Wide Eyed Window

Happy Birthday to my One and Only

2012-01-31T08:07:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry you have a cold for your birthday and that you forgot your coffee and that I'm not a party person....you deserve a big old celebration!! Three birthdays you've been far, far away from us and last year we were just with my parents....having an "early-bird" dinner in Florida...how fitting for hitting mid-century!! Now you are home and we have medically fragile grandchildren not to mention all the equipment both baby and medical .....but I want you to know what a treasure you are to me.

When you bring me flowers just because they were pretty, and you didn't even look at the price tag. I am no fun and all business and you, with the gruff exterior, are such a romantic. I'm stuck in ruts and routines and practicality and you go to the heart of the matter with so much heart.

I know someone else who is just completely smitten with you as well. I am so very glad I met you 30 years ago! Happy Birthday!!

Flashback Friday

2012-01-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Where are my sister's mittens??? And how come I always had to be up front? This was a train - two sleds held together - and on the dead end/driveway in front of our house. Not as dangerous as the toboggan which held all of us. My spot was in the front wedged between my brother's legs and the scoop front of the toboggan. My eyes were usually shut tight while we screamed downhill, inevitably hitting a bump or the boys would dig their feet in for brakes and send us flying. Often I was still wedged in the front of the tipped over toboggan with my face sliding through the snow....or ice. My mother was not too happy on more than one occasion when my oldest brother would bring me home a bit bloody. I'm sure the older two wished they could have left me home a few times, but I'm grateful they took me along, injuries and all.

Seeing Red

2012-01-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

This is how it begins, a glimpse of red standing out in stark contrast to the grays of winter.Cardinals come to the feeder at low light ~ just before dawn and just as dusk rolls in.

Male

female

I find them both striking!....and so easily startled!!

Leucistic American Goldfinch?

2012-01-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

This little bird caught my eye out at the feeder this morning. I'm thinking Leucistic American Goldfinch?

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:47:00.000-05:00

A very special gift.....a baby boy born with a different set of expectations than most...arrived this morning in the wee dark hours 2:52 to be precise! 4 pounds 13 ounces and 18 inches of pure joy. Such a strange Christmas this year with young Warrior far, far away; babyMomma with hubby and grandson Charlie in the hospital in the big city; my dad in a nursing home/rehab; and the two of us taking care of big sister. I'm so glad Christmas is so much more than family traditions. Merry Christmas to all!!

and to all a good night!!

An Almost Wordless Wednesday...on Thursday

2011-12-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Beautiful illustrations! Not on my bookshelf yet, but I think it will be soon.

Some glimpses of our home.

My elf made snowflakes and hung them from the doorways. She also made gingerbread people with our names and hung them. This is something she remembers from Christmas parties that my sister's mother-in-law always had. We did not go every year, but apparently my daughter had very fond memories of getting a gingerbread person with her name on it. It is so very neat sharing my home with my adult daughter and her young family, to see traditions passed along as well as combined and created.

Tonight Grampa and Grammy did the bedtime routine while babyMomma is in Boston awaiting the arrival of her baby boy. It is hard to fathom that he will be here before Christmas. It is strange to know his diagnosis ahead of time. I can't wait to meet him face to face.

December Already??

2011-12-01T12:33:00.001-05:00

I'm not exactly sure what happened to November. My young warrior came home after 3 months overseas, so I was bustling around trying to set up a cozier guest bedroom than he had here a year ago. He ends up in the "Music Room." Sounds great, but after merging two households and then acquiring more and more medical supplies for the grandbaby, the room has become a very large storage closet! It now has full length curtains that are actually hanging from decorative curtain rods! Unfortunately, he still has to sleep on an air mattress on the floor....I'll have three months till he gets to come home again so I'll have to hunt down some sort of bed. A murphy bed would be awesome except the best wall would be the wall the piano occupies, so we'll have to rethink that. With another grandbaby on the way, I need a decent guest bedroom so the babies' other grammy can come visit!

My granddaughter had been enjoying a long stretch of good health. With two adults in the kitchen (one for her, one to cook), she would sometimes even help with the baking. She had begun really moving around on the floor and had started going forward a little bit in her fancy walker! We were enjoying "dancing" to Christmas music while making supper in the late afternoons. Thanksgiving morning she began to be sick and by Sunday calls were made to her Palliative Care Team and Hospice. A lot of tears these last few days and just inability to do much of anything other than pray and try to support the babyMomma! A very tough week for young warrior to be home as we can't really do a whole lot. He's been amazing, though, and has hired a friend of his to finish and do several home improvement projects that have been sadly neglected.

God's timing is amazing as a new day nurse began Monday and walked into the front lines of a battle for Amber. She has been amazing and has advocated for new equipment, made calls to doctors and pharmacies and suppliers, and does everything with such confidence but with a great deal of respect for the babyMomma. We are so glad she came when she did and that she had been out once before on a different visit to see Amber healthy so she could really understand just how sick Pale Peanut has been this week. We would still covet prayers for a full recovery and safe arrival of her baby brother.....due mid-January but probably/possibly earlier than that.

In the midst of all this, we are trying to lift spirits and each day add a little more Christmas. Lights went up last night, just a few white twinklies outside on two bushes and a blanket of lights on a big rock; and candles in the windows. Christmas dishes came out the day after Thanksgiving. These were a gift to the babyMomma last year. They just make us smile.

View From The Swamp

2011-11-11T12:25:00.001-05:00

Coyote

Beaver

These photos were taken with a wildlife camera my husband gave me for Christmas last year. I've tried it in several places without a great deal of success. I finally took it all the way down the hill to the edge of the swamp, next to the log I stand on to watch the swamp, and strapped it low on the tree, facing away from the swamp. These pictures were from October 27th through November 8th.

Today is Brought to You by The Letter S

2011-11-09T21:38:00.000-05:00

Scenic Vistas

Serenity

Sewing

Sisters

A short get-away last week to North Conway, New Hampshire. A little hiking, a little shopping, a lot of sewing ~ my sister put most of her quilt top together, I dabbled with a stressful block and then laid out last year's quilt to ponder over what to hand quilt the borders...still haven't decided. A lot of reminiscing ~ 24 years of memories with my parents in this place and time of year.

Grateful!!

2011-11-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

A heart full of gratitude this morning....

for POWER restored!!!

for a supper delivery (thank you MyStory)...even though we didn't deserve it

for a four month stretch of good health for grandbaby

for parents who took me camping so I can survive with limited water

for grandbaby's giggles that remind me of my grandmother

for a gas stove

for the privilege of a boomerang situation so that I can see grandbaby's unique way of dealing with physical limitations

for a flight delay

for timely reminders from blogger friends

Trick or Treat....I'm Thinking Trick

2011-10-30T10:58:00.000-04:00

I don't think any words are necessary.

Power's been out since 6 pm Saturday. Thankfully we have a generator running for heat, coffee pot, and some rooms ~ primarily the grandbaby's so the babymomma can hear the monitors for oxygen and feeding pump in the night. No running water though.

Fall?

2011-10-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

Typical toddler in her own way! My sweet grandbaby has discovered rolling as a way to travel across the living room floor.....especially when something looks interesting. She can move fast when properly motivated, and "helping" grammy cut fabric for a new quilt block seemed like just the thing. No sooner would I put her back on the far side of her blanket then I would find her on my cutting mat!!

This is the finished block that I began with my grandbaby's help. I was thrilled to actually get the owls all facing the same direction! I'm thinking this might find it's way into a little something for her baby brother.

Not our typical October landscape....

These were taken Friday morning and as I write this Saturday evening, we have about a foot of snow and it's still snowing....the power went out but thankfully we have a generator running so there is heat, a few lights, and the baby's medical equipment will be ok for the night. Sadly, no running water but we're campers so we can deal with that for a little bit. December 2008 we had a horrific icestorm leaving us without power for two weeks. I've never experienced battle or sounds of mortar fire, but laying in the dark listening to trees fall for hours and into the next day is not something I ever want to hear again. Looking out, the tree limbs are bent low as they are loaded with leaves still. I wonder what things will look like tomorrow?

Do I See a Theme?

2011-10-20T07:36:00.000-04:00

An apron made by an Amish woman in Northern Maine (a gift from my sister), books from my hubby, tied with twine, an amazing cake created by my daughter, and an unexpected delightful surprise .... a book for the Grammy bookshelf, on my windshield when I left church Sunday night!!...(from a very special blogger friend), Sunday dinner with my parents, daughter, granddaughter, and three out of four siblings, and a yummy Edible Arrangement from my son who is far, far away...with a card that made us HOWL!

Flashback Friday

2011-10-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

Going through a box of slides at my parents' home, I discovered this! I had only ever seen black and white snap shots, and most from my toddler years. This was such a delight to come across....although, why did my mom put me in blue??

This is from my 10th birthday. My oldest brother was married that summer. While we were in Pennsylvania for the wedding, a hurricane blew up the coast, picked up our above-ground pool and left it in a mangled heap quite a distance from where it belonged. The spot where the pool had been became our fire-pit, so a perfect place for a brisk October night birthday. My birthday cake was always a "3-Holer" chocolate cake baked in a tube pan and frosted with chocolate peanut-butter frosting. This one had jack-o'lantern peeps, licorice sticks and a small, plastic pumpkin filled with a few candy treats. Quite a treat!

I don't know how my mother made that frosting. I have tried unsuccessfully for years! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be......(gulp)......f-f-f-f-f-............yup, can't quite say it. I know, it's only a number.

Green Gives Way to Red

2011-10-13T09:06:00.000-04:00

A walk down the hill to the swamp begins with an amazing fungus, partially hidden.

Looking to the right of my path, it's as though someone spilled a bucket full of these white fungi.

I encountered one more in the middle of my path. A pristine dinner plate!

As the hill flattens out, the path leads me beneath a canopied arch.

A small cluster of oak leaves growing at the base of the stone wall.

The views across the swamp. Just gorgeous!!! It was a beautiful October-blue sky, but it was high noon so all washed out with the bright sunshine. Hooded Mergansers were back joining the Wood Ducks and Mallards. I don't think I've ever heard anyone duck hunting back here, so perhaps they're safe.

October!

2011-10-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

Taking Advantage of Some Peace and Pieces

2011-09-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Spent a few hours in August with a woman who knows her stuff at an amazing quilt shop in Lyndeborough, NH. I had one bolt I loved, the red with vines, but didn't know quite where to go from there. She went here and there all over her shop, pulling this and that, studying my pattern. We finally had a group we were happy with, my pattern now scribbled with notes so I wouldn't forget when I started cutting, and she folded them together so beautifully it was a while before I could take them apart and get to cutting.

Pieces were cut back in August and put in baggies all labeled. I'm not sure what's been going on, but I haven't seem to have had any peace to get piecing!! Late yesterday I had the house to myself and no outside distractions as it was pouring. With NPR on the radio and cats sleeping away the afternoon, I got down to business.

I'm doing another table runner like this one. It's amazing how different the design will look with a better contrast in materials. And I am amazed at how peaceful this process is.

A Gorgeous Morning

2011-09-21T21:22:00.001-04:00

These reminded me of sea shells....

and sea anemone!

The Wood Ducks were down my end of the swamp this morning and stayed for a while.....

apparently they were more afraid of a hungry Hawk than they were of me!

Contentment

2011-09-15T21:44:00.000-04:00

Flowers on the kitchen window sill with the sun rising in the background

A project finally finished

I hand quilted a swirly, floral pattern on the border, never thought it could be so peaceful! It turned out to be a great stress reliever at the end of each day.

Oh my, Peach Pie!! A neighbor brought over peaches from their trees and my daughter made her first ever peach pie!! None of us had ever had peach pie or ever had a desire to have peach pie but after all that work, it looked amazing, smelled wonderful, and we can't wait for her to make another one!! Delicious!!!!

Someone very special is turning two this week!! She had a very busy day working with her physical therapist. She uses the box lid as a tray, sitting on the floor with her legs under it. I think she's the picture of contentment!

A Nocturnal Visitor

2011-09-09T07:17:00.001-04:00

A week of rain brought an unusual visitor to our living room window night after night. This is the window above the air conditioner so there is no screen.

As tiny as he was, I still can't believe he fit between where the windows meet. By 8 every morning, he'd scooch himself down and out. The rain ended yesterday afternoon, and sadly he did not come back last night.

To give you some perspective as to his size, in this picture above, looking right below the frog, there is a raised white section with a black spot. The white piece is part of the window lock mechanism and is 1 3/4 inches long.

It's Not Always About the Destination

2011-09-03T09:17:00.000-04:00

So often I just head to the swamp. I'm anxious to get there, see what's changed, how it looks at a particular time of day, in certain light. The past few walks to the swamp, I've allowed myself to look down at my feet and traded the binoculars for the macro lens.

It has almost been a year since we learned of my granddaughter's diagnosis (you can read about that here). She will be celebrating her 2nd birthday in a few weeks and in January she will meet her baby brother. We just recently learned that he has the same disease as his sister. While it is sad and we shed tears, I am choosing to focus on the joy that he will bring us. His sister just brightens each day, each moment, each tiny little thing that she is able to do, that might be imperceptible if I have my eyes only focused on what other toddlers her age are doing. These two have been woven together perfectly in God's sight and He has given them to my daughter and her husband to love and care for and fight for. I am so incredibly lucky that they live with me, to refocus my eyes and enjoy every little blessing.

And Then There Were None....Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-01T07:04:00.000-04:00

Well, I missed the "none" shot but you get the idea.

Weird Wednesday - Updated

2011-08-24T21:08:00.000-04:00

Juvenile woodpeckers.....haven't quite figured out the bird feeder.

Arch enemies!! These two can't pass each other across a room without mad hissing.

My rhododendron is blooming!!! It's not June....it's almost the end of August!!

Weird!

My, How They've Grown

2011-08-22T07:48:00.000-04:00

Can't help an update on the turkeys. I just happened to catch them out of the corner of my eye as I was ironing.

I wonder how often they trek through the yard? The young ones are now sporting that almost checkerboard plumage.

The first time I noticed this group of 14 come through the yard was July 25th. I thought I had blogged about them but apparently not. Here's a few shots to see how they've grown.

Wednesday....Nearly Wordless

2011-08-17T07:02:00.001-04:00

Rub-a-dub-dub.....

Three Mourning Doves in a tub!

Flashback Friday

2011-08-12T12:59:00.001-04:00

Twenty-two years ago this past week I was given the most amazing gift and responsibility, a precious baby girl. Exuberant, dramatic, gifted and talented in arts and music and writing, and a sense of humor that her mom seriously lacks, she continues to amaze and impress me.

Her name was one my mom had tossed around when she was having children but didn't use. (Schuyler, from a Grace Livingston Hill novel) When I looked it up 22 years ago, it meant fortress or stronghold. She was a very strong-willed child, fiercely independent. As she raises her own family now and faces a different journey than many young moms, I think her name is more fitting now than ever.

Happy Birthday!

Cardinals

2011-08-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

This is the latest I've ever seen baby/juvenile cardinals coming with a parent to be fed. I've been hearing them for a week or two now but it is soooo very hard to capture a picture as the cardinals come to eat at dawn or dusk......terrible lighting. Yesterday, after a dismal day with spotty rain, the sun popped out briefly, just for a moment before setting, allowing me to capture mom and .....I'm not sure. Tonight she was at the feeder with two (which is more normal) but again the lighting was awful and I could not get a good comparison for gender.

Flashback Friday...Even Though it's Saturday

2011-08-06T10:12:00.002-04:00

Sixth or seventh grade?? This is how I spent most of my time....deeply engrossed in a book. I remember making the macrame belt in Vacation Bible School! The big blue suburban in the background was not ours, but close friends who came to visit....and I was apparently being my typical antisocial self and trying to remain invisible....in a tree that had no leaves. Short sleeves....no leaves.....early spring? No date on the picture to help me out. I loved that book, did not want to stop reading it.

New Paddle, New Birds

2011-08-01T08:20:00.000-04:00

For a while now, it seems every stretch of river paddling we do serves up the same views. Yesterday was just full of surprises. From beginning to end. The launch site was a steep embankment beside this newly rebuilt covered bridge on the Nashua River. Very steep. The water level was a bit low....when we began. This shot was taken on our way back to the launch site, water level was higher, current was stronger, changed up where we took out just a bit, not to mention making for a bit of a work out, paddle-wise!! This site is just below a dam, but we had not found any mention in the guide book on changing water levels. Surprise!

A cormorant sunning on a rock as we began. On our way back we spotted him swimming just ahead of us. Just beyond the cormorant, a Swan swam with the current, keeping ahead of us for quite a while. I missed the video of the day after it "barked" at us twice, it turned around and "ran" back up the river. I just sat in my kayak with my mouth hanging open. I probably had plenty of time to grab the camera and set it to video since it began to run just in front of my husband's boat and then continued on beside me...maybe 6 feet away? Wings and feet and water! Just amazing!!!

We recovered from the swan, came around a bend and there were two osprey calling back and forth. I was able to snap this before the two flew off. Scanning the skies for the osprey, we found sky divers instead!!

We paddled until we were right next to the airfield. Although the current was moving nicely, we were able to just stop in the middle, held in place by a big swatch of vegetation. I think we watched two flights come and go, Each time dropping two groups of divers, directly overhead, 6 or 8 in each group.

It was amazing to hear the sound of the chutes opening!

I didn't even mention all the Cedar Waxwings we saw! At least a flock of two dozen, back and forth across the river catching bugs. They are not nearly as graceful in flight as Swallows and Kingbirds, but they manage! They just made us chuckle, flapping madly. A Kingfisher kept us company for most of the way on our return trip. And no paddle is complete without at least one Great Blue Heron and some ducks. I did get a video of the Heron in flight.....30 seconds of the camera wildly flailing through the trees, maybe two or three frames of actual Heron. I will spare you the video.

We will definitely do this paddle again, but we'll take a second car and find a take-out just beyond the airport. It was a bit unnerving to find the water level had increased about two feet on our way back.

Hughie, Dewey, and Louie kept us entertained for a little stretch of the river. They'd paddle along just ahead of us or beside us, then two would duck and one would fly. . . or all three fly.

Seen in the Swamp

2011-07-18T07:21:00.001-04:00

It is hot and relatively quiet in the swamp these days. A lone GBH fishing/frogging at the far end. Too hot for the turtles to be out on the logs but not for frogs on lily pads. I didn't even realize how much company I had until I was ready to leave and spooked a couple nearby then realized there were a couple dozen, various sizes, just the tops of their heads and eyes barely visible, blending in with all the green.

Eastern Kingbird nest is empty but it was fun to spot the fledglings zipping around, scrambling for the same branches, following mom and dad around to be fed.

Wood Duck families down the far end of the swamp, very difficult to spot among all the vegetation that now covers the surface of the pond.

Catbirds and chickadees were noisy but swallows and red-winged blackbirds all quiet.

Hummers! A female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird was feasting on insects caught in spider webs strung out above the tops of the cat-tails. I definitely needed the binoculars to see what she was doing as the spider webs were not visible to the naked eye. No picture.

Just another view of how green it is. The row boat has to just sit and wait for next March!

Bear Claws

2011-07-07T08:52:00.000-04:00

How disappointing, not the furry kind nor the kind you can eat!!! I took my hubby to a quilt shop, hoping to find a summer wool felt pin-cushion project like this but she did not have one available. Not wanting to leave empty handed, he found a pattern for a table runner using two blocks of bear claws and two smaller star blocks.

The dark blue patterned strip on the bottom will be the binding.

He and my sister had fun choosing a Moda charm pack, Summer Breeze, since I'm a fan of blue and yellow. I think it took a week of evenings to cut and piece it. Now, it is pinned into a sandwich, waiting for the quilting part. That's where I fall apart - do an overall pattern? stitch in the ditch? colored thread or just a white quilting cotton thread?? Hopefully I'll decide soon so I can use it on the table while it is still seasonally appropriate!!

I did manage to finish a spring themed wool felt pin-cushion. This was one of two my sister, Goddess of Hand Sewing, gave me as a Christmas present quite a long time ago.

Caught in the Middle

2011-07-05T06:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day! Should be filled with fun and family but instead.....not so much. The key, I guess, is establishing traditions and never wavering them. Being the youngest of 5, I don't think there were traditions. In my early years, our yard had an incredible panoramic view of two cities so the neighbors would turn out in droves, stretched out in blankets on our front lawn to take in two fireworks displays. My mom would not be real happy about this, as one who craves her space and privacy. By the time I was ten, my siblings were starting families of their own and so I would tag along with my parents to go where they were.....a few great years when they lived near the coast of Maine were not hard to take. Then I left, and did my own thing for a few years, then back trying to tag along with my family in tow to whoever was doing something.....usually up at Rumney, NH where my parents and three sibling families spent summers. By the time I was able to spend a summer at Rumney with my children, the sibling families were now heading to college and no longer there. The past few years, we have had Vermont National Guard commitments which made for a unique and quiet-ish fourth. My husband had to take part in a wreath laying ceremony on the grave of Calvin Coolidge, the only American President to be born on the 4th of July. My daughter enjoyed that immensely. People come from far and wide to gather in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. We gather behind an Honor Guard, two high ranking soldiers from the Vermont Guard, and descendants of President Coolidge, and walk perhaps a mile, to the cemetery and gather while a wreath from the White House is laid and a few short speeches are made. Then it's back to the historic village for a chicken barbecue on the lawn of the Wilder Inn. We were usually back to my parents in time to see fireworks above the trees now and then catch the Boston 4th on tv with them. This year Vermont Guard duties have changed. Fireworks are now done on the 3rd and in a different spot not visible from my folks. My siblings are off doing with their families, and my parents are sitting alone....and my daughter with her young family are left to make their own plans as well. Hubby and I are off to do a paddle with friends, very rare for us as we usually go just the two of us, but it will be a nice change. He can't comprehend the torn feeling I have. For how many years did my parents sacrifice for all of us? Is it wrong to feel guilty to be doing something just for hubby and myself? We'll paddle this morning, then try and put a festive supper together to eat with my parents. Next year, we'll have to rent them a cottage so they can spend the 4th enjoying my brother's large family back at Rumney.

Eastern Kingbird Nest

2011-06-30T07:36:00.000-04:00

June 28th

June 2nd

Seasickness Alert

2011-06-17T20:50:00.000-04:00

Two paddling days this week!! Two different sections of the Nashua River. Mute swans both days, beaver or muskrat (couldn't get a positive id), family of geese ~ panicked gosling we inadvertently separated from its mom and siblings, heron, catbirds, robins, baltimore orioles, killdeer, turtles ~ paddled right over two good sized turtles, grackles and redwing blackbirds, mallards, and many others we could hear but not see. On the first paddle day, we had drifted to a banking to watch beaver/muskrat in action and discovered we were directly beneath a Baltimore Oriole nest. Here's a short video of a parent coming to feed nestlings....WARNING: May make the viewer seasick!! Moving boat, very breezy day, swinging nest and branches!

Saturday Sightings

2011-06-06T23:36:00.000-04:00

Hubby surprised me Saturday ...I knew we were taking the kayaks out (it's been over a year due to military obligations) but I had no idea where. We ended up here. The weather was just gorgeous, although the mosquitoes feasted in the parking lot while we dealt with a new strapping system for hauling the kayaks on the roof of my small car. Throwing them in the back of the "Raminator" was a much quicker and even I could manage alone, but unfortunately the Ram sat idly while hubby was away and so it still sits.

We were paddling right at mid-day so there wasn't a lot of bird activity, but it just a seemingly timeless place to be. Irises along the river banks, a current to gently challenge on the way out and to just ride with some steering on the way back! The best kind of way to spend a few hours.

I'm attempting to attach a short video of two chickadees who were flying in and out of a cavity in the end of a tree in the middle of the river! It looked as though they were in building mode, taking out wood chips. Do you know how very hard it is to take a video while sitting in a kayak that is trying to head off downstream with the current?? It was difficult and comical as my husband would try to maneuver his boat to "hold" mine in place.

As an extra-special treat, we visited the cemetery in the village center not far from the refuge entrance. Not something my husband is especially fond of, but I am intrigued to know who came before and imagine how they lived and how things looked when they were here. These two gravestones are for my great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents! They lived in "Fruitlands" before Louisa May Alcott's father moved his family in. I think they were two owners before the Alcotts. Sometime this summer, I will have to go to Fruitlands, just to see some of the same view they saw so many years ago.

Views From the Water ~ Friday

2011-06-04T22:30:00.002-04:00

These ferns are almost as tall as I am! The tallest came up to my shoulder. They are right near the edge of the swamp.

One gosling. It was so neat to watch this family maneuver across the swamp, with baby safely in between.

I couldn't get a good enough look at this busy bird to identify it. It was flying back and forth, looked like it was making the nest ~ bringing white downy material and molding it in with its chest. I think this picture is a tail shot as it was stuffing the material down in before molding it with its body.

I apologize for the terrible picture quality ~ a blue bird pair was very busy feeding babies, apparently. It was nonstop action for the hour I perched on my log. This is the male at the entrance to the nest. Unfortunately, I could not see in but I could see mom and dad as they flew out and skimmed the surface of the pond for tasty bugs.

It's Friday

2011-05-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

Twenty-seven years ago, yesterday. We celebrated by going to a restaurant we reserve for very special occasions. While we savored dessert, the waitress brought dessert to a "little, old couple" in the corner behind us. Their dessert had candles, and the waitress wished them a happy anniversary. We left together and when asked how many years they were celebrating, the husband said 40 to go till the 100th! I wish we had been able to talk with them a little more, but maybe we'll see them next May 26th!

Hubby was grateful to the music teacher at our tiny elementary school for these flowers given to me the evening before our anniversary. For seventeen years, I have had the privilege of accompanying the students here twice a year ~ a Holiday Concert in December, and then the Spring Concert in May. Accompanying is something I love to do, to be underneath and supporting, to anticipate and adjust, to jump quickly when a director inadvertently skips a few measures, and hopefully make it all sound like it's supposed to be that way.

Our granddaughter is sick again. Pneumonia in both lungs. I am trying to choose joy and praise. I want to shake my fist and holler at the top of my lungs, especially when her pediatrician tells her young parents that it will probably be pneumonia that gets her. Of course they know that. The DNR/DNI paperwork is in the diaper bag. A roller-coaster ride on a balance beam ~ trying to comprehend "there's nothing more we can really do" and balance it out with wanting to do whatever we can do to help her breathe. For the moment it is another round of antibiotics and a visit with the pulmonologist in Boston today. For a grandmother, it is a moment to CAST and not vent. In the Psalms, David was casting all his cares upon God, not venting. Casting has a hope and a purpose. I know God is God and He knit Amber together in this way. Her life will be as long as He has already set and it will be a full life for His honor and glory. A verse we chose for our marriage:
Habakuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree does not bud,  and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.
¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
   he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
   he enables me to tread on the heights.
   For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Something About May...Part II

2011-05-20T23:51:00.001-04:00

The thrush alone declares the immortal wealth and vigor that is in the forest.
Whenever a man hears it, he is young, and Nature is in her spring.
Wherever he hears it, it is a new world and a free country,
and the gates of heaven are not shut against him. ~Henry David Thoreau

The Wood Thrush. His song floats through the woods between the house and swamp, yet I can never pinpoint his location.
An amazing week of cool and damp and wet....keeping black flies away!! While others wish for sun and warmer temperatures, I am grateful for a week without the annoying pests to get some yard work done,

grateful for damp earth revealing tracks of deer which share the path through the woods,

...... grateful for the intensity of the shades of green!

Something About May

2011-05-17T09:09:00.000-04:00

Something about May.......let's see, some THINGS I do NOT like about May....

1. Black flies that arrive the last week of April and extend into the middle of June. Little annoying things that swarm you the minute you step out your door. Long sleeves, pants tucked into socks, protective head gear and bug spray are a must, and don't forget gloves. Barring that, the best defense is to admit defeat and just stay inside!! There is a third option; pray for cool and wet weather!!! The warmer it gets, the thicker they swarm and their bite is nasty!! This week we are in for cool and wet so yard projects are being tackled. Now, to look on the positive side, they do not last long (too long if you ask me) and they must be a source of food to some birds. This article indicates some other benefits as well. I still do not care for them one bit!!

2. Hospital visits! Last May my dear granddaughter was admitted to the hospital for the first time with a respiratory infection.

This May began with another hospitalization, this time just one overnight after a frightful evening in the ER. Looking at my grandbaby, you wouldn't have a clue it was a frightful evening!! You can read more about that weekend here. It was quite the emotional ordeal, thinking our time with her was coming to an end.

3. Saying Goodbye. Well, this I can't blame on every May, just this May. The month began saying goodbye to a sweet little girl in Hungary, Kinsco. My heart breaks for her family and for all the families with I-Cell babies who daily live knowing their precious little ones will not have very long lives. This past week my church family had to say an unexpected goodbye to an amazing man who was 78. For me, he was a constant. For the past 45 years, give or take, he was always in the back of the church, quiet, strong, solid, wise. He always spoke to you by name. Our pastor referred to him as "Barnabus ~ son of Encouragement" and he was. You can read a very special tribute to him here. I was not as fortunate to have that kind of relationship with him, but he felt like a dad ....consistently constant....and there is a giant hole without him.

View Through The Window

2011-05-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

My daughter's cats, her pictures, my window.

Spring Color

2011-04-26T21:12:00.000-04:00

Four Baltimore Orioles this morning but could only catch one at a time for a picture. We had spotted one last week so quickly put orange halves in the suet feeders! I couldn't get the best shot of spring color with the Oriole, Goldfinches and Cardinal all in the same shot but the view from our window on a dreary day was striking!!

Squirrel Nutkin....aka Stumpy

2011-04-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

If you haven't read Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter lately, you can refresh yourself here. After discovering the Owl nesting recently, I'm wondering if this little fellow under our feeders this morning was behaving as impertinently as Squirrel Nutkin.

Swallows and Warblers and Owl!! Oh My!!

2011-04-19T11:51:00.000-04:00

Chilly, damp morning in the rowboat on the swamp....water was higher due to heavy rain this weekend and we decided to just drift. Swallows have arrived! I wish we could figure out a way to put up some nest boxes for them as each year there are fewer and fewer standing trees in the swamp. A lot of activity among the brambly dead fall near the water's edge drew our attention and we were not disappointed; about a dozen Yellow Rumped Warblers! I thought I had been hearing Warbler song the last few days but hadn't spotted any! We checked on "Mother Goose" and she is still sitting on the beaver lodge.
We continued to drift and paddle, making our way toward the heron rookery. Spotted one sitting in the first nest and watched two adults flying into the woods and back to the lowest nest.
Saw something odd in one nest and snapped a few photos, figuring we'd see better when we could enlarge it. My guess was tail feathers or perhaps just parts of the tree branch sticking up through the nest. Hubby said the heron's must be the culprits taking the neighborhood cats! As we circled around the nest, it did seem as if the prongs were following us. Getting closer, we confirmed it was an Owl. We think a Great Horned Owl. While it was neat to see, I'm not all that thrilled to find an Owl in a heron nest.

I don't think the herons were all that thrilled either.

Saturday In The Swamp....Really

2011-04-10T22:17:00.000-04:00

A SPECTACULAR Saturday IN....yes, IN the swamp!!! An old aluminum row boat purchased years ago (ten or so), dragged down the hill and left near the edge of the swamp. Hubby surprised me Saturday afternoon as he grabbed the oars down from the garage and said, let's give it a try. No leaks, not many bugs, nothing living inside it....dragged it over a few trees, struggled to get over a submerged log near the edge, and off we went, using the rowboat like a canoe! ~ facing forward, each with an oar to paddle...and occasionally pole! Such a different perspective from my years of viewing from the end of a log on shore!! We discovered the Canadian Goose pair nesting on the beaver lodge this year instead of the rock! She is very well hidden and has her head down, blending in nicely with the sticks. It was just so amazing to be behind and beside the rock and lodge I've been looking at across the swamp for years!

Unbelievable how large this tree is that the beaver are obviously working on!

Heron rookery!! This is the newest nest.

These shots are the three nests down the far end of the swamp. Turns out, they are not all the way at the end of the swamp as I thought!!

Hard to fathom that 23 years ago when we bought the property, we could walk across the swamp on mostly dry ground and that 15 years ago our children walked across on fallen trees. What a treasure.

Progress Report II: Embracing Imperfections

2011-04-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

First Quilt is still underway! After hand quilting 66 blocks, I laid it out to see what it still needed and discovered I had an entire row sewn incorrectly!! (marked by stars) The perfectionist in me goes crazy every time I see it, but it would be more work than it's worth to try to fix it so onward I go. Corners don't meet, my stitching is inconsistent, I've introduced puckers.....but it is relaxing and I'm learning all the things to do differently next time.
66 patterned blocks and 28 triangles have been quilted, just a basic stitch in the ditch. For the 17 squares, I am quilting a pattern that I've stenciled on with chalk first in order to follow it. No picture of that yet.

April 1st

2011-04-01T07:42:00.000-04:00

The good news.....tomorrow is supposed to be 48 F.

Roosting

2011-03-31T23:09:00.000-04:00

While doing dishes, a little movement caught my eye. The turkey finding her roost for the night. You have to click on the pictures to enlarge them. I am still amazed that something so very big, can be hidden so very well.

Feeder Friday

2011-03-25T09:44:00.000-04:00

First shots were from a week ago. A small group of five went to attention as a flock of seventeen appeared on the other side of the stonewall. I think the five were being chastised for leaving the main body.

This past week, we have had one hen return to the feeders every day. She is all by herself and comes morning and late afternoon.....every day. After warm temperatures and melting, we had a light snowfall Monday. Spring in New England!

View From the Swamp: SPRING!!

2011-03-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

The ice is leaving the swamp!

March 7th

March 19th

You have to click to enlarge these photos. Canada Geese and a pair of ducks....I won't try to id them. The next shot you also have to enlarge to see another goose pair as well as a duck - Wood Duck or Hooded Merganser perhaps?? Even enlarged it is difficult to see. It never ceases to amaze me how well camouflaged they are!

As my husband and I were about to leave the swamp Saturday, we took a final look down the far end of the swamp. When we first arrived, the heron nests were empty but as we were about to leave, we spotted a heron flying and were just thrilled to see it land in the newest nest. A second arrived within minutes and as we passed the binoculars between us, well.....spring has arrived! We'll be looking forward to seeing the nest full and we'll do our best to keep you posted.

Glimpses of February...sigh

2011-03-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

Feeding rays at the Florida Oceanographic Society Coastal Center.

Portuguese Man of War

Leaving Florida, we visited our son in Virginia and ended up spending two nights on Chincoteague Island. Very off season, but just a delight to be off the beaten path. We spent a day hiking around the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Definitely a place to return. On the trip to Florida, we just ended up there by chance, following a sign on the highway looking for a place to spend the night. When the sun came up the next morning, we realized where we were and knew we had to try and hit it on the way home. Did we see any wild ponies? No, lots and LOTS of manure but no actual sightings. We did come face to face with a white-tailed deer, and we think the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel, as well as lots and lots of waterfowl; it must be incredible during peak migrations. We did drive out to the beach on the island and ventured out of the car. The wind was just unbelievable!

Time Flies......

2011-03-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

Six weeks! Hubby and I took a six week sabbatical from life....arriving in Florida to celebrate my mom's 85th birthday. It was hard leaving the grand baby but not at all difficult saying good-bye to snow and more snow! My sister and her husband were spending January and March next door to my folks but that left February open...since hubby is on redeployment leave (not to mention currently unemployed), we "sacrificed" to spend the month helping my folks continue their recovery. It has been such a shock to see how heart surgery can fundamentally change a person. My mom has always been a pillar of strength, stoic and solid but since this valve replacement she is fragile, vulnerable, emotional, and lacking in self-confidence. We saw some improvement before we left, and I am optimistic she will be better when she returns home but not at all sure that she will be her old self.
My hubby and I would take a walk almost every morning, four to six miles. The first few weeks, we walked in the edge of the surf. The last few weeks, we put on sneakers and hit the sidewalk, walking over a bridge and back with just gorgeous birds all about and water everywhere. He'd then play about two hours of volleyball followed by lunch with my folks.
Four o'clock coffee overlooking the ocean and bocce a few afternoons a week were just what the doctors ordered. It was great to see how tenderly and patient he was with my mom especially. He would walk with her on the beach, keeping her pace slow so she could go a little further each time. He was her grocery shopping partner, going at a snail's pace and assuring her that was all that had to be done that day and they could take as long as they needed. His calm, no pressure, unhurriedness was just what she needed. He might just have to go back in April.

Today is Brought to You by the Letter "B"

2011-01-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Blues

Birds

Beach

Best Friends

View Through The Window

2011-01-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

Finally, a snowy day WITHOUT wind!!! An even dozen Cedar Waxwings spent the morning hours perched above the yard, taking turns in the holly bush.

I need to plant another holly in the yard, but definitely outside a window for prime viewing. Robins are not very frequent visitors this time of year, but the holly berries were too good to pass up.

I was able to catch this junco finally getting a moment in the bush. I missed the best color shot of a Blue Jay with the Robin, but what a treat to watch the Waxwings!

Visited by Elves

2010-12-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

It has been a tad bit stressful around here since December 2nd. My parents ended up in two different hospitals in Boston for a little over a week and are currently at a rehab facility, thankfully the same place but different rooms. Needless to say, it hasn't been looking very Christmas-y around here as I have been living at my mom's, then a hotel in Boston. That's starting to change. First, with the arrival of hubby home from Afghanistan....he's been gone a LOOONNNGG time! The grandbaby looks at him so adoringly and was not afraid of him at all.

He came home for ten days in August and we have been doing video chats as best we can. So nice to have him in person!!
Our young warrior, who is now finished with his four years in the Marine Corps but has settled far away for school and work, arrived two days later to spend a week. Seems to be just what the doctor ordered for the baby momma. I came home from church last night to find elves busy at work with much laughter and a chocolate war....lights were on the tree, in the windows, and peanut butter balls were being made and dipped. My cup is full and overflowing at the moment. Hopefully, we'll get my parents home for Christmas!

Snippets of the Season

2010-12-14T23:29:00.000-05:00

Sounds of Christmas

2010-12-11T23:51:00.000-05:00

The most fun Christmas album hubby and I ever purchased. You should be able to check here to hear some samples. I must find my record player and stash of Christmas records. These three round out the playlist.....and oh the memories they bring to mind.

What happened to November??

2010-12-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I realized I can't knit very well on circular needles. No tension and the stocking ended up ridiculously large and baggy!!! The foot is great - that's on double pointed needles and nice and snug....although I goofed and didn't start the red for the heel till it was almost too late! I have been pulling out the quilt some evenings to hand quilt a block or two. I'm in no rush to finish it at this point. Other than that, I've been trying to fill in for the baby momma who injured her shoulder and so I'm exhausted....

Nice Things Come In Small Packages

2010-11-05T15:45:00.000-04:00

I participated in my first stash swap hosted by Aoife at little pink room. We had the month of October to get in touch with our partner and get our packages mailed. October was a CRAZY month! MommaSkye helped me go through our stashes and found some we thought Hollie might enjoy, put it in a little box and sent it out on the 30th. I was relieved that Hollie had an equally busy October and so excited to find her package waiting for me yesterday when I came home from North Conway, NH. It was a delight to open after driving home on a very chilly, gray, rainy day.

I love the geometric prints! And do you see the extra goodies? The adorable basket, a package of straight pins, curved safety pins, and a gorgeous spool of multicolored thread. Hollie is amazing! Thank you so much! I was so undone when I found her package because she sent it priority mail and mine had gone first class. Traveling from one coast to the other, I never expected mine would reach her until the end of this week. Phew! I was so relieved to find that it had.

Falling to Pieces

2010-10-29T23:45:00.000-04:00

I haven't quite finished the Christmas Stocking, but I couldn't resist playing around with a pattern I found in a quilt magazine using leftovers from a small quilt momma Skye is making for her daughter. These tiny stars are adorable and supposedly easy....mine are FAR from perfect, but I have a lot of tiny pieces cut and will continue to practice when I have some spare moments.

Progress Report

2010-10-14T23:24:00.003-04:00

Well, the quilt sandwich was taped to the floor and pinned together. (The blue is the painter's tape, not part of the quilt) Now it waits for quilting, I'm attempting to quilt by hand, but first a knitted Christmas stocking for my son-in-law needs to be finished!

Thirsty??

2010-10-09T09:44:00.001-04:00

After a long hot walk on the National Mall in DC, we were happy to see a water fountain......until we got closer. (from our DC visit in September courtesy of my son)

Turning A Corner

2010-10-04T17:21:00.000-04:00

Last week I found myself driving through the woods on a hard-packed dirt road....up a mountain.

Yes, I have to admit, we passed a sign like this only quite small and way up high on a tree. Proceeding ahead with doubt, a car passed by from the other direction, and so my sister said we were fine and obviously the road wasn't closed! We soon found ourselves climbing ever higher, encountering a few ruts and more cornering. We finally reach the top, the road flattens out a bit and I am in a panic but my sister reassures me once again as a delivery van comes our way (how he passed us is a mystery....my eyes were shut as the road had considerably narrowed by now). I'm trying to breathe, my mom (in her 80's) is doing her big sighs. My sister is in the back seat. She has no clue what lies ahead. A sheer vertical drop! Muddy and very rutted! And a hairpin turn for good measure!!

I stop the car and announce that I am done and I was not driving anymore.

Thankfully my sister climbed into the driver's seat and somehow (my eyes remained closed) managed to get us down the mountain.

A week before this hair raising experience we received a diagnosis regarding my granddaughter that has been a year in coming. Thankfully God is in the driver's seat with my daughter and her husband as they face a sheer drop and hairpin turns. I'll be close by, probably with my eyes shut, praying for strength and peace for them as they face decisions I do not want to face.

Keeping Busy

2010-10-01T21:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome Fall!!

A wool felt pin-cushion kit that was a Christmas gift two years ago! A gift from my sister, the goddess of hand sewing. It only took two years, but I actually traced and cut and ironed and embroidered and sewed and stuffed all by myself!!

Leave Was Short

2010-09-14T08:43:00.001-04:00

I've had some issues trying to update my blog lately. We'll see if today is successful.

Leave is over. We had lots of things we wanted to do but ended up just being although we did go to Children's Hospital Boston, walked around the Public Garden and enjoyed a ride on the Swan Boats.

My two warriors overlapped at home for a few days which was a treat to all be together even if for a short time. Four years ago the Old Man came home from a 16 month deployment during which the young warrior graduated from high school and enlisted in the Marine Corps. Before he went to boot camp we hiked up Mt Monadnock together because that was my son's release during deployment. He would come home from school and just go....rain, snow, ice, didn't matter. So, even though the weather was ridiculously hot and this warrior mom has only hiked once this entire summer, we did the hike again. I survived, barely, and ate up the whole day because I'm so out of shape, but it was worth it.

Leave ended with Labor Day weekend in Washington DC to visit soldiers at Bethesda and Walter Reed. Unfortunately for us several were well enough to have passes to go home for the holiday weekend but we were able to visit two. That was encouraging! Our son is finishing up his four years of active service and relocating to Virginia so he drove us down and spent the weekend with us. Being dyed in the wool New Englanders, we left many things unsaid but just being together was priceless.

Life Is Good

2010-08-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

These two pictures are from a week ago Wednesday! I've just been enjoying the husband home again and haven't thought to post! He's been gone from here since January, but mostly gone since last October and in and out (more out than in) since June of 2009! A short visit, he'll be gone again before we know it but we'll take what we can get.

First Attempt

2010-08-12T10:20:00.001-04:00

Sewing intimidates me! I've always considered a sewing machine to be right up there with a standard transmission and organs - terrifying!! Give me a piano and I'm in control but these things with motors and foot pedals and I'm paralyzed with fear. Over the past few years, I have overcome my fear of the organ out of necessity, filling in for our ailing church organist. Four years ago I was inspired by my sister to by some fat quarters and a quilt pattern. That's as far as I got, the giddy groupings sitting in a bag gathering dust in a corner of my bedroom closet. Last year for my birthday, my husband gave me a sewing machine thinking it would keep me busy while he was deployed....that too has been gathering a bit of dust sitting in a corner of the music room. Well, he is coming home on leave next week!!! Motivation!!!

So, here is my first attempt in progress. Giddy and random!! I am not showing my sister (sewing goddess extraordinare) until I have the top sewn!! There are still corner and setting triangles to be added but I am impressed to be this far!

Wordless Wednesday - Tiny Terracotta Treasure

2010-08-11T09:17:00.001-04:00

Well, she stayed for a month. It was amazing to watch her repair her web most mornings. To be on the other side of the window at eye level to her web workings was just incredible. I attempted to take some video of her intricately weaving her web - three different techniques to complete it - but I cannot seem to master the focus! The camera would focus on the trees beyond her and she ended up a big blur. She disappeared a few times last week, apparently to the top of the door frame. Then on Friday, she left a big bug all wrapped up in the center of her web. Coming down Saturday morning, the above sight greeted me. By eleven Saturday morning, she was back in the middle of her web, snacking on the bug. Sunday she had completely repaired her web, just moved it up a smidge higher to be closer to the egg case. Today, however, she is nowhere in sight. Not only is she nowhere in sight, her web is completely gone!!!

Brain-Fried Friday

2010-07-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Yup, this is about how I feel today! Utterly exhausted, upside down, deep-fried brain. Drove into Boston late yesterday afternoon to deliver my grandbaby and her mom for a sleep study at Children's. Traffic going INTO the city was unexpectedly and unbearably heavy!! Decided to get a room near the hospital to make it easier.....the parking garage had to be a level in Dante's Inferno!!! It was HOT, and dark and low. The back door of my compact wagon could not go up completely as it was hampered by rubber coated pipes. As I reached up to pull the door down, I expected to see rats running along the pipes. The garage was also not very accommodating for a stroller, plenty of stair entrances to the hotel were marked but we had to wander around till we were back at the garage entrance to find a handicap accessible entrance. When we left this morning valet parking had double, triple parked in the garage so we had to wait for a valet to come move vehicles so we could leave!!! The hotel only had one entrance that could accommodate a stroller and our room doorway was barely wide enough to fit the stroller through....on and on and on. Needless to say, the Babymomma didn't get much sleep although the grandbaby did as she was stressed out beyond measure by a heartless technician who was determined to do his job and lost sight of the fact that he was working on a little human being and not a mannequin. The Grandmother was a little undone being in a hotel room in the city by herself. I kept turning on the light expecting to see bugs or mice escaping the bright light. I was going to open my drapes to let the city lights in but my window opened onto a roof with a ladder coming over from the next rooftop so that completely unsettled me, sending my imagination into overdrive and the curtains were left drawn tight. We are finally home. At least the ride out was easy, hitting all the green lights on route two!!

So, if you don't mind, I'm just going to flop down and nurse a cup of coffee. If it were sunny out, I'd join this beast.

Sweeping Away the Cobwebs.....Or Not

2010-07-23T08:23:00.001-04:00

For a week, I had been unsuccessfully reminding myself to sweep around the front door. The cobwebs were out of control, catching debris and just not a welcoming sight. It greeted me every morning as the front door is at the bottom of the staircase. July 9th, this beautiful creature had taken up residence and I have left her undisturbed. It has been amazing to watch. During a ridiculously hot, humid stretch I thought she was a goner. She had been moving every day - at night she would be on the yard side of her web, and during the day she would be on the house side. This past weekend she stayed on one side and didn't move. Her web had massive holes and was torn and hanging in lots of places. A dry spell with cooler temperatures has moved in for a few days and yesterday her web was amazing. It spans two panes of my three pane side lights next to the front door and her zipper is quite long and filled in. Lighting hasn't been sufficient to get a good shot but perhaps I'll try later. These two shots were taken the first day we met. Sweeping the front door is going to wait till she has moved on.

July, So Far

2010-07-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

My sights are so different this summer. My flower gardens remain unweeded but watered, at least, thanks to my son-in-law. I have not been down to check on life in the swamp for a month now, at least. I have not hiked at all.

I did take my grandbaby out on a hot, sunny afternoon and enjoyed watching her experience sunglasses for the first time. She cried and would not open her eyes. So, we went back into the house and found Grammy's sunglasses and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She decided they were ok and so back outside we went.

Last summer, I had a summer reading list and enjoyed finding a diverse selection of books to devour. This summer it's "Hippos Go Berserk" and "Moo Baa LaLaLa!"

June

2010-07-02T07:41:00.002-04:00

An oasis in the midst of a very noisy and chaotic part of the city and a respite from the hum and whir and beeping alarms of a hospital room. The Prouty Garden at Children's Hospital Boston. The picture of the Blue Hydrangea above was taken out the window of the third floor family waiting area the day of surgery. A bleak and gray day, these were a treasure to see. Coming back from supper one night when the grandbaby was in ICU and sedated, we were so very surprised to find "Wally" when we pulled back her receiving blanket. The ICU nurse uses children's stuffies to snuggle their legs and keep their legs from sticking together. I don't remember when we discovered the garden, but it was a delight to eat lunch or supper in or just stroll through and find all the statues tucked in the hedges. Looking forward to sharing it with the grandbaby when she is old enough to discover some of it by herself.

Is it really July already?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T07:47:00.000-04:00

Off to Children's

2010-06-16T09:13:00.000-04:00

mommaskye.blogspot.com

Headed to Children's Hospital in Boston with the Grandbaby girl.

Baby Hughie, Other Babies, And New Nesters

2010-06-13T22:58:00.001-04:00

This is the first turtle of the season, or at least that I've spotted.

They come up the steep hill from the swamp, spend the rest of the afternoon looking for THE spot, and then an hour or two digging a hole, laying 5 or 6 eggs, and then filling it in and covering it so amazingly that it is impossible to find! I am not sure if there have been successful hatchings or if they just get dug up and eaten by nocturnal marauders before they can hatch.

There were three baby bluebirds frantically following this parent. Somehow my son-in-law and I had NO success whatsoever in capturing babies and parent together. So, we have a single shot of parent above and shot of only one baby below, blurry at that.

Nuthatch family has been a delight to watch! This was a group of about 4 or 5 babies ~ always on the move and very hard to count! I think this may be parent eating at the feeder and one brave baby at the top.

Downy or Hairy Woodpeckers, not sure which.

Baby Hughie! This is a Red Bellied Woodpecker baby. All last week it would just cling to a tree and wait for the parent to feed it. This week it is making it to the feeder, but it just clings and waits to be fed.

A VERY short clip of the Red Bellied Woodpeckers. I didn't realize the camera was on video and thought I was just taking a snapshot!! But, you can see how "Baby Hughie" compares to its parent.

Saturday In The Swamp And Sanctuary Sunday

2010-06-06T22:53:00.008-04:00

Mountain laurel is blooming! It is blooming all around the edges of the swamp. The water level seems quite low. I did catch a glimpse of a beaver, preening among clumps of cattails. (click to enlarge photo below)

The Beaver picture is a definite "Where's Waldo" kind of picture or "Can You See It?"

It's been a while since I've ventured through the poison ivy and bugs to check on life in the swamp. There are now four active Great Blue Heron nests; three down the far end of the swamp and the newest one in the middle. My binoculars and my shaky arms don't provide an extremely clear view but they are definitely active nests. I numbered the nests, you just have to click to enlarge the photo.

Standing on a log over the water at the edge of the swamp is just a very therapeutic thing to do. Road noises are far, far away. The swamp gets quite quiet until I have stood still for about 45 minutes, then some noise and activity resume. Just to stand and watch and listen and be so

still.

The message tonight at church was just what the "doctor" ordered. After a long day at Children's Hospital on Friday regarding my grandbaby, my daughter and I just felt like our brains had been liquified. Too much information to try and process. Through the rest of the weekend, I have just been unsettled and overwhelmed and absolutely jittery and exhausted. And then tonight's sermon....delivered from an old, frail retired minister.....John 6 - feeding the five thousand with 5 fish and 2 loaves......Jesus knew what He was going to do but asked two of the disciples how they would feed the crowd? One said not possible, the need was too big. The other looked at what they had available for resources, and said not possible, inadequate resources. What was the solution? The Lord........

A simple message...

one I've heard before....

the answer I most certainly know in my head....

but just what the doctor ordered for my

heart to be reminded of.....

He knows exactly what He is doing with Amber and with us....

I am to trust and to rest and to watch Him work.

Wordless Wednesday....or What Happened to May

2010-06-02T00:40:00.003-04:00

A Crusader!

2010-05-10T15:32:00.003-04:00

I never thought of describing a Rose Breasted Grosbeak as a "mini Crusader".....but that is what my daughter suggested as I pointed out this fellow at the bird feeder. She has been watching episodes of the BBC's Robin Hood series lately. The female is not nearly as dramatic, but she does stand apart with her eye markings...although next to the male American Goldfinch you hardly notice her! If you want to see an amazing picture of the female grosbeak, check here.

Empty Nest Blues And Ongoing Construction

2010-05-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

New Great Blue Heron nest construction continues. I'm not sure if they don't like the lower nest and are trying to rebuild or if this is another Heron pair. Then there is the solitary Heron with stick, a new nest there?

The nest is empty.....no Mother Goose, not on the nest, not nearby,......

Nursery Hopeful

2010-05-01T14:44:00.001-04:00

I ventured down to the swamp this week....a very cool and damp Tuesday....

The goose nest is occupied.

Two Great Blue Heron nests both in the right half of the picture.

The newest Heron nest.

If you click on this picture, you may catch some male mallards having a dispute behind the reeds. They were very far away and very agitated. I think the others swam out of the frame but there is one male with wings spread.

There were plenty of Tree Swallows and Red-Winged Blackbirds, Black-Capped Chickadees that were close enough to touch....but I resisted or I'd have fallen off my log. There was also a Blue Bird pair, but the lighting was so poor you have to take my word for it so I won't bother to include their picture. The next day we had light snow and now we are mid-seventies with tomorrow threatening to be near 90!

View From the Yard...Not the Swamp

2010-04-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

Two Pileated Woodpeckers

Northern Flicker

Scratching an itch, but I missed it

American Goldfinch brightens up a damp, dreary day beautifully!

WT Sparrow

2010-04-12T22:08:00.000-04:00

All last week, I woke to "Pure Sweet Canada Canada Canada".....

The White Throated Sparrow got me hooked on birds in 9th Grade Biology! All those years ago, it was his song and his yellow eye markings that I found remarkable. I never noticed the white throat before!

New Construction

2010-04-09T07:47:00.008-04:00

Seems to be some new construction down at the swamp. Early evening Easter Sunday I was checking on the swamp. The two Heron nests at the far end are occupied. You should be able to click on the pictures for a larger view to see the nests with GBH in them. A pair of Canadian Geese won the turf war and the nest on the rock is now occupied.
I'm hopeful for a successful hatch but not optimistic. The past two years have yielded nothing. The biggest surprise down the swamp is a new Heron nest under construction. I did not have a camera with me on Sunday but I watched as two Great Blue Heron stood in a naked tree in the middle of the swamp. I watched as it took 45 minutes to place one stick. So, when I left Sunday, there were maybe two sticks that had been worked into the tree branch. This was the scene Thursday morning.

Peepers! Sunshine ~ Finally ~ and Frisky Business

2010-04-01T23:36:00.001-04:00

Several days of rain, birds are back in business. I have not made it down to the swamp to check on the turf wars, but I have been intrigued by a hawk flying back and forth for several days before the rain. This morning I spotted it again, but the color was different - not as much red, more white and brown. It flies from one edge of our property to the other, and back. I grabbed my binoculars and thought I saw something in its talons, but it was just out of clear range. A few moments later, movement caught my eye, so I tried for another look. With my naked eye I could see the red hawk with a large bird in it's talons....or so I thought. With my binoculars, I could see that the brown and white hawk is apparently the female...and the red chested and slightly smaller hawk is the male. I did not have time to attempt a picture of that activity, but the female stayed put for quite a while afterwards. Once again, I apologize for my camera. You can click to make the pictures larger. I cropped them as best I could without losing too much resolution.

And peepers are here! As I got out of the car from Cantata rehearsal, I was met with the sound of peepers! The grass is greening up, the American Goldfinches are brightening up, and the peepers are peeping. Ah,...spring.

Unexpected Sighting at the Bird Feeder

2010-03-29T11:23:00.003-04:00

Feathered Friday

2010-03-26T16:41:00.003-04:00

Spring!

2010-03-20T22:54:00.004-04:00

The first picture is from today and the second picture is from Tuesday! They are both shots of the beaver lodge, just slightly different angles. What a difference a few warm days will make. A few Mallard pairs as well as Wood Ducks, all of whom are adept at hiding when I pull out the camera. This fellow surprised me!Also saw a Bluebird (below) and a Brown Creeper, Hawk, and Redwinged Blackbirds.

View From the Swamp: Turf Wars and Can You Help With an ID?

2010-03-16T14:28:00.006-04:00

After a long winter, I finally ventured down to the swamp to see what changes may have taken place. Last year brought drastic changes to my entrance to the swamp as the ice storm brought down many trees. The deer had remained active, although some of their paths have been re-routed. The swamp is still under cover of ice! Usually it is mostly thawed out by now, but with the weather forecasters calling for temps in the 60's the next three or four days with mostly sunshine, it should be thawing quite nicely. The geese are back and two pair are already battling over this prime real estate. I have seen one pair nest year after year, but never any goslings. It was quite the scene. First insults were muttered and then hurled across the swamp. Then it grew quiet. The male of the pair in the top picture started to make his way across the ice, toward the rock. The female was much slower following him, gently placing each foot on the ice. She'd stop by openings in the ice to get a drink. The two eventually made it across to the rock and were settling onto the ice nearby. Suddenly there was much "yelling," and the male went right up to the other pair to challenge them. When there is no ice on the swamp, the splashing is what captures your attention, as the geese fly at each other beating their wings and land with big spalshes. With the ice cover, it is the beating of the wings that is thunderously loud! It went on for a short while, one pair retreating just a smidge, the other pair returning to the ice around the rock.

As if that weren't enough, I heard a song bird I have not heard before. Just the most gently sound, at first it made me think of kittens, but then I realized it was getting louder. In an instant, two raptors on silent wings landed in a tree top next to me. A third tried to land but the branch gave way, breaking off and landing with a splash in the swamp. All three flew out of site. Did I get a picture??? No. Can I identify them?....No. They were very light, a lot of white from what I remember, the striping underneath as they flew away. They were not big, I wouldn't say even crow sized, maybe. Their voicing was not something I've ever heard and not what I would ever associate with a hawk. Anybody out there who can help with such a pathetic description??

Provisions

2010-03-15T21:02:00.003-04:00

My God provides...in so many ways, and over and over again.

Through this time of deployment, I thought I would take a light-hearted look at the things that seem to fall apart and play "Deployment Bingo." The premise is that you (1) play with other spouses, and (2) that you have prepared a bingo card in advance of things that can happen negatively during deployment (things not people) and the first to make bingo wins something like some much needed pampering. Well, I'm not playing with anybody, but I've just humorously started keeping track. Before my main Warrior had left the country, the washing machine broke, the snow blower - in the midst of a heavy, wet snowfall, and then the pump to our well! These have all been minor set-backs and inconveniences, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. One evening with a group of people, I mentioned the pump and having no water for 24 hours. Someone I don't even know well said "Everyone's got problems." I was taken aback!...but not offended. It was a reminder I needed, to take my eyes off me.

A day or two later, I happened to read a quote on someone's blog or facebook page: "Count your blessings, not your problems."

ok.....two times...am I listening??

Our choir anthem this Sunday was the third gentle and loving reminder. "Through His love the Lord provided a place for us to rest; A place to find the answer in the hour of distress; Now there's never any reason for you to give up in despair; Just slip away and breathe His name, for He will surely meet you there. In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace; Troubles vanish, hearts are mended in the presence of the King."

A Missed Anniversary

2010-03-06T19:26:00.004-05:00

I missed my very own anniversary! One year ago this past week, I ventured into the world of blogging. This was my inspiration and this my motivation and this my source of encouragement. I have met some amazing people along the way and bumped into old friends as well. An eclectic smattering of posts is what I have to show for a year, not even one a week! I have no idea how I'll do for the year ahead...dare I set a goal?....no, not going to do it!

While I was neglecting my blogging anniversary, I was enjoying a day at the Indianapolis Museum of Art with my beloved warrior before he heads out. What a day and we didn't get to see it all, so a future trip to plan.

White Wednesday and a Piece of Poetry

2010-02-24T07:36:00.009-05:00

An excerpt from Velvet Shoes by Elinor Wylie

We shall walk in velvet shoes:
Wherever we go
Silence will fall like dews
On white silence below.
We shall walk in the snow.

I'm not sure the birds feel the same way! I love the one upside down on the feeder.

The Power of Words ...and a Father's Love

2010-02-12T08:07:00.003-05:00

I need to get back to views from the swamp, ....but for today I am sharing this and hope someone will read it.....a young man's birthday and a powerfully written tribute from his dad.

Six Word Challenge

2010-02-03T20:15:00.004-05:00

Can you do it? "One long year, you'll be home."......a contraction counts as one word, right?? It's a pretty pathetic attempt, but I'm still thinking. Read or listen here.

Mental Health Month

2010-02-01T09:58:00.004-05:00

Wow, I've taken the entire month of January off. After back to back good-byes to my warriors on January 7th and 8th, I packed a bag and accompanied my 84 year-old Dad to Florida. After years of driving, he's spent the last probably 8 to 10 years as a passenger. This year the group consensus was that he should fly. He kept insisting he was riding, even though a ticket had been purchased for him. I decided to abandon the babymomma and grandbaby and accompany him at the last minute. So, a few days before we were to leave I had a phone conversation with him about packing. He was relaxed and happy, confident in all he could take and leisurely pack in the car...."but I thought you were flying, Dad"....."ha, ha, ha, no, besides I'd never fly alone"..."That's right, I'm flying with you"...."what?"...about three phone calls later he realized we were not kidding. (It is such an odd place to be, this pillar of strength now so vulnerable.) We had an uneventful trip and I was able to stay for two weeks and have no real responsibilities. It began with temps in the 30's and lots of dead fish but to see green, and sand, and blue/green ocean...it was comforting and healing and so very peaceful....apart from all the shouting because my mom is so very hard of hearing...I spent much of the time throwing a white board and marker at my dad!...but I also spent a great deal of time doing this.......wish I could stay there till April and maybe it would have been good for babymomma to be on her own and find her own way and support system....but I'm back and trying to stay out of the way and be supportive as needed....and get back to living.

Procrastination And Elephants

2010-01-05T06:30:00.002-05:00

Two things I am amazingly skilled with ~ procrastinating and avoiding the elephant in the room at all costs. Somehow I have frittered away a two week, almost three week, window with my warriors. Good-byes which have been looming over our head first for a year, then six months are now days away. We don't talk about it. We have sat around doing the mundane tasks of eating and laundry but have neglected celebrating moments together. A snowy Sunday and a rough night out with friends as well as lack of communication meant no "last" Sunday dinner with the octogenarians. Gift certificates to eat out are going unused as there just doesn't seem to be a common time for all of us to be together. Work schedules, predeployment responsibilities that require two days out of our last three, my young warrior who says this is enough good-bye I don't need to go to North Carolina to see him off later this month, I wasn't planning this to be good-bye....and whoever plans deployments in January from Vermont,...sorry for the ranting, looking forward to next year and a welcome home in Vermont in winter.