March

The birds are still showing up for lunch but the variety hasn't changed much.    This red winged black bird 

was a nice addition.  

  

But mostly, it's still the busy house finches.   

We made a trip east and arrived in time for Andy's birthday and his ice cream cake.    While we dog-sat Murphy, Andy and his parents flew to Europe to see WW I and II sites.   Andy has a keen interest in that time and despite rain and cold, they covered many historical sites.  

  

Weather was pretty typical for Connecticut springs, overcast and gloomy but we got in some good walks. 

 

Around here the daffodils are blooming and the trees are starting to blossom  and the golfers are out in force.   Of course, it will snow again but we do need the moisture.     

Meet Nala.    She is a rescue English Mastiff.    She's almost done and then I'll start on Maple.   It's been nice to get away from white dogs.    I'm also looking forward to  a class on landscapes in April via Zoom.    It's very convenient and the classes are recorded so easy to watch several times.     

I'm rereading "Shogun".    I started to watch the series but the brutality and violence became too much so I decided to go back to the book.   I remember nothing from the first time I read it.    It's also very stomach turning at times but I can speed-read over those parts.    

And a special Hi and Thank you to Mark for being a loyal blog reader and I have gifted him a free subscription. !! 😏

 

Where did Jan and Feb go.....?

Fortunately, spending this winter at home instead of AZ hasn't been that bad.    But, the downside is no pictures of my favorite desert plants and blooms.      And no interesting explorations or getaways.    Instead, one of us plays pickleball a lot and the other one walks a lot.   And draws a bit.     

Oz was finally finished...... 

This is Lucy.    She is elderly and drawn for a friend of the family.     I'm done with whitish dogs for awhile.  

And this is Maple.   She and Nala are Mastiffs..... I see them most days on my morning walk.   They don't really walk, they lumber .     And when I stop to chat with their mom, they lie down and go to sleep....even for a minute or two.   I've started their portraits..... stay tuned.      Maple doesn't like the camera ..... 

 

         So, I've read a lot of books and listened to even more.   I'm enjoying Wolf Hall on PBS..... it mostly seems to follow the book or as I remember it.    

We do have some travel plans coming up........... to spend quality time with the granddog.. 

Wildlife

It's quiet these days .    We don't regret our decision not to spend a few months in AZ.   We keep reasonably busy but I miss my outdoor walks.    I'm an early morning walker and I just can't force myself to bundle up and trudge outside in 10 degrees.    We have a treadmill and recumbent exercise bike and a Pilates Performer so there are no excuses.    AND, I can crawl out of bed, put on my Hokas, and do the treadmill all before 7 or 8.    

We are thoroughly enjoying our gifted Bird Buddy.    I have fed the birds for a few years but this brings it to a very interesting level.      

Male and female house finch.

We get notifications when a new bird appears...... BUT, that has only happened twice since we only have finches and one Pine Siskin ( although I question that ID since they migrate ).   The camera has a wide angle lens so up close they appear a bit distorted ....but it adds to the experience!.    We were able to 3-D print the blue accessories....well, HE was able to do that....I have no idea how that printer works.

The house finches are busy all day.   I like Anne Lamott's description of them.   The male shows up in his "glorious red headdresses and chest and the females in their faded brown bathrobes "

Yesterday, a Northern Flicker showed up .   But, it was off to the side, feeding from the suet cup and only his beak was captured.   And he left when I tried to get a picture of him.   Their wing feathers are a beautiful orange and I have one they left behind last summer.  

Yesterday, we drove to Grand Junction.   I need a bookstore fix every now and then.   There used to be a nice one in Ouray but it closed.  I liked supporting it.   

I went specifically for this book by Amy Tam.   It is delightful and I highly recommend it if you have any interest in bird watching /journaling.   

And, speaking of wildlife.    My neighbor Leslie, next door, has seen foxes in her yard early in the mornings.    Usually 3 large ones.    I have not seen any nor have we captured them on our security cameras.    My friend across the fairway has had them at her front door cameras in the night.    And, our neighbors across the street managed to get these pictures yesterday.   They are quite magnificent and I'm glad we don't have small dogs or cats.     I would like to see them, from a distance.   

Yesterday, after our trips to the bookstore and the Wild Bird Unlimited store for birdseed, we went up to 

the Colorado National Monument.   It's a beautiful drive and it's guaranteed that there will be Bighorn 

sheep.   Yesterday just a small herd of females.    

This is Oz.   He lived a great life, from days in Nicholas' dorm room until this fall.....over 16 years.   He was a scruffy little dog.    This is my 2nd attempt at capturing him.   My first attempt was on drafting film.   It's an interesting surface to draw on and allows for amazing detail.    It came out as a good drawing but I didn't feel like it really looked like Oz.    So I'm starting over on my favorite surface, a textured (like very fine sandpaper) that allows for many many layers and a softer look.    I enjoy the process and the learning experience so I don't mind starting over.   But white dogs are hard for me.  

 

Christmas

And so we flew east.... Always a beautiful view as we take off over the Elk Mountains. 

  

Yes, the boys still make Christmas cookies.   Their  special Grandma Rae gave them these aprons, obviously many years ago.... and Star War cookie cutters to match.   

I didn't get out in the favorite woods due to very slippery trails but we did do a healthy walk with serious uphills .    

The pilots went flying on a sunny day.......

And Murphy loved his Christmas bear, minus a few parts. 

And now we are home, enjoying the quiet days and the fireplace.