Rainy Sundays....and birdwatchin....

The past two, possibly three Sundays, have been rainy and cool. Doesn't bother me at all. Yesterday, I came downstairs to feed my cat. I looked outside to see if one of those whacky squirrels was up on the one feeder dish. But it wasn't... instead there was a beautiful red-breasted grosbeak. What a treat to see! I kept watching throughout the day, enjoying the antics of all the birds flitting around the feeders and he finally came back again later in the afternoon. He didn't get to stay long either time he stopped by, because that blasted squirrel kept jumping up in the dish and knocking him off! Arghhh! Oh well, squirrels gotta eat too - right? Right.... But if they keep eating as much as they do, I'm gonna make them get a job! I was throwing water at the squirrels to get them to stay off the one feeder. However, they didn't seem to care at all about that. I actually think they were sticking their tongues out at me - and my cat was inside laughing - ha!

Show and Tell....

You will have to click on the picture to really be able to see these jars. These are jars I found in antique stores over the years. They were previously used for women to store their powder and rouge and creams and so on in. The very first one I bought has an "L" on it. I saw a girl looking at it in the antique store and I asked what it was and that was when I learned what they were used for in years gone by. I wanted this jar so much - especially because it had the "L" on it. I kept looking at other items, while this girl continued to debate on whether to buy it or not. I didn't let on that I wanted it badly!! But I was keeping watch on her out of the corner of my eyes. The second she set it down and walked away, I ran over and said, I want it!! I continued to find more of them and now have a collection of 5. I am always on the look-out for more! The biggest one has the letters L.T.W. on it. It would have been perfection if it was L.S.E. (my maiden name initials), or L.S.H. (my married initials) - but I was happy just to have the "L"!

Crying Uncle!

Well I call Uncle to two things today - one - the squirrels - they keep chewing my one feeder and then all the seed comes out - I tape it and tape it - and they chew through it..... Arghhh!!! I have taped it again and wrapped a wire hanger around it, but I think they will find a way through that also! So, let them and the birds fight it out for the seed in there! There are other feeders the birds will have to eat from instead! Altho they love this one feeder the most!

And I am crying Uncle on Quaker Christmas by Bygone Stitches. I really love the design - think it is beautiful - but every time I picked it up to stitch on it, it seemed like a chore - and then I would put it down for a day or so, and then be filled with dread about picking it up again! So I know it just isn't something I want to stitch! So I'm moving on to other things that I truly enjoy working on!

Book/series Spotlight....

I really enjoy the series of cozy mysteries written by Rett MacPherson. She writes about the character of Torie O'Shea. Torie is a genealogist, living in a small quaint town in Missouri. She has three kids (two of which are always at odds), an understanding (most of the time) husband, a pesky step-father, who she has a like/love/dislike - wants to murder him - relationship... and somehow she always finds herself involved in a murder. I enjoy the historical aspects she puts into her books, and I always find myself giggling a time or two or three.

I just finished her newest one called "The Blood Ballad". In case you are interested, the series order is as follows:

Family Skeletons
A Veiled Antiquity
A Comedy of Heirs
A Misty Mourning
Killing Cousins
Blood Relations
In Sheep's Clothing
Thicker Than Water
Dead Man Running
Died In the Wool
The Blood Ballad

Bird Watching.... and those pesky squirrels....

I love to watch the birds. Sitting here on a quiet afternoon or evening and watching them flit in and away from the feeders - watching their cute and quirky little habits. The "babies" as we call them - which I believe are sparrows - come around several times a day. They almost know that it is "time to eat" - in the morning, around noon, and then around 5 or 6 in the evening. The nervous cardinals who scare off at the slightest breeze. The cute chickadees who zoom in, grap a seed, and zoom off - over and over. I even have a yellow goldfinch popping in and out this week. He/she stops by every year on his/her way to and from somewhere.... That is a special treat to see. The squirrels - well, we are slowly winning the battle - and it has been a battle! Today, I found the new "bird feeding contraption" we had hung up (to keep the squirrels away and let the birds eat) laying on the deck, part of it broken. So my husband just finished hanging it back up. We will see how long it lasts!

We dress alike, We talk alike, at times.....

This is a picture of my Mom, my older sister, and me - all dressed in our same little outfits. Not sure of the date when this was taken. I got a copy of it when I made my last trip to Ohio two years ago. I love looking at it! My sister has always been such a ham in pictures, while I tend to hang back, smiling lightly. I don't like having my picture taken as an adult - and I don't think (from looking at this picture) that I liked having it taken when I was younger - LOL! But I still find this photo of the three of us a treasured keepsake....

And the battle is on! Me Against the Squirrels!!

It is my own fault. I have no one to blame but me. I've been feeding the squirrels for years and years and years! Also feeding the birds. At first, it was okay - they all got a share. But lately the squirrels are just taking over - eating from not only the bowls I put out for them, but from the feeders also. The poor birdies barely get anything to eat and I can't even watch them anymore because the squirrels are constantly scaring them off. So three days ago, I decided to stop feeding the squirrels. I'm now $35.00 poorer - trying to find a feeder they will stay out of and that the cardinals will eat from. We've tried all kinds of tricks, but the squirrels always figure the puzzle out and are back to hanging from the feeders, eating away. I've not given up yet!! I am throwing out bread and crackers into the yard so the squirrels have something to munch on. Otherwise I'd feel too cruel. Have you ever had a squirrel sit their looking at you with their little paws crossed under their chins and a puzzled, hurt look on their faces! Arghhh!