Mounting Evidence

 Song - All the Pretty Girls - Kaleo cover by Sierra Eagleson

Mmmmm.....so do I see evidence here?

Yep......a little activity has been going on in Mr. B's birdhouse. Can you see the hair and twigs in the tree and on the railing?

Swee, swee, swee, swee.....the little Oak Titmouse calls to its mate as they both work on the nest.

I just love how they look after each other.  

If they decide to move in, this will be the fifth year that they have used this birdhouse!

And I really hope they decide to stay!

"The name titmouse is recorded from the 14th century, composed of the Old English name for the bird, mase (Proto-Germanic *maison, Dutch mezen, German Meise), and tit, denoting something small. The former spelling, "titmose", was influenced by mouse in the 16th century."

--Wikipedia

Mounting Evidence

Song - Little Darlin by The Diamonds

Yep.....clear evidence that someone is busy building.....a nest!

Oh hello little Ms. Titmouse.....in the bird house!

 This morning I woke up extra early and saw this little Oak Titmouse with a mouthful of moss.  I watched as she flew straight into Mr. B's rustic bird house.  This is the fourth straight year they have built a nest here. 

Enough with the moss, it's time for some twigs!


They just brighten my day so much.

"I don't feed the birds because they need me;

I feed the birds because I need them." 

--Kathi Hutton

Our Sunset Chickadee

Song - Little Bird, Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell

 As many of you know, we have had a Chestnut Backed Chickadee living in our outdoor light fixture on our back deck.  He/she comes every evening at sunset and although the last few nights I have set up my tripod & camera to catch this fast little being coming in for a landing, I just can not seem to be fast enough......

 .....until now!  

She comes just before sunset and gets a drink of water and a bite to eat.  Sometimes she will stay in the nearby tree and other times she flies off for awhile only to return shortly.

 She always lands on this same branch on our October Glory Maple tree and checks out the situation.  Some evenings she calls out and other times she just observes for awhile.

 The other night I had everything set up and I focused my camera on the light fixture instead of the tree.  And I waited.....and waited......

 ....she flew from the tree, under the umbrella and up to the fixture quickly.

 She grabbed hold of the base of the fixture.....

 ....and pushed herself up inside.......

....and left me waiting right where I began!

Only now I had a big smile on my face.....



"The chickadee and the nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers, and we shall return to these last as more vulgar companions."

--Henry David Thoreau

Wandering

Song - Fallen Through Time by Bear McCreary

Today I was playing music from our Scotland-England trip while painting these darling kids running home from school in Bath, England.  The playlist was for a CD that I made of our trip and included the above song.

Can you imagine the joy?

And that's exactly how I looked today when I got a new Mother Board put into my dead computer. 

 Yes.  I know.  

Right after my last blog post about the lovely rain, we had several power outages and my computer would not restart.  

After finding out that my brilliant computer guy was sick with the flu and that he wasn't even joking when he texted me "Oh Jeanette....I am so sorry but your computer really is dead"!  

 So I put on my big girl boots and called Dell.

Two hours later after a very patient man walked me though opening up the side of my computer and unplugging stuff and plugging in other stuff and turning it on and off and beeps and timing flashing lights and there may have been a few tears.....

...it was determined that I needed a new Mother Board.

Huh?

I texted my sick computer guy and he said that he was VERY proud of me!

I'll have you know that I went through withdrawals being without my computer.

Photos

Resources

Recipes

Blogging

Genealogy

Finances

Music

Information 

Art

well, you know....

So I now can take a deep breath and appreciate all that my trusty little computer gives me.

While painting, I looked out of our back door to the little bird house that Mr. B bought for our yard and I saw some activity in there. (You can read about Mr. B's purchase HERE)

An Oak Titmouse was checking it out for a nest.  Later in the day she brought her hubby along to show him the real estate she had found.  He must of given her the green light because the two of them were busy building that nest all day long. 

Mama bird would fly in and out with soft bits of fuzz in her beak while the proud dad would sing from the Maple tree above with joy.

And off she goes to find more nesting stuff.

I can't tell you how much joy this brings to my heart.

“If you will stay close to nature, 

to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, 

those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”

 --Rainer Maria Rilke

Who Done It?

Song - Summertime by Norah Jones

In mid-June, when we returned from our vacation, I noticed that there was dry grass and leaves in one of my topiary trees in our front entry. I figured it was probably our gardeners who blow the yard when they are finished and they blew some dead grass into this plant.

At the base of the little tree are more twigs and grass bits. 

And upon closer inspection it appeared that it wasn't the gardeners but perhaps a bird attempted to start a nest in the tree and didn't quite finish.  Maybe because we had returned home and pass by this tree several times a day?

So I kept watch to see if the bird might return and finish the nest.  But in 45 days there has been no sight of a resident. I decided to clean up the tree (it's supposed to have a round top) and I wanted to pull out the grass. As I moved around to the side of the tree, I noticed a nice little cup shaped nest behind the loose grass.

And there were three blue speckled eggs inside!  I decided to let it be for a few more weeks to see if there was any activity.

Nothing.  So today I pulled the nest out.  The eggs feel light and empty so I am wondering if they were abandoned and dried up in this unbearable heat?

So....who done it?

Not the gardener.....

But a good possibility is the House Finch!


Upon doing some "little blue eggs" research, it appears that a number of birds lay 3-5 eggs that are blue with brown splotches and the House Finch seems to be a likely suspect.

The male has some red on his head and chest while the female is plain.  Above is an Oak Titmouse and a male House Finch.

"When I learn something new - 

and it happens every day - 

I feel a little more at home in this universe, 

a little more comfortable in the nest" 

-- Bill Moyers

Hope and Faith

Song - Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson

First it was a pitiful little nest....

Then mama began sitting on it.....

After several weeks mama, seemed to have abandoned the nest....

and my heart was broken.

Two days ago I saw a little head pop up from the seemingly empty nest. 

So yesterday I grabbed my camera and there was mama proud as can be.

Every time I checked the nest, I guess mom & dad were out on a date.

I think there may be two babies - if you can see the dark brown wing-feathers in the lower left of the nest - I am thinking it may be another baby under mama.

I have named them Hope and Faith. 

Happy Easter Weekend.

"I won't say my memory's bad, but it's to the point now that I can hide my OWN Easter eggs!" --Maxine

Garden Colors

Song - Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls (Kina Grannis Cover)

The first round of roses are blooming and the very first one was this beauty above.  I don't even know the name because it was one of the few plants that we kept when we bought our home 20 years ago. In honor of the woman who built and lived in this house for about 45 years, I have nicknamed it "Nancy's Rose". 

The main plants that are blooming right now are the bearded Iris.....

And the Wisteria.....oh my.....

If you walk anywhere near this Wisteria you will hear the hum of big ol' fat black bees and get knocked over by the aroma from the flowers.

The Dogwood trees are loaded with blossoms.....

....as are my three white Lilac bushes.

And if you look closer.....

The Lady apple trees are making me and the honey bees happy.

 The little Japanese Iris in the woodland garden loved all of our winter rain!

 

Even the Foxgloves are preparing to bloom.

Our side garden has once again become my meditation place after we brought back 

our lawn for our son and sweet daughter-in-law's wedding last Fall.

Mama Dove and Papa Dove are enjoying the new nesting box under our eves.

Last night Papa showed up one hour early to relieve Mama.  

True Love.

I find that my day is not complete without a morning & early evening walk around our garden to see what's blooming, growing, changing, hatching, in need of pruning, etc. each and every day!

"Nothing in nature blooms all year.  

Be patient with yourself." -- Unknown

 

Unfurling

Song - Primavera by Santana

Did you celebrate the Vernal Equinox on Monday? It is officially Spring!

Between the few rain showers, I have been enjoying watching my garden awaken as well as the animal life around our home.

The apple trees are full of blossoms

And the big tree ferns are all unfurling

My Freesia's have never had so many buds

 While walking around my garden the other morning, I noticed these dead bits hanging out of a Privet tree on the side yard and when I peeked inside there was a nest.

 Must have been from last year as it is on a bush that I prune back each spring and fall.

Not sure what kind of bird may have created it but I am hoping they will reuse it this Spring!

Meanwhile the Mourning Doves did not visit their nest for a week or so.  I figured that they must have found a better place but......in the last 3-4 days they have returned and mama is sitting on it daily now!

I caught Zipper with his hand in the "cookie jar" (draining the bird feeder) this morning looking very regretful.  I guess I will have to call him by a different name as he is a she.....and she is nursing her babies.  I guess I will have to stop throwing ice and lemons at her too.......sorry little mama......

 Peony's

 Bearded Iris

More ferns unfurling

"Springtime is the land awakening.  

March winds are the morning yawn." 

- Lewis Grizzard