There's a lonely, tooth-scored soccer
ball sitting on the snow on our front lawn. I have just vacuumed up
the top layer of dog hair (doodles don't shed - hah!) and have found
a dog brush that fell out of HRH's travel bag. The YG came out on
Saturday and picked up her dog after a fraught ten days of travel
around Europe. She shovelled off the roofs, cooked supper and
generally looked after her aged parents before she and the pampered
princess returned to the city. There are still Shammy sized holes in
the snow banks and lots of footprints. But I think both the dog and we
enjoyed her stay. The turkeys did not - Shammy hardly ever barks and
if she does it is a sweet and soprano sound. Not the day the turkeys
visited. She raced around the outside of the house in full-throated
voice for quite a while and I have not seen even a turkey toe-print
since.
This buck, on the other hand, has been
here often. There have been no does for several weeks: I think they
must be 'yarded up' because of the crust. This buck is not huge, but
he has a splendid rack and still has it. And he seems to be able to
get through the snow. Here he is in all his glory on the feeding
station, having slurped up all the deer ration and corn. Well, what
the ravens and jays did not get to first.
It's been bird city around here lately.
We've had 30 to 50 American goldfinches every day, on the nyger
feeder. One of our neighbours was up here to consult with JG on a
porch redesign and he says their feeders are carrying close to 100.
We also have both white breasted and rose breasted nuthatches, the
usual jays and chickadees, both hairy and downy woodpeckers on the
suet. Today I spotted a pileated woodpecker on a cedar out near the
feeding station and a small flock of about a dozen juncos, the first
I have seen for a long time. And I'm pretty sure I saw some
red-winged blackbirds on a road verge last week - a month early, the
silly things.
(Sorry, YD. I know bird spotting is not
your favourite thing.)
We've also had two days of glorious
sunny weather. We got an 8" dump of snow on Friday night and
then a high wind with mild temperatures. It sculpted the snow into
weird shapes, as this sort of bread twist on the kitchen porch
railing. It also covered up the ice, for which I return much thanks.
I can walk down the laneway without my ice grippers.
I've also had a lot of flowers; cut
flowers for our anniversary and, just lately, the paper white I got
for a Christmas gift is blooming. Plus the Christmas Cactus. And the
tarnation poinsettias just won't quit. I figure, dead or not, they
are going out to the compost on the 1st of March, lion-like as it is
forecast to be.
Gotta hand it to Google; they show your pics well if you click on them -- a little slideshow.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like bird heaven or haven out there.
We've had mild weather, or at least not much snow. Tonight, though, we're supposed to get a wintry mix -- freezing rain, sleet, etc. The kids are hoping for no school tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteI don't not like birds ... just in moderation. She really doesn't she (all that much) - just imagine if it were the two border collie pups! And I think that I get as much looking after as I provide - it was a lovely dinner, and you did look after the pooch, all protestations a few years ago to the contrary.
ReplyDeleteDoes it do me any good to protest? Do you see me parting YF from his granddog? Ha.
DeleteShe is an easy dog to keep. Thank goodness.
Do keep the Winter Weather up there, won't you? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've awakened to birdsong here for a few mornings now! It's most welcome. A cute, scooty junco or two has been in the backyard along with our nuthatch, who zooms around. I've seen a downy woodpecker, too. No finches yet, so please send them back ASAP--I miss that yellow zing in my yard.
I would assert that cat hair is eleventy times worse than labradoodle hair, but I suppose I cannot be sure. All I know is that I seem to be just as covered with it as Piper and Marlowe are, and they, of course, are the cats. Sigh. If only I didn't take it so personally each and every time I had to haul out the vacuum and sling it around.