01.25.2026 Preparing for a Big Storm

 All week we have been alerted to a major storm across the country, not just New England. It is advertised as the first major snowstorm in years. Admittedly, we have had relatively little snow these past several years, so I have been remiss in how thorough I shovel. The idea of one to two feet had me outside shoveling wide and far to make room for more snow!

It has been bitter cold - down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings. Heavy clothes are the fashion now for all of us. There is no real relief in sight from the cold for today, so the boys and I are preparing for a "long winter's night"! There are a lot of preparation chores to be completed - gas in the car, car moved to inside the gate, water in all of the water bottles and buckets in case of a power outage, nonperishable food for all of us, batteries for flashlights and battery-operated candles. I think we are ready. We even filled up the bird feeders and hung two packages of suet so our feathered friends and a squirrel or two will be able to have some food. 

A handsome blue jay. They can be aggressive towards the smaller birds, but today they are all at the feeders together.

A bit shy, as soon as he realized the camera was in the doorway he was off.

It is hard to have the dogs go outside in this bitter cold weather. It is just as hard for me to go out there and pick up after them! But we must, so we do!

Gunnarr and Shorty are all bundled up in a sweater and wool overcoats. A bit hesitant to move off the porch, they do run after a little encouragement.

 

Gunnarr gets colder first but he didn't seem to mind today. Maybe he is just getting used to the cold weather. Shorty on the other hand does not seem to mind the cold weather, but of course he is wearing a thick fur coat!

 

 

We have new neighbors and so Gunnarr and Shorty often greet them whenever they are also outside. Fences make good neighbors, so they do not have to worry about a direct visit, just a greeting.

A quick pose on the porch. 

They both are good sports for the camera.

My precious and spirited Fionnegan would have loved playing in the snow with them. And he looked so cute in his winter outfits, even if I had to chase him around the house to get him dressed! Both Gunnarr and Shorty still miss him so very much. And so do I. Not a day goes by when I do not think about him and the fun times we had and the joy he brought to our household. He is forever in our hearts.

Until next time, please stay safe and warm. And I hope you may weather this storm without any troubles..........

01.25.2025 It's Cold Outside!!!!!!!!

 We are having some work done on the house and this cold snap is not helping the construction progress! It was past time to renovate the front of house - leaking windows, ice dams in the winter, broken tile, etc. So we bit the bullet and hired a construction company to do the work. There are always problems and delays - too cold, too much snow - you get the idea. But the roof is on and shingled, so we no longer listen to the tarp flapping in some of the high winds we had. But I decided I really did not like a window and decided we needed to replace it now before the insulation and drywall is done. I tried really hard to like the upper windows but there was no convincing my limited sense of aesthetics that it was right.  So the draftsman redrew the windows to what I had to be done the first time and we will proceed. But with delays, of course!

The pups are managing reasonably well. Their wings have been clipped, so to speak. No more racing through the house as everything from the atrium is in the dining room. And only a few precious tuns through the yard as we had to fence off an area for their safety. I do inspect the ground in the front and after I pick up all of the loose nails, I let them run for a little while. But I must be very careful that they do not hurt their paws. And of course all there have peed on the lumber! No surprise there.

We did get about 5-6 inches of snow and we all are enjoying it. The boys were out running around, rolling around and also eating it.

My little Carolina wren is inside the feeder. She is so cute and I hope she is able to build a nest nearby this Spring.

She was able to get a cold sunflower seed and take it to her warm spot - under the dumpster!

I do not mind shoveling snow - the first time! It generally is peaceful and quiet and it is good exercise for me. I let the dogs out in a secure area and they watch carefully. No doubt they look for an escape so they can join me.

We are enjoying a winter wonderland!

Shorty is now a senior dog and he runs and walks carefully in the snow. But he is enjoying it and shortly after coming back inside he nudged me to let him back outside. He is such a good boy.

Gunnarr was the real surprise, He seems to endless energy and was running all around the yard at full speed. He is also such a good boy but he had a harder time adjusting the inside and outside changes. When the construction is done, he will enjoy his new quarters!

Fionnegan ran around the yard, too. But he spent most of his time eating snow and keeping Shorty company. He is just too cure for words!

Fionnegan and Shorty.

Fionnegan and Gunnarr. Their bond is incredible but they are litter mates so that is to be expected. 

Ann the three of them are never far apart from each other - a very special pack!

Shorty with a little snow on his eyebrow and nose.

He sleeps next to Fionnegan.

Then moves to rest near Gunnarr. The three of them are apart 2 feet from each other!

Must clean one's paws before coming back inside the house!

Hope you all are safe during this near nationwide freeze.  Soon it will be Spring. You can feel the days getting longer.

Until next time.............

February - 03/05/2023

Where has the time gone? February is already past and we are into March. I guess February is the shortest month of the year!

It is one of my favorite months of the year. Yes, it has been bitter cold and then it becomes unseasonably warm and confuses everything from the birds to the trees and shrubs. But, in February the days are appreciably longer, the sky is robin egg blue, and you can just feel that Spring is coming soon. Yes, Spring will be here soon. So, I don't really mind the cold and the snow in February as I am already planning my gardens. When it was warm and the snow had all melted, I was already doing Spring clean-up. But now it has snowed again and again and I am shoveling again! But there are absolutely no complaints about this winter as it has been relatively mild with rain more often than snow. The good news is that we have had sufficient precipitation so as to offset the minimal snow. One does not have to shovel rain! But I do need to manage the leaky basement,

Icicles on the lilac bush. Cold then warm, then cold again. Winter scenes are appealing, they are refreshing and clean.

Blue skies and just a wisp of clouds and snow is still covering the ground. The next day we did have a snowstorm, much to my boys delight!

Fionnegan gets up close and personal with the snow. He just puts his face right into the snowbanks and also likes to eat it as if it were ice cream.

And when your face is almost completely covered he just shakes it off. Maybe we should all learn to just shake things off whenever we are covered with something a bit annoying.

Shorty loves to play in the snow. They all run to the gate when they hear the question "Who wants to run?" And run they do, just like the cavalry.

Gunnarr is being camera shy here. He has just finished chasing Fionnegan around the yard. 

Here they are on the back porch. They spotted a squirrel outside the fence and are keeping an eye on it.

And when he is done running and playing and rolling in the snow, he loves his spot on the front porch. This is his spot and only his spot. He does not share this special real estate on the porch.

 

We have also been quite busy in the house. I decided to take advantage of a special deal by my contractor and paint the downstairs bedroom. And since it was being painted, this was the ideal time to remove the carpet that had been there for 30 years ever since I moved into the house. So everything had to be moved out of the room and into the dining room (the only furniture there being the chair and ottoman the dogs love) and into the living room. All of the pictures were taken down, the bookcases emptied, and knickknacks carefully placed in boxes.  There was not much time to sort through the items so everything was packed in anticipation of a clean-out as the contents were to be moved back. My old desk that was a bit sad and falling apart was sent out for repair by a local cabinet maker. The bed was the largest item placed in the pathway of the dogs run. It was pretty amazing how they negotiated the new obstacles while keeping up the speed chasing each other. 

So after 6 weeks, the room is done, the bookcase is back and the furniture is back in place. So I have been spending each evening sorting through the boxes with the goal of discarding at least 10% of the contents. Since I am not moving, I cannot discard any sentimental items or tokens of appreciation from my patients. But I can get rid of unnecessary clutter and clothes that no longer fit. The boys just go to sleep in my study as Shorty has realized he is not going upstirs to bed any time soon! After a while as it gets late, I get bored and just close a box or two and say that I will get to it some time again. Let's see how long it takes to get back to these tiresome boxes!

Now my attention turns to shoveling once more as we had a March snow storm and I need to clear the car before it becomes a block of ice!

I do hope you all are well. I will try to write again soon.

Until next time,

03.06.18 March Snow and Bluebirds

We had one of our typical March snowstorms this week with well over one foot of snow! It is beautiful and once this cold front moves along, it will melt soon. But shovel I did.

It is a really peaceful time and I enjoy the quiet time and rhythm of shoveling. No one bothers you, probably for fear of being asked to help!  While taking a container out to feed the birds and squirrels, I listened to the calls of several different types of birds. I am trying to learn the songs. There on the branch just above the feeder was a male bluebird, singing as pretty as can be. Another male joined him and I was certain they were patiently waiting for me to put the seed in the feeder. Also there were several of my favorite tufted titmouse and even an evening grosbeak.

Had the camera ready for the bluebird.

Still snowing but his feathers are all fluffed up to keep him warm. And it is breakfast time, so he is ready.






He does look like he is watching me. He also is one handsome bird. There was a female by the front of the house last week, am hoping the become residents and build a nest. There are nest boxes on a nearby farm for them, so maybe they will come over for seed.

Can you find the bird?




This tufted titmouse was not going to let a little snow in the feeder keep him from breakfast!


And here is a little chickadee who was also able to find the sunflower seeds under the snow.


Once finished shoveling the back deck for the boys and feeding the birds, it was time to turn my attention to the sidewalk and driveway and kitchen porch. Lots to shovel there but I was rewarded by hearing the very loud call of a pileated woodpecker. He is a really noisy bird. I did not have the camera with me, but no matter. I followed his sound until I saw his bright red head in a nearby white pine tree. Then he flew. There is no mistaking this very large woodpecker. And I was able to see him fly even closer to me and get a really good look at his markings and wing feathers. What a gorgeous bird.

These are not my photographs, but I thought you might enjoy seeing what this bird looks like. These images are by professional photographers. Handsome, right? And he has been seen in my backyard woods for a few years now. Hoping to find a nest some time.

What luck to be able to watch this! What skill and luck for the photographer who was able to capture the image.

So shoveling snow does have its rewards. And I should always have that camera with me.

Until next time, stay healthy and be happy ...………..

02.28.19 A beautiful snowfall

We'll take a break in the bird postings and enjoy the moment of this beautiful snow fall. The snow is light and fluffy and was easy to shovel - an important aspect for me! Yesterday we saw a blue bird sitting on a flower pot left outside, today we have snow. The one thing I really like about February is that you can see the birds begin to migrate north, you can hear the cardinal singing early in the morning, the days are getting longer, and when it is not snowing the skies are usually a beautiful blue. Even though it is still cold, February is one of my favorite months as I feel that it heralds Spring. They very well may be more snow and cold days, but you can feel Spring is just around the corner.

Here are some wintry pictures for you to enjoy.



A bench positioned to enjoy the gardens around the back of the house. Really have not taken advantage of that opportunity in the past. Maybe this year!







They love the snow. At least two out of three. Gunnarr has been back inside sooner than the others. It might be because he is always next to me or he just doesn't want to get his paws cold. But he never misses  a cavalry charge on squirrel patrol.









Serious running this morning with Shorty in the lead. Usually it is Fionnegan who is first, then Gunnarr, then Shorty. But those pesky squirrels are at the feeders and Shorty has a duty to protect the birds!







Gunnarr warming up after a fast run outside. Fionn was close behind him coming inside.





Once inside they all are towel dried and fluffed. The twins cuddle up on the couch and quickly fall asleep.






A special winter treat - the clivia bloomed this year. A gorgeous flower that is thoroughly enjoyed.


Until next time...…. I will work on more bird pictures from the Rio Grande Valley.