbit. (I may have even called them that last year in a post.) However, it's more likely that they were made from a squirrel. A rabbit's hind feet are offset with one in front of another, while a squirrel's are not.

There were plenty of crows around during the snow storm, but I didn't seem to get any pictures. This picture on the right is from last January.

These are the best kind of prints to see during a snow if you want to make it to work the next day.

Thankful Sunday--March 8, 2015

I am thankful that I have sisters to be silly with sometimes.

My sisters and I are usually reserved kind of people--that is until we get together. Then you can never be sure what is going to happen. And for that I am thankful. 

(Can you guess which of us were cheerleaders and which of us were majorettes in our earlier days?)

Snow Day

Every once in a while, there is enough snow that my library is closed and I don't have to go to work. Today is one of those days. So what have I done with my extra time? A little of this and a little of that and a lot of nothing. It's been a great day.

My Snow Day

It started snowing this morning and is still going. Before it's all done, we should have over 8".

My day began with the determination to get a lot done.  I started with the laundry.

Next, I was going to work on taxes. However, I was distracted by the birds outside.

Ward, who was teleworking today, turned his chair around so he could see out the window

Then we were both distracted by a squirrel on the main bird feeder. This is the first time we've had a squirrel on this feeder since we put up the cone-shaped baffle. I hope this is a fluke of the extra snow height that it had to jump from.

Now back to the taxes. I was almost to the tax papers when I passed by my library book and thought there wouldn't be any harm reading a few pages.

Then Ward called and asked what this crested bird was. I told him it was a tufted titmouse.

Along about now, I was starting to get hungry. I thought I couldn't concentrate properly on the taxes if I were hungry. So after a snack, I made some spinach lasagna.

In the meantime, Ward was tired of sitting and decided to do some shoveling.

It will be dark soon, so I've decided the best use of my time would be a to do a little more bird watching. I'll work on the taxes after the sun goes down.

A Second Look--March 4, 2015

Sunday, we canceled our planned activities and spent the whole day indoors because of an ice storm. Even though we didn't go out, once again we enjoyed the show the birds and critters provided. Along about the middle of the afternoon, what did to my wondering eyes appear? A pileated woodpecker!
She was noshing on a suet cake with all of her beauty and grandeur. Although we see other woodpeckers in abundance, we only see a pileated one about once or twice a year. I was excited to say the least.

Here are a few things I saw this week

during a Second Look.

Sunday morning began with snow and turned to sleet and freezing rain in the afternoon.

We always see plenty of juncos around the area of feeder.

But what we hadn't noticed until last weekend was the huge littering of sunflower seed shells under the patio table. Apparently, the juncos have been getting seeds from the feeder and going under the table to eat them.

The suet disappears a lot faster when the squirrels are eating than when the birds are.

On the left is the pileated woodpecker that visited. As soon as she left, a male downy woodpecker (right) flew in. Downy woodpeckers are the most common kind we see at the feeder. Notice how much bigger the pileated one is.

This is the pileated taking off just before the downy flew in. The pileateds are known for the white under their wings which is very evident here. I also find it interesting that, even with that big wing flap, her toes are still anchored to the feeder.

Thankful Sunday--March 1, 2015

I am thankful Spring is only 20 days away.

A sign of Spring in years past.

No signs of Spring yet except on the calendar, but it never fails to show up. And for that I am thankful (and hopeful).