Yesterday's Wildflower Wednesday post!

Beautiful sight...

 Bright

 White

Snow

Drapes the delicate framework

of a Springtime

"wannabe!"

:-)

lol   For truly sweet and "serious" postings, head over to see Gail at Clay and Limestone.  Read the comments and see who else has posted!  :-)

SG

Whether or Not We Liked Yesterday Morning's Weather . . .

. . . it truly was beautiful!!

Front yard

It was also intense at times!

Back yard

 

Little snow pellets (not sleet)

 

 I had been derelict in filling the feeders Sunday...

so I hurried out Monday (with my camera in my pocket)!

Listen carefully.  Can you hear the snow falling??

Monday afternoon turned out to be sunny and beautiful.  I can walk on a crust of snow, now, though!  :-)

SG

Busy Time in the Front Yard Today!

First the feeders

and then the heated birdbath:

Bluejay

English Sparrow

Goldfinch

female Cardinal

female House Finch and Goldfinch

male Cardinal

Starlings (not "darlings")

I was trying to wash a few dishes at the kitchen sink.  However, the birds kept landing on the bird bath!  :-)

SG

What??? In the middle of January???

After having lived in SE Iowa for an extended... and I mean EXTENDED period of time (34 1/2 years), I thought I had "weather" figured out!

I mean, after having been raised in extreme North Central Iowa (25 miles or so south of Minnesota), Winter is Winter!  Starting earlier and lasting longer.




So yes, with an exception here and there, cold Winter weather usually begins after January down here.  However...


Just look at what I saw at 8:00 A.M. Monday morning!

An influx of robins and cedar waxwings!  And I have proof!!

Any worms residing here are deep under the icy ground!

See the chubby one at the top left of this next photo?  I believe that's our overwhelmed(!) "Mr. Resident."  Usually he guards the crab apples on this tree and chases everyone away...

By mid-afternoon, nearly all the robins and cedar waxwings had left to search other food sources... leaving "Mr. Resident" back in his domain... chasing the remaining few intruders away!

  

We have very little snow left... too bad.  I assume, given the fact that we're still in the middle of January, we'll receive more!  (I hope!  For several reasons!)

Have a great day!

SG

It's Almost Time - Again!! (Planning for the 7th Annual Christmas Ornament Workshop!)

We will not be celebrating Thanksgiving at our house this year.  So, I've made a mess on the dining room table in preparation for the December ornament workshops!  See below.




The photo at left shows the ornaments created each year, beginning with the wire and bead stars (2007), the fabric ribbon angels holding tiny wire stars (2008), little leave books that open "in the round" (2009), felt stars with faces (2010), cross stitch (2011), and the woven stars (2012).

Hopefully the photos are "in order" above.  At any rate, this year's ornament is going to be another little booklet.  The workshops will be during the second week of December.  I'm now getting supplies "in order" and the invitations mailed.  :-)

Here's a preview of my first attempt at our little booklets... and some of the mess on the table!  :-)

Little Heart Ornament - closed

 Little Heart Ornament - open

I plan to keep you "posted!"
In the meantime, let's get ready for Thanksgiving!!
:-)  SG

Sunday Afternoon Rainbow!!

We were "on the road."  In the north, the sky was somewhat clouded above the horizon and both ends of a rainbow appeared.  From time to time, one end was dazzlingly brighter than the other.  Anyway, here are a couple of photos.

You can see all R-O-Y-G-B-I-V... plus a couple more!!

A thrilling sight, to say the least!!

Happy Day!
SG

What an Unusual Fall!

It is true that we have been in Autumn for awhie, and this year the trees have been holding onto their leaves very tightly.

It is also true that we are now one week into November, and the trees are just now letting go of their leaves!  Yesterday's breezy morning brought the leaves TUMBLING through the air!! 

This is why I'm considering it an unusual Fall.... not just an unusual Autumn, but an unusual  Fall-of-the-leaves!  :-)

I did a bit of raking the other day... but you would never know.

Just look at the trees that are still holding their leaves!

 

There are always a few oak trees that hold their leaves until Spring...

but they're only a few of the trees you see.

This tree will soon be dropping its leaves.  There are still trees "out there" with green leaves.

Not so many in my "Way Back," but they're all over town...

It's very late in the season to only just begin raking leaves...

BUT if you troubled to bring a rake to my house, I'd join you in raking and hauling them to the ravine back there!!  Be-leaf me...  I'm serious!!  :-)

SG