For the Birds

Last May we spend a couple of days with some friends in the western part of the U.P. in Michigan. They had some bird feeders hung near their kitchen window and had an amazing variety of bird coming right up to the windows to feed. We loved it so much that we have tried to create the same effect at our house and have had some pretty good luck. We don't have as wide a variety but are doing great . The hummingbirds come right to the window and the finches are fun to watch. This year we also have the pine siskin's coming.

Anyway I have some fun trying to photograph them. Here are some of the photos.

This one has some spider web on it's beak. I read that they line their nest with it .



This is one of the clearest shots that I took. He held still longer than the others.




My fav pictuce of the finches . The record is 14 at once.

Anyway I have some fun trying to photograph them. Here are some of the photos.

The last is some video of them feeding. Notice the hummer's tongue going as it feeds.
I have to add this one of Macy trying to shred some cheese for her spaghetti,that she loves so well. I have to wonder how it will be when Matt and Shell have their baby. Another bright spot in our lives.

Check out the tongue action.

Click on some of these photos to see them full screen because a few are good shots. The last time I tried birds shots was with my sister Sue's camera. That was what got me interested in getting a good digital camera.

Raised beds

This week I'm gardening.  I got the raised beds going and am planting tomatoes and peppers in them to see how it goes.  Time will be the teacher here as to what to grow in them.  I'm a little late for this year because the ground has been so wet.  I planted some Red Currants and Gooseberries in a raised bed along the fence in a spot that stays wet longer,that will put it to some good use.

   Macy helped me plant.....she dug some holes,took a ride in the wagon and sang me some songs.  We had to put up the tent so she could "camp".  

After all of this work we had to rest under the maple tree.  But first she played with a toad in the garden.  I just wish that her mother was here to play with it too!

Then Ginny and her painted some clay pots.  Macy really gets into this and does quite well.  She say's that she is an artist.  I tend to believe her.

Resting under the tree.

End of the day.

Catching up.

   It has been a while since I have updated this blog.  Every time that I think to add a post I just get too busy or something else comes along.  My thoughts don't flow out of me like my daughter-in-law Shell.  She has a gift of gab that flows nicely onto print that is seamless ,it reads as if she were standing there beside you.  I on the other hand have thoughts that transfer to print in spurts and sputters,like lightning.  

  Now that we are getting Macy every Wenesday afternoon and Thursday blogging is not on my mind as much.  She has been a joy.  We love her so and she makes us laugh, remember laughing?

 Comics aren't funny any more, television "comics" seem boring.  Maybe it's my age.  Seen it,been there,done that.  Hum.  

Well the new addition at the church is all done and we had a open house.  The best part was April put on a show on her unicycle riding.

These pictures are before most of the people came.

That is Libby checking out the tables

Show time

We got Mike to show his stuff.  He still can juggle well.  I can barely juggle one ball.  I think that he had some fun doing it too.

The Wood Fairy cometh

Sometime last week the wood fairy did come and split all of the wood ......  Okay, it was just me...and I am finally done until I find any more free wood.  I just can't bring myself to pay for wood when I can do the work .  I enjoy cutting wood anyway.  I just don't care for all of the handling afterwards.  I tried to count all of the times that I handled a piece of wood from cutting to burning.....somewhere around a dozen times!  Keeps me young.   Or maybe it is making me old,  I can't tell which.

I think that I have two years plus all stacked and ready to burn.   

I got a great deal at the auction on a very large truck tarp that I cut into four pieces to cover the piles .  Not bad for five bucks!  

We stopped burning any wood now and we miss it already.  We like the warmth in  the mornings and cooking on it for dinner.  Spring time.  

Work waiting

My wood pile is waiting for me ....again. I thought that maybe someone would come along and split it for me but there must not be a wood fairy that comes at night and splits your wood for you. Some lumber jack looking guy with an axe ,a beard and some little fairy wings. Maybe it works like the tooth fairy and I need to put some logs under my pillow. I'll talk to Ginny and get back with ya on that!

Time to get my feet going !

This is my foot as I sat in my chair in the greenhouse....doing nuttin. I sat contemplating what color to paint the back wall of the greenhouse . Then we went to Lowe's and found a can on clearance....and that became the color.

I started some plants for the garden last week. Some peppers,tomatoes,leek,basil etc..

I just put new triple wall glazing on the greenhouse and it is so much better than the old covering . I can keep it warmer now with just a little heat. It is much tighter too. No air gets in.

Most of the extras in the greenhouse came from the auction. The windows,racks, lights ,fans trays ,all were on the cheap. Too bad they don't have seeds .

New Windows!

We have been overdue to get some new windows in our bedroom. The old wood windows have fallen apart allowing a lot of cold air into the house,the storms were broken and some we couldn't open any more. So we took the plunge and spent our tax return money on six new windows. I had been thinking about doing it my self but I had no experience with installing them . I hate to pay the long dollar for someone else to do work for me but I am glad that I did (this time). They did the whole job in less than three hours and they trimmed the outside much better than I could have. They made it look so easy too. It must be a good feeling to do one thing and do it well. Here are the photos.






These are the before pictures

The old storms that I will never have to use again! Yes.

The first one being installed

And the finished product waiting for us to paint the stop moldings. We noticed that the room was a lot more quiet than before and no sweating windows! It feels like a new room. Life is good.

Cutting down the dead Ash tree

In one of my previous posts you saw that the neighbors dead ash tree fell on my garage and greenhouse . Well there was still a lot of tree still standing and in danger of falling on my garage again. Today my friends came over with the tractor to help me pull it down. I was to say the least a little nervous because it was in the neighbor's yard. There is a shed and her wellhead near where I had to drop it. Here is the tail.

Cliff and Doug.

Here is Cliff after we got the straps and chains hooked up . We had to get far away.

This is hours later after I had it all cut up. A lot of work but it will help heat the house next winter. All I have to do now is get it all split and piled up in the back. Any volunteers?

Click on this to see it closer.

Okay it's going down! Watch the upper limb hit the little tree and break in half. That saved the shed!

An Afternoon with Grandpa

Last week the daughter-in-law called to ask if we could watch Macy for a while and Gin was busy at the church so I got to watch Macy ...all by my self! I thought that she might be unhappy that GG wasn't there cus she loves her GG but all was well. In fact it was wonderful.

I haven't smiled that much for a while. She kept saying the cutes things and I was kept busy every minute. What was really nice was that I had her all to my self and could take as many pictures as she would allow. The following is my Macy Day pictures.

A Surprise Night Out

Last night Mark and Bernie took us out for a "surprise "! We expected dinner at maybe the local place in Dundee or something along those lines. They wouldn't tell us where until we got real close....It was Mancy's in Toledo! Holy Cow. This place is really the top of the line and expensive...we had no clue.

This is where I took Ginny on our first date some 41 years ago. We hav only been there a half a dozen times since.

We had great waittress. She took all of the teasing that Mark and I was giving her very well and was real sweet. She had as much fun as we did and she even took our pictures for us to document the night.

Here we are enjoying the soup before the main meal came out.

I'm the handsome one and Mark is the other one.

Thank Mark and Bernie ...It was a great night out.