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Well, Saturday blew in nasty; snow, sleet and driving rain with a strong wind that drove most of the remaining maple leaves out of the yard. The temperature did not help either as it was hovering around 32 to 36 degrees. However Saturday was the day the turkey hens decided to return at about 30 strong. They did not seem to mind the weather as they rumaged around in the vegetable garden, but before long filed back into the woods at the edge of the pasture. Well, this is a first for me. Today, outside my dining room window in the honeysuckle bush (more like a small tree), I saw the male cardinal who resides in our neighborhood. As he moved around the bush deciding on how and when to alight on the bird feeder, there appeared another male cardinal. Never have I ever seen more than one male cardinal in an area. The second male appeared to be molting his feathers as they were not as brillant or as uniformly red as the first bird. Neither cardinal appeared to be agressive toward the other. They both stayed in the bush for some time, each taking turns alighting on the feeder. I would hazard a guess that the second bird was perhaps the first cardinal’s fledgling from this year and as such was still being allowed to stay in the home territory. It was a special sight for me that I am glad I did not miss.  Have you ever thought you need to remember a birthday, anniversary or special occasion for the upcoming month and can’t remember where you jotted down the information? Well, now you can keep all this information in one place and one location. You even hang it on a wall where it is easy to find! I have created what I call my Birthday Calendar loaded with birds signifying each month. Prints of these birds make wonderful gifts for that special person as well. The calendar is good year after year and sells for $20.00. Check it out!
New for the 2018 holidays!My original Christmas card design for this year (2018) includes an evergreen tree surrounded by the animals of the forest, and my signature Santa’s hat appears in all of my holiday card designs. The cards are 10 cards with envelopes for $20.00. If you prefer, you may also choose from designs drawn in years past, including the sleigh, reindeer or polar bears (see below, and click each small image to see a larger version). I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and prosperous new year!
It was quite a struggle, but spring is surely here to stay. The snow has melted back to just a few patches in the woods. There are faint areas of green erupting from the soil and the daffodils are showing more of their sunny heads. Four does appeared in the fields yesterday around dusk; three of them were roundly pregnant and the fourth doe was smaller and perhaps a late fawn from last year. They spent over an hour tasting the new grass shoots, obviously enjoying their dinner.  Once more, Saturday was beautiful. People were finally able to get outside and do a little bit of yard work, raking, cleaning the salt and gravel off their lawns left by the snow plows, thinking about spring planting time, and just enjoying the day. Then came Sunday, Monday and now Tuesday. The snow has returned covering us in a blanket of white once again. My red maple in the side yard has burst forth with tiny red flowers, the daffodils have poked their heads up and to their surprise, find it cold and wet once more.  My money is on the daffodils winning out in the end. As I was sitting in the sunroom today under a cloudy sky enjoying a luncheon salad, a dark, brown shape obscured my view of the sky. As I stood up to see what it was, a large adult bald eagle flew overhead and as he crossed the pasture, he pirouetted and made a steep dive towards the ground. He landed with a bounce and walked over to a pile of wet loose grass. He picked through it, selecting the best parts in his beak and once satisfied, took off easily into the air and headed towards the pond. It is time to do some nest maintenance for the new arrivals. Today is bright and sunny, full of promise. The robins finally have spots of bare ground to search for morsels to eat. These newcomers are males, arriving earlier than the ladies, either to move further north or set up shop here on my farm. Welcome home! It seems as we slide into the month of April, we have a weather contest unfolding. On any particular day, we might have sunlight, snow flurries, a cloudy sky and then a full blown snow storm covering the ground again with a blanket of snow. The sun returns and spring seems to be gaining a hold. As the cold returns, the snow again blankets the fields until the sun wins the day again. Each day has been a cornucopia of weather systems, never to last for long. It is this border between two seasons, winter and spring, that holds the wonder of things to come. It is a challenge for the returning migrant bird population, but they seem to be up to the task. I just knew February was not going to be the last of winter, even if the ground was bare and the temperatures balmy. March is still roaring like a lion (thanks MGM!). I have little lanes carved out to reach the bird feeders which I have had to clear several times a day as it continually snows, even if just a little bit. We are still feeding the chickadees, juncos, blue jays, several house finches, purple finches, titmice, goldfinches and a family of crows. I have noticed that the goldfinches are scrappy and will chase off the juncos at every turn. At least it is daylight savings time and we are on the downhill run to spring, (my favorite time of the year).
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Susan Metcalfe Honneus 818 West Main Street Plainfield, MA 01070 Copyright © 2023 Meadowbrook Gallery - All Rights Reserved. SMH | ||||||||||||||
