Midnight Visitor

Oh, I've just gotta tell somebody!!!   I just had a black bear sitting hardly 10 feet from me chomping away on the safflower seeds in the birdfeeder!!!   He was outside and I was inside, but still!   And only a window between us.   

I heard this soft clunking noise several times and it finally occurred to me that there might be a critter on one of the feeders.  I went to the back door (a french door), turned on the patio light and looked out to the feeder I had in mind.  Nothing.  Then, it dawned on me that the feeder next to the patio was much lower to the ground than normal and there was a big black body busily fishing seeds out of it! Because the lid is hinged on, it was the loose side that he kept bumping and it would clunk back into place. 

Black Bear along Alaska Highway, 2008

After watching for a couple of minutes, I wondered if I dared try to get a picture and went for my camera.  Unfortunately (or not), I had also turned on the motion sensor lights in the back and when they flashed on, he got spooked and ran off.  I got back to the door just in time to see his black butt disappearing into the brush.  

So, no pictures here except for those in your mind.  And hubby is so lucky that I didn't go wake him up to see it too!    We've suspected ursine visitors a couple of times before over the years when strange things happened to our birdbath, but had no proof of it.   Until now. 

Y'all take care. 

Christmas Bird Count

It's that time of the year again, time for the Christmas Bird Count.  This was my first outing and it really wasn't much different from any other birdwatching day except we started at 6:20 a.m. and didn't stop until 5 p.m., when it got so dark we couldn't see another bird!!  Oh, and the record keeping was more detailed.   I was elected to be the driver yesterday, so it was a little more taxing on me than the passengers.  

Our day started by getting up at 4:15 a.m. and heading out the door by 5:30.  It didn't take us as long to drive to the count location as we had anticipated.  Anyway, we got to our first stop in time to watch dawn break and to hear the birds start to wake up.  I can't  say we got to watch sunrise, because we didn't see the sun all day yesterday.

Common loons, winter plumage

We did, however, get some wonderful rain about midday.  I don't even remember when it rained last here and certainly enough to be measurable.    We were in and out of the car, trekking down paths and wandering in parks.  Our count was in a small town, but one with tons of trees and natural areas.   Didn't bother with photos to speak of because it was so dark..

After meeting up at the coordinator's home for a count tally and dinner, we drove back and I dropped the other girls off at about 9 p.m. and I was home by about 9:40 p.m.   Today, I'm a bit draggy, if you know what I mean.  

Brown Pelican on a dreary, dark day 

But, I get to do it again on Thursday when we will be surveying an area along the Choctawhatchee River.  It will be as isolated and wild as our trip yesterday was urban.  I'm looking forward to this one because I've never had a chance to explore that area before.  

Y'all take care.  

Winter Feeding

Oh, it is so dreary outside today!  After all the wonderful weather we've had up through yesterday, this is a real downer.  However, the birds activity in the back yard just about makes up for the gray, chilly skies. 

I don't think I've ever seen quite so many little ones flitting around.  There's a large flock of mourning doves.

Few of a large flock

There are lots of titmice and chickadees.  And flocks of yellow rumped warblers and chipping sparrows move through several times a day.  

Can you believe we actually have robins?!?!?  It's an odd time of year to see them here.   

Early this morning, a large bird swooped through the yard and landed in one of the oak trees. 

A while later, he returned. 

The residents didn't seem to be too concerned.  I sat and watched cardinals and other smaller birds move about in the trees not ten feet from him.   Its definitely a juvenile, but I think its a red shouldered hawk.  He was just too big to be a cooper's hawk and the chest markings dont' look quite right.  I could be wrong, though.  I've sent a request to the Bird Lady to identify him for sure.  

Well, the squirrels have knocked the top off one of the feeders, so I've got to go out and replace it (and refill the feeder).  Oh, the things we do for the critters. 

Y'all take care. 

We're Home!

I'm home!!   After travels to see the kids for the holidays, we are home at last.  The trip just seems to get longer and longer each time we make it. 

Bald eagle on really cloudy, foggy day 

Now, it's on to other things - like Christmas cards, gifts to ship across the country and general home chores. 

Horsey Home 

I'll be back later but just wanted to say that we're well and happy, but busy at the moment. 

Y'all take care. 

Cotton and Sacks

I went to my semi-annual quilting retreat near Birmingham last weekend and had a ball!  Not a single one of us wanted to come home when Sunday arrived.  We are already planning and making reservations for the next one in April. 

On the way up, I stopped at a cotton field in southern Alabama and took pictures.  There appears to be a bumper crop of cotton in this area this year, and the fields are hanging white -- some more than others -- but all showing great harvests. 

Although cotton was grown on our farm when I was growing up, it has been a long time since I've been close to it.  I've actually pulled my picksack and picked cotton by hand.  Thankfully, I was young and Daddy decided to discontinue cotton growing before I got big enough to be really expected to pick much!  Hand picking cotton is not a fun task and neither is chopping cotton in the spring.  

Since I'm a quilter, I thought it would be interesting to show what cotton looks like in the field just before picking.  Remember that this field has been chemically defoliated prior to machine picking, so it doesn't look like this for a long time.  Cotton has lush, beautiful green leaves up to this time. 

Cotton is just one of several important crops grown in the northern part of the county where I live, along with peanuts, corn and soybeans.  Most people think only of amusement parks when they think of Florida when in reality they are only a minuscule part of the state.  There are billions of dollars of agriculture in the state.  

With the holidays sneaking ever closer, I decided that I'd just do a fall setting for my dining room table.  We never use the room but at least it looks festive. 

I bought the fabric pumpkins last year at the heritage festival, along with the turned wooden vase made of pecan wood.  You can't see much of it, but it is a gorgeous piece of artwork. 

I've lusted after European grain sacks for years and never found one that was in really good condition and that was priced right.   Until a couple of weeks ago. 

It is very large and now I'm having difficulties figuring out what to do with it.  I'm thinking a couple of pillows with some sort of applique on them.  Any ideas?  

Look at that lovely texture and that faded red stripe on the cloudy white sack. 

Y'all take care.  

Little Winter Visitor

The last time over at the beach, we were looking for Nelson's sparrows which had been sited there.  We had seen them before, but they are quite uncommon and we couldn't pass up the chance to go looking for one so close to home.  

This is the little guy that was causing all the excitement.  I didn't get very good pictures but it was fun trying.  We saw eight of them which was a real treat.   The only time we get to see them here along our coast is in winter.  

Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow

You never know what you are going to see.  You can count on shorebirds of some sort though.  

These little guys were so busy along the waterline.  They never seemed to stop more than a second or two. 

Sanderlings

It appears that a shell is caught on the middle bird's right leg.  Hopefully, it came off.  

And, we couldn't make a trip over without noting the lovely wildflowers that were blooming.  

And my pals are ever on the lookout for the next bird. 

She with the spotting scope and he with his trusty camera.

I'll be away for a few days.  Meanwhile, 

Y'all take care.  

Love and Frustration

I think I am falling in love again -- with my old Kodak camera.  I pulled it out a couple of days ago and stuck some new batteries in it.  It still works like a champ.  It's the first digital camera I had and its been around since 2003 I believe.  It's smaller then the Nikon DSLR that I have and, thus, much easier to carry along wherever I go. 

I'm working on a signature quilt block and you'd think one measly block would be a snap.  Wrong!!   I used EQ7 to print out the cutting directions for the block, but no sewing instruction.  How hard could it be, right?  I've made a few quilts in my time, I can do this.   

Oh, me, how wrong I was!  It's not obvious in this picture, but that mitered corner looks awful!!!  Yes, I have taken it apart, recut the blue fabric and redone it.  To no avail.  And we won't even talk about that point not matching up.  I can live with that one, but that rumply corner will not work.  The bad thing is that I was given only a 10 inch square of the white muslin which MUST be used for the signature portion of the block.  Now that I've whacked it up, I have to find either find another pattern that I can use the remaining white fabric in, or yell for help in fixing that corner.  

It hurt my heart to cut a two inch square out of those nine fabrics to make the center, but it looks so pretty!! 

And since I've cut my pretties, I want to use them!! 

Y'all take care.