My Rustic Gardens...

 

When the weather is nice on these May evenings, Millie and I go walking over the hill late in the day just to hear the whippoorwill's call.  My how that brings back wonderful memories of when I was a child visiting my grandparents.  It seemed there was a whippoorwill in every tree. I loved those lonely calls then, and still do to this day.

 Dan keeps warning me to watch for bears when Millie and I are out walking through the woods.  (A couple of weeks ago, my son saw a mother bear and her two cubs making a bee line straight toward our hill.)   But, of his warnings, I just reply, "There are no bears on Hemlock Mountain."  (The kids loved that story when they were young.  Of course, as you might guess, there actually were bears on Hemlock Mountain.*) 

The Summer Tanager still makes regular visits to the backyard to sing his sweet song when I am out and about.   A little earlier, when I was out hanging sheets on the line, the ruby-red male perched on the fence and put on quite a performance.  He seemed totally unconcerned that I was shaking out wet laundry.  I think he likes me!

 I have seen the female only a couple of times.  I love the orangish coloring on her underparts and the olive on her top with olive brown wings and tail.  Her taste for dressing is exceptional, I think.  

In the picture to the right, the Tanager has come to serenade me as I feed the hummingbirds. It was another excellent performance.  He is, for sure, running a close second to Merle Haggard and the whippoorwill, two of my other favorite performers.  (And, of course, I should mention the oh-so-beloved mockingbird that delights us every day.)

Before the Tanager heads south to Mexico or beyond this fall, I hope to get at least one good picture of him, and hopefully, one of the pretty female Tanager too.  I would also like to record that pretty song the male sings so well.  (I already have several of the whippoorwill's song recorded on my phone.)

And, finally, another small garden, which is pretty much a work in progress, has a mix of veggies and flowers.  And blueberries.  Most of the flowers are marigolds and mints planted to keep away the deer and, hopefully, the aphids that have had a field day with the tomato plants the past couple of years.

The hummingbirds are busy in the honeysuckle thickets now, having their fill of nature's sweet nectar, and most assuredly, beginning to raise their families.  A few still visit the feeders during the day, and especially early in the morning and late in the evening.  But, they will be back, lots of them with their young in tow, and that's when feeding hummingbirds becomes lots of fun.  And lots of work!  

   *The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh  

                          

Neighbor to the Birds...

 

"The Harivansa says, "An abode without birds is like a meat without seasoning."  Such was not my abode, for I found myself suddenly neighbor to the birds; not by having imprisoned one, but having caged myself near them.  I was not only nearer to some of those which commonly frequent the garden and the orchard, but to those wilder and more thrilling songsters of the forest which never, or rarely serenade a villager, - the wood thrush, the veery, the scarlet tanager, the field sparrow, the whippoorwill, and many others."   ~ Henry David Thoreau

Throughout the cold days of winter, I sometimes thought of the Summer Tanager who had so beautifully serenaded me on the warm days of the previous summer.  Oh, how I hoped he would be back for another summer to sing at least  just one more song.  "Chick-tucky-tuck, chick-tucky-tuck..."  much like a Robin's, but softer and sweeter.  And, wonder of wonders, this week I have seen him several times, perching in all of his same old favorite spots.  It is a good omen, I think.  Or at least, I hope it is!

The precious little Hummingbirds are back.  Some days there are more than on other days, so I suspect our backyard is a migratory pit stop for those on their way farther north.  It's hard to imagine how these little birds, and in fact all birds, like the Tanager, find the exact same places year after year.  I am humbled that, that same spot is my own back yard.   

I don't feed the songbirds during summer, and sometimes question the practice of feeding them at all.  But, by doing so I have become better acquainted with many of the little birds that I would have never known had I not.  One of my favorite pairs that come to the feeders regularly are the House Finches.  They are so friendly and unafraid of me, and love their sunflower seeds, which actually tempts me to leave up the feeders all year long.  I know they are still here now for I recently saw them drinking at the bird waterer.  Come to think of it maybe just a few seeds wouldn't do any harm!  

My list of favorite birds is a long one.  I have chased after the Great Blue Heron for  many a long mile trying to photograph that elusive fellow.  The mockingbirds, however, haven't been so hard to catch up with.  One year, I took a good scolding from the Missus every time I got close to a certain honeysuckle vine and finally found out why.    

The bluebirds are nesting in the boxes now, and most already have their first brood of babies.  Those pretty birds must catch a million insects before summer's end, for they are almost constantly carrying some poor critter in their beaks to the boxes to feed their young.   

The winds are still blowing here almost every day, but at least those winds seem to be getting warmer.  I think someone forgot to change the calendar from March to April.  Take care and enjoy the warm winds of May!  ~ Mary

Spring Migration...

 

My favorite little bird with my favorite flower - the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and Monarda or Red Bee Balm.  This photo is from last year's files.  There's a story behind the photo that tells how it came to be, but I won't get into that now.  It doesn't matter anyway for I love how it accidently turned out.  

Earlier today, I checked the Hummingbird Spring Migration Map and realized that these little birds are getting mighty close to our neck of the woods.  It is definitely time to get a couple of feeders out. 

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Linnie Butts & Co. finally got together for a final photo shoot.  If you'd care to take a look just click on the old sewing machine near the top of this page.

A place for everything...

Millie and I are back to walking, but we aren't counting yet.  Maybe we never will.  But, if we were I think it might be four or five.  

"A place for everything, and everything in its place," must have been one of my mother's best quotes for I heard it often enough through the years.  Now, it is one of my own.

We have been cleaning and organizing closets.  There are so many books, many of them gifts from the kids.  I sat for a bit and turned through the pages of one of my favorites, Beatrix Potter A Journal.  Our granddaughter gave me this one.   (But, don't think for one moment that these are the only books in this house; no, not nearly.)

How wonderful this page is - surely makes me anxious for warmer days ahead.  

I am amending this post, adding a few more pics from the closet.

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My daughter got me hooked on these Ralph Kylloe books.

My favorite here is the Gee's Bend book.

I don't know what I would do without the Carl Hunter books.  Many years ago, a friend and I went to one of his presentations on plants of Arkansas.  We even brought home signed copies of his wonderful books.  I am fascinated with Mary Austin's book, but I don't think I could ever stand to live in the desert.

A Spring Snow Storm...

Just when I was in the perfect mood for spring, Mother Nature decided to hit us with yet another snowstorm.  And, to make matters even worse it happened right in the midst of our spring heifers' calving season.  

We did get out in the side-by-side to witness the beauty of  today's storm.  Our favorite pictures for the day were those taken in the heifer pasture.  There are some great little Mommas there looking after their new babies born on this snowy day.  I especially like Number 30 who was quite intent on feeding her young one.  

I was reminded by flashes of color around the birds' feeders that the hummingbirds will soon be getting into town.  We can usually expect to see a few by the last week of March.  Perhaps they might need to wait an extra week this year.  

Much to Millie's chagrin, I have been grounded by a kind of overall sickness that hit me full force a couple of weeks ago.  Needless to say, the calendar page now reads zero.  I have definitely been on a blogging break, but hope to be back soon.  

365 Days and Counting...

 

It's a special day here on the hill for Millie and me.  We are celebrating another year of walking the trails without missing a day.  We just take one day at a time, step by step over the hills and across the meadows, then mark the calendar.  This date reads 365 walks, written in red.  It is worth remembering and recording here.

My weeks of semi-hibernation ended last week.  It was marvelous, and I accomplished much.   It had been my intention to not leave the farm at all during that time, but a couple of trips for food supplies seemed necessary.  I could have made it fine with what was on hand, but Dan thought we should go.  We will work on being better prepared next year.

With all of that behind us, I had a yearning this week to get out and about, which we did one day.  It wasn't any surprise that I found something for the shanty - a desk from which I can write and watch the birds.  I even have a good view of the garden which, hopefully, will soon be coming to life.  

The desk is a bit shabby chic, which isn't my style, but it was sturdy and fit the space perfectly. I could always strip off the paint or paint over it.  I had also been needing a place for two old canvas decoys that I once fell in love with.  They seem happy here.

When rearranging the shanty, I realized that I now had space for more seating, so I brought in a bench from the porch.  There is now space for five inside the Shanty and for two on the porch.   

Dried Zinnias from last year's garden still brighten up the Shanty. I am amazed that they are still so colorful.  I think my little tea party friends are going to enjoy our next gathering here when springtime and warmer weather decides the time is right.

 

I also have a new challenge going on (as though I needed another.)  It is a 365-day sewing challenge that I have pledged myself to.  I haven't missed a day of that since Jan. 1.  I am on a roll and enjoying tiny tucks and ruffles and lace for the girls.  I will be posting more of this work over at Linnie Butts & Co. when I finish a piece I am currently working on.