Bluebird Update

Mother bluebird is sitting on five pretty blue eggs. They're due to hatch June 2.

I've never been able to catch a bird in flight on purpose, but usually enjoy the results when it happens accidently.

The camera was aimed at the nest box in hopes Mom would peek out at me. Instead she decided I was just too scary and she flew out.

Don't worry. I left the area and she went right back in.

Louise Lunch, May 12, 2012

Louise Lunch is our annual Mother's Day/Heather's birthday celebration of four generations of women with the middle name Louise.

Since daughter Heather is being honored twice, once for being granddaughter Kimmy's mom and also for her birthday, she gets to choose where we meet. This year she selected Applebee's.

As usual, I was too busy having a good time to remember the camera until we were almost ready to leave.

Granddaughter Kimberly Louise (left below) just graduated from high school and was looking forward to going to a prom that evening.

Daughter Heather Louise (right below) is 100% nonphotogenic unless she is unaware of the camera. So glad I could catch her with a natural smile on her face.

My mom, Margarete Louise (below), always takes a beautiful picture.

The many gifts that were exchanged were all packed away by the time I got my camera out.

Each of us got a bag of personalized M & Ms. I took the picture at home. Just before I ate them.

Snapshot for May 5, 2012

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Beautiful May day. Not too hot. Not too cool. Noisy frogs in the water and nesting birds everywhere.

The picture below is unaltered. The bluebird really is that blue.

What is Matt doing? ...
Discouraging blackflies. They are why his head is wrapped and his hand is waving in the air.

Something from the kitchen ...
Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans, Corn, and Creamcheese again. It's so easy with only five ingredients and the chicken doesn't have to be thawed. About five minutes prep time which includes finding the crockpot.

Totally delicious. And I can get four meals out of it.

I am creating...
This blog post. It counts as a creation because Blogger has changed everything and I'm trying to figure out how to get the lines spaced the way I want them.

I will get it right eventually, but at the moment I'm a bit frustrated.

I am procrastinating ...
Actually things are getting done at a comfortable pace and I have no major procrastination on my conscience.

There are some more bins in the basement that need to be sorted out, but the barn guys have been filling Herby everyweek so I'm taking a break.

Yes, I know I can fill garbage bags and save them until there's room. So, maybe I am procrastinating. I prefer to think of it as managing the workload.



I am reading...
The Song Remains the Same by Allison Winn Scotch.

An excellent story about a woman who loses her entire memory in a plane crash and how her family, each with their own set of character flaws, tries to influence her actions by altering the stories of her past.

Totally enjoying it.

I am hearing...
My neighbor mowing his lawn.

Sunny is softly snoring. Pappy is sound asleep. Both dogs are exhausted from guarding the house while the men were here working all week.

Outdoors ...
This female bluebird and the male in the top picture just finished their nest today. I expect to see eggs next week.

Something new for me ...
The barn has new doors, new windows, and now a new roof. Next is siding, paint, and a second garage door on the front.

A few plans for the next few days
Church tomorrow. Lunch with a friend on Monday. Sign up for high speed internet. Buy oranges for the Oriole feeder. Possibly buy a new laptop, which I've been informed is now called a tablet.

And ...
I love it when I can get a male and female together in the same picture. If I didn't know better, I'd think these two were posing.

Snapshot for April 19, 2012

Weather in SW Michigan ...
May flowers bring April showers.



Really? ...
My landlines are still only working about 20% of the time. This has been going on for over a month. Twice Frontier has called me and told me it was fixed. Twice I have called them back and told them it wasn't true.

The latest word is that fixing it is going to require a "cable crew" and it could be as long as next week.

Since I have dialup, internet time is limited and frustrating.

Something from the kitchen ...
A notebook on the counter to write down what I'm eating. Yes, it's diet time again.

I am creating...
A remodeled barn. It's been cleaned out and has new windows and doors. It is going to be getting new siding, new roof, and a paint job.

I have a before picture which I'll post with an after picture when it's finished.




I am procrastinating ...
Visiting a building I own in Paw Paw to see what needs to be cleaned out (a lot!) so I can sell it before I move east to Kalamazoo.

Don't know the where or when of the move, but I'm getting prepared.



I am reading...
A Woman of Consequence by Anna Dean, a mystery set in 1806.

A pleasant book but it's not keeping me awake. Time for a trip to the library.

I am hearing...
WKZO Radio and construction noises from the barn. The roof shingles were supposed to be delivered two hours ago. Maybe they're lost?

Outdoors ...
It happens about once a decade. Consumer's Power came through the back three acres and thoroughly cleared out the area under the power lines. They're doing the entire neighborhood and this should cut down the number of power outages.



Something new for me ...
One of the nest boxes has newly hatched bluebirds. It's been chilly and/or wet, so I haven't left the box open long enough to take a picture or count them.

Giving thanks for ...
The two young men who stacked a cord of firewood that was suffocating my grass.

Snapshot For March 30, 2012

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Warm, weird, wonderful, and worrisome.

Daffodils have bloomed and faded. Flowering shrubs that usually bloom the first half of May are blooming now. Everyone, especially the fruit growers, are wondering what will happen because our SW Michigan average last frost date is mid-May.

This picture is several weeks old.



Really? ...
I'm not playing the Megamillions today (it is up to over half a billion dollars this week) because I don't want that much money. One million would be nice and comforting. Five-hundred million is just too life changing.

I would feel different if I could win it anonymously, but national attention for becoming super rich is a very uncomfortable thought.

Something from the kitchen ...
Crock Pot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese. Never made this before but it looks easy and yummy and I have the ingredients ready to go.

I am creating...
Another pair of simple socks from the Opal VanGogh collection.



I am procrastinating ...
Getting a new laptop and looking into high speed internet which is now available here via Frontier Communications.



I am reading...
The seventh Louise Penny book A Trick of the Light: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel.

I've enjoyed this series and am sorry to be at the end.

As I mention each time I write about these books, they need to be read in chronological order to be enjoyed.

I am hearing...
The quiet fall of spring rain.

Outdoors ...
The bluebirds have claimed a house and started a nest.






Something new for me ...
Anyone remember the raccoons that were living in the rotten add-on of the barn?


I'm finally fixing up the barn. Well, actually Matt and Nate are working on the barn and I'm paying the bill.

Here goes one of the walls into the dumpster, right where it belongs.



A few plans for the next few days ...
I am sorting out bins of stuff in the basement. Amazing the things we keep with no idea where or when we might want to see them or use them again. The only fun part of this is seeing the progress and knowing it will be done someday. At least I hope so.

Giving thanks for ...
Griefshare.

Two weeks ago I started a new session. It's not that I flunked the first time through. It's just that the program is so rich that a grieving person can get additional blessings and benefits from going through it again. At eight months into widowhood I'm getting insights that I missed the first time when the grief was fresh.

An excellent program if it's available in your area.

Question ...
Anyone had any experience taking Forteo? I've had unacceptable side effects from the oral osteoporosis drugs and doctor has suggested I try Forteo. If you've taken this drug I would appreciate your comment. Or email me.

Snapshot for March 10, 2012

Weather in SW Michigan ...
The ground was cold and frozen this morning, but it's warming up today and the forecast is springlike weather for at least a week.

Wondering About Chickens ...
My neighbor has free range chickens. Today while I was walking the dogs they were over near our property line. They never come over to visit even though I'm sure my yard is full of yummy things that chickens like to eat, and they don't go out in the road.

How do chickens learn to stay home?



Something from the kitchen ...
Living miles from a store and grocery shopping once a week is good for the diet. If I can make it through the shopping without buying something wicked (= fattening), I'm pretty much doomed to a week without too many extra calories.

The past two weeks I've been experimenting with buying a package of cookies, dividing them by seven, and only eating a day's worth each day. The first week it went well. The second week (caramel scones), I only made it three days. This week I'm totally flunking the test with some very yummy oatmeal cookies. Sigh.

Time for a new plan.

I am creating...
A self-centered home for one.

I am procrastinating ...
It's (past)time to move Bob's computer equipment out of the living room.

It's been sitting there for seven months without being turned on and I've been ignoring it thinking I would take care of it some day when I felt better. Now it's to the point I think I'll feel better if I take care of it.

A good friend offered to come help me get through it, but I think I'd rather do it myself.



I am reading...
Bury Your Dead (Chief Inspector Gamache) by Louise Penny.

The Gamache mysteries are so much more than a normal mystery. They are rich stories about interesting people, the things they do, and why they do them.

To fully enjoy them, they need to be read in the order written.

I am hearing...
Robins!



Outdoors ...
It's an early spring after a mild winter.

Even if we have another snow storm, and there's a good chance of that since it's only the first part of March, the snow isn't going to last long. The days are longer and green things are erupting from the earth.



A few plans for the next few days
Church tomorrow. Lunch with a friend on Monday. Do some work in the yard and see how my body handles it. Enjoy the beautiful spring weather before the black flies hatch.

Giving thanks for ...
The income taxes are done.

It turned out to be a bit more unpleasant than usual. I hadn't thought ahead that getting the numbers ready was going to involve reviewing medical bills and adding up medical miles for Bob's last seven months - memories I didn't want to revisit in that much detail.

But everything is done now except for paying the CPA and the signoff for the electronic filing. I am thankful it is finished.

And ...
The deer have been in the yard all winter scratching in the snow to eat the acorns.

No shortage of food for them this year and no deep snow to keep them from moving around to find it. That translates into hardly any winter kill and a larger deer population than the normal large deer population. I expect most of my hostas to be eaten to the ground by the end of June.

Still, I love to see them.

Cute Bag In The Mail

A few weeks ago this super cute bag from Susan arrived in the mailbox.



One of my favorite color combinations, red, white, and black. And little black and white dogs just like the two I have snuggled up to me when I knit.



It's perfectly made with lots of little special things like yarn guards on the inside and four pockets on the outside.



Love it! Thank you Susan. I smile every time I look at it, which is really saying something considering the condition of my healing, numb jaw.