Birds of the Berkshires

I know that if you live in the north, you never want to see snow again -- or at least not for rather awhile!

But indulge me with a look at some birds I saw while we were in the Berkshires back in March.

All of these were on the deck or yard of Rick's brother and his wife and all pretty standard ones.

I love the cardinals, male and female.

It appeared that this must be quite a hot spot for these beautiful birds. Once I looked out and counted eight bright red ones and knew the paler females weren't far behind. Alas. I could only get two in this photo!

 The scene stealers were the wild turkeys.

Many of them hung around under the deck where I'm sure they were devouring more than a little of the seed dropped down from the birds above.

But the more aggressive of the flock came right to the feeder!

At one point three turkeys were vying for the best seed!

When they were out in the field and in the distance, they looked liked rocks!

"The rocks are moving!"

These fellows seemed to hang around together, rather like they were having a good chat!

Of course there were chickadees.

And this fellow!

I'm glad he was pecking on the seeds and not wood on the house!

I'm not quite sure who this guy is! Any ideas? Is he the woodpecker above?

On a cold snowy day when you'd rather be inside than out, this is surely the place to be.

Thanks for indulging me in a little winter birdwatching. Now I'm waiting for the goldfinch to return to my feeder!

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Break in the Action: Keep Calm and Stay in the Berkshires!

It was all going so well.

Rick did his trade show gig and it was a hit, bringing loads of good relationships and, we hope, sales.

So, it was back to Randy and Elaine's for some vacation time! We made a stop in Lee, Massachusetts, on the way home. I've always loved this beautiful church that we've passed by many times.

From any angle, it's a hit!

And the antique store was fun, too. No, I didn't buy this...

...or this...

...or these.

But I wanted to! And more! (And I don't even play the violin!)

We also made a stop at the Maple Sugar Shack.

Yes, maple syrup was in our future!

The plan? To enjoy a free day in Pittsfield. Family gatherings. Cross country skiing for Rick.

Well, it was a good plan.

The photo above actually looks like Rick's ankle was broken. It wasn't the ankle. It was the fibula. A bit of ice under freshly fallen snow took him out. (Correction -- they THOUGHT the ankle wasn't broken, JUST the fibula... we would find out otherwise.)

So, we spent a good chunk of time at the ER. And yes, Rick is OK with this pic being online -- it has already made the Facebook rounds; I don't think grief from Blogland could be worse!

Endgame? We both drove home in the same car. Jeanie was at the wheel but Rick drove from the backseat!

Several days later we saw the orthopedic specialist who did more xrays and it turns out the leg is broken in two places -- at the ankle and the fibula -- and surgery is required. In addition, the leg was so swollen he has developed blood clots (DVT) and is on medication for it.  They got him out of the splint and into a walking boot but he has to keep it elevated from a laying-down position. Needless to say, neither of us are happy but Rick most of all. It's the start of cycling season. He's probably the only person in Michigan who wishes it was still January.

I would be remiss if I didn't show a photo of the therapy cat! Daisy kept me from missing Lizzie too much on this trip! I think Rick's best therapy will be a visit from the Baby Grands. Till next time...

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