Phoebe Babies

The four phoebes in the nest are thinking about learning to fly in a few days. Meanwhile it's nice that mom and dad are providing room/nest service.



The phoebes have been nesting under the balcony every summer of the twenty years I've lived here.



Yes, they're noisy. Yes, they make a mess. I love them.

Snapshot for June 20

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Very hot. Mid 90s yesterday. Maybe 100 today.

Very dry. The lawn is brown. The creek is shallow.

I'm sitting in front of the fan and plan on spending the rest of the day reading in the same spot.

Really? ...
This female downy woodpecker and a male downy woodpecker spent several hours drinking the hummingbird feeder dry.

I've never seen woodpeckers drink sugar water before. The hummers wouldn't drink with a woodpecker on their feeder.



Something from the kitchen ...
Leftovers from Mom's birthday dinner. Box decorated by granddaughter Kimmy.



I am creating...
Still working on the doily but have to admit it hasn't been a priority. I'm up to 272 stitches/round and am spending a lot of my knitting time counting stitches so I don't have to tink back. That's how I keep the process relaxing, but it doesn't make for quick progress.

I am NOT procrastinating ...
Getting the building in Paw Paw cleaned out, cleaned up, and on the market. It feels so good to have this done. Now if buildings in Paw Paw were only selling a little better.



I am reading...
Dying for Mercy by Mary Jane Clark. I've read several in this series. They're well written, nicely plotted, and easy reading.

I am hearing...
The fan.

Outdoors ...
The guys are still working on the barn. They found a concrete driveway buried under about a foot of dirt. Being guys, they had to dig it out and see what it was.

Unfortunately a sunken driveway isn't very useful, so, being guys, they had fun re-landscaping the area with a Bobcat.



Something new for me ...
Some Web's 50% linen, 50% cotton fingering weight yarn to try out for knitting doilies.



A few plans for the next few days
As mentioned above, the plans for today are to not overheat.

Thursday I'm having dinner with friend I haven't seen in over a year. I've been widowed. She's newly engaged. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Giving thanks for ...
The power getting restored quickly today. It was off from noon to two on this, the hottest day of the year.

And ...
I have two spring fed ponds and a clear running creek on my property, but the birds think it's a treat to drink the stagnant water in the ant moat.

Happy 90th Birthday Mom

Dave and Karen made this wonderful dairy free Vegan carrot cake so everyone can enjoy it. It's a tennis racket and tennis ball in honor of Mom's 90th birthday and her love for tennis.



This is much more fun than three years ago when Mom had a heart cath and four stents for her birthday.

Oriole Pictures

The male orioles have been showing up daily to enjoy the orange and grape jelly. They are so pretty they rate their own blog post.

It's fast!

As of lunch time today, I have wireless high speed internet. I also have a new laptop.

After suffering years and years of dial up with a landline carrier that only works 95% of the time on a good day, I'm very excited and hopeful that this is going to be as wonderful as I think it's going to be.

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll be busy doing setup and tranferring files. And, as long as things go reasonably smooth, smiling. Even if I was the last person in America to get a wireless connection.

I'm Knitting A Doily Named Anna Marie

A few weeks ago I had a fantasy that I moved to a sweet, small condo and knit lace doilies for all the flat surfaces and the backs and arms of chairs.

The fantasy was so detailed I even imaging my children and grandchildren talking amongst themselves that they had no idea what they were going to do with all the doilies when I died. I visualized writing a note in my will that they could be donated to Goodwill with no hard feelings.

Maybe that’s a sign that my knitting obsession is coming back. Or maybe it's a sign that I'm nuts. I’ve always wanted to knit doilies and last week I ordered some good quality fingering weight yarn to give it a try. Crochet cotton from Mary Maxim.

I've had this book for years and enjoyed looking at it many times. OLD WORLD TREASURES

For my first experiment I selected the doily named Anna Marie. This picture is from the book, not my needles.

Yesterday I cast on and got a good start - except for the sloppy center. I need to do some research and find a few tricks for making the cast on neater.

Having no idea what size needles to use with this yarn, I guessed at 3s, 3.25mm. So far it looks like an acceptable guess. I'll know more when it's finished and blocked.

Pattern: Anna Marie from OLD WORLD TREASURES

Yarn: Crochet Cotton from Mary Maxim.

Needles: #3, 3.25mm

Feeding Sweet Stuff

The female grosbeaks are enjoying the orange in the oriole feeder.

Several people have asked me about this wonderful feeder. It's Poly-Recycled Oriole Feeder SNOF.

There are two spikes to impale the orange and two removeable plastic cups to hold the grape jelly.

If you're going to feed sweet stuff you want to have a Trap-It Ant Moat for Hummingbird Feeders, Red Bulk to keep the ants out.

I have a moat on the hummingbird feeder and the oriole feeder with 100% no ants getting by it.

Orange Eaters

A week ago I realized I had missed putting out the feeder for the May 1 arrival of the orioles. So I loaded it up with oranges and grape jelly and hung it out to see if I was too late to tempt them.

Sad to say, I haven't seen or heard an oriole this year. Either they didn't show up or I was oblivious when they arrived.

The feeder has been very busy even without the orioles. The catbirds have been enjoying both the oranges and the grape jelly.

The house finches are also fruit eaters. This male and female will be bringing their hatchlings soon. I can imagine the hatchlings being very disappointed when they mature and realize that grape jelly is not a normal part of bird feeder fare.

And, when the birds aren't there these little butterflies come and enjoy orange juice.

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.