Of finches and swallowtails...

I'm trying to decide if this is a Cassin's Finch or a Purple Finch.  I thought it might be an ordinary House Finch, but I think the red colors are spread more through the wings and body than they are for the House Finch.  Either way,  my eye caught sight of him from the window as I was paying the bills today.  What a treat for my eyes and my spirit. 

Mr. Finch has a friend in the basket with him nibbling on sunflower seeds.  This fellow is a junco. 

I made a little time for embroidery today since I have given up on my crochet-edged pillowcases. Rather than cry, I decided to stop and move on to something I love, hence, the embroidered caterpillar and Swallowtail.

A little Christmas at Easter

Look who has been blooming since before Thanksgiving --  Miss Christmas Cactus!    This plant is simply amazing.  Just when I thought she was all done blooming for the year, in March another set of buds popped out, and here she is on Easter Sunday in full bloom!  I've believe that God has given me this gift to brighten the long winter days right up to spring.  Isn't He just the best Father?  He loves me.

He is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter.

This video reminds me of when my own Littles sang in church.
Precious.

Migration....

We awoke to a skiff of wet snow this morning with the promise of another 5-8" tonight.  These spring snowstorms are called poor man's fertilizer because they can put more nitrogen and wetness into the soil than anything.  Along with the snowy wetness came a migration.  The Sandhill Crane has come back to us.  (See how he's standing on one foot.  I love that!)

I was walking out to do chores and spotted him immediately.  Sandhill Cranes are very large aquatic birds -- about 37" in height with a wingspan of 80" -- not easily overlooked on the prairie.  This one was on our stock pond by the house.

I loved seeing his reflection in the water -- a double blessing.

We don't ever see great flocks of these birds, but mostly pairs of them.  I believe their breeding grounds are farther north of us, but we always have a few that seem to hang around the ranch for the summer.

The Red-wing blackbirds are back in full force and in great flocks.  Today a large flock found my sunflower seeds in the backyard and wow, do they know how to make a racket.  I call them the "Rock Stars of the Bird World" because their calls and trills and squawks remind me of hard rock music (in comparison to other bird calls and songs).  Take a listen to this video below.

The meadowlarks have swooped upon us in a great wave too.  The prairie is covered with them.  I tried to get a picture of them, but they are mostly scattered over the ground and few were up on the fence posts.  Soon they will separate out of their flocks and into pairs and will establish their own territories.  They are solitary birds mostly, except when migrating.  Click the video below for a sampling of their sing-song trills.  You will also hear some wind rumbling and a couple of cows bellowing amongst the songs. 

I apologize for the poor quality  video, but since it snowed and was gray and gloomy, it didn't make for the best conditions for filming, plus my camera doesn't do the best video anyway.  It does gather sound well though!

Simply Monday....

There was laundry to do.  I always wash sheets on Monday and then a few other things, depending on how full the laundry chute is.  The sheets are already off the line and up next came the jeans and towels.  It was especially warm and breezy here today, otherwise I would not have been able to hang out the jeans with confidence that they would dry completely.  
(See the snowbank back there in the trees?)

  Peering out the window, I spied this house finch at the feeder.  The boys built me the feeder many Christmases ago and it's still faithfully doing its job.  It is just so much fun for me to see all my feathered friends returning back home.

I did a little looking around on the blogs today and found Angry Chicken's pattern for a lined bonnet on sale for just $8.  I couldn't resist.  I purchased it and stitched one up for my lil grandgirl this afternoon.  It was so easy and I think it's an adorable style.  It's cute plain & simple, but if you added some trim or lace you could really spiffed it up a bit more.  Lots of possibilities.

 H. came over to model her new bonnet for us.

She wore it without complaining or tugging at it and played happily in the yard, throwing the ball to the dogs and gathering up sticks.  I plan to make more bonnets for outdoor summer days.  By the way, if you like to wear bonnets, you can make one for yourself as well as for the lil girls in your life.  The pattern includes three sizes: adult, child, baby.

"Monday is the key day of the week."

~Gaelic Proverb

It must be true.  Just think of how my week would be thrown off if I didn't get the sheets washed!

The green things growing

Red and green tulip tips --

a glimpse of things to come.

Pale green daffodil tips protrude with promise.

Hopeful hollyhock beginnings.

Itibits...

Spring snow is still a possibility.

Carrots and onions are on the garden list.

......................................................

O the green things growing, the green things growing,
The faint sweet smell of the green things growing!
I should like to live, whether I smile or grieve,
Just to watch the happy life of my green things growing. 

O the fluttering and the pattering of those green things growing!
How they talk each to each, when none of us are knowing;
In the wonderful white of the weird moonlight
Or the dim dreamy dawn when the cocks are crowing. 

I love, I love them so - my green things growing!
And I think that they love me, without false showing;
For by many a tender touch, they comfort me so much,
With the soft mute comfort of green things growing. 

And in the rich store of their blossoms glowing
Ten for one I take they're on me bestowing:
Oh, I should like to see, if God's will it may be,
Many, many a summer of my green things growing! 

But if I must be gathered for the angel's sowing,
Sleep out of sight awhile, like the green things growing,
Though dust to dust return, I think I'll scarcely mourn,
If I may change into green things growing. 

~Dinah Maria Mulock Craik [1826-1887]  

"When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen,

And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

The lambs will be for your clothing...."

~Proverbs 27:25, 26

First Meadowlark...

I heard his unforgettable song first....

and then I spotted him on the barb wire fence 

as I was shutting the gate on the sheep's pasture.

Joy fills my heart whenever I hear

that first trill.

The meadowlark has come home!

In celebration I stitched an itibit.

One with him singing

and the other with the notes.

Have you been watching Molly the Barn Owl?

Live Video streaming by Ustream
She's hatched 3 owlets so far. The webcam is on day and night. You may have to click the refresh symbol on the left-hand side of the video to get it to play "live." Enjoy!

Itibits 19 & 20

 

Half way to 40 itibits.

I'm enjoying this.

I started crocheting the edging on my pillowcases for the 

On The Edge Crochet-along.

I haven't crocheted in years so 

I feel like a beginner...

Beginning again.

But it's fun!

Merry First Day of Spring!

I spied a pair of robins this afternoon amongst the caragana bushes.  I snapped up my camera and took these photos from my window.  Then Sue chased them off.  She loves to chase birds.

Doesn't Robby Robin look curious?  

It was a warm, windy 50-ish degree day, 

very like March.
I've read that the male robins often arrive first in the spring.  You can tell them by their bright orange-red breast and their darker capped head and white eye ring.  The female has a much duller color.

We had our afternoon coffee and tea and a celebratory

lemon cupcake on the front porch in the sunshine.

I made a lemon box cake, added some lemon zest to the batter and then topped the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting (Julia Child's) and a sugar carrot.

Very Spring, dontchathink?

I saw a really interesting happening today on the stock pond by our house.  There have been Canada Geese coming and going  these past couple of weeks and today I saw a pair of geese walking across the ice of the pond to the other side where four other geese were standing tall and erect, watching them cross.  Once the pair got to the bank, they lowered their heads to the ground and continued to walk toward the other geese who remained upright.  As the pair walked, they made a very low, groaning sound.  A humbling sort of sound.  I had never heard nor seen this before.  The two continued in the bowed state and then would stop and turn away from the four.  A moment more and the pair would try to approach the four again, with heads lowered and the low groaning sound hovering forth.  There was absolutely no response by the four geese, just an erect stance.  The pair of geese from this point on, walked away from the four, heads lowered and groaning.  

I wondered if the two were defending their pond territory since I have noticed a pair of geese that stick around all the time.  Or perhaps the pair was submitting to the four in a pecking order of some kind?  I didn't watch for long, but I noticed the pair swimming on the pond later this evening.  They were the only geese around.  I'm not sure how everything was  resolved, but I *think* the pair  remaining tonight may have been the same couple who were bowing and moaning.  Other geese and a variety of ducks come and go from time to time, but one pair of geese stays.  It'll be interesting to see if they choose to nest nearby.

click picture to enlarge

I see the moon,

and the moon sees me....

The moon looks like a sail boat

ready to embark into the dark sea of night.

More about the week's night sky here.