And January Goes On!

Lots of bits and pieces to go on, as the month of January continues. This morning I woke to our first measurable snow since Christmas. The weather folk say 3-6 inches are expected today. We'll see. This has been our weirdest winter in ages.

Hawks, Berries, Birds, Blooms and Deer!

Last post was a Postcard from the Lake; today, a Ditch walk! And sometimes, the back yard!

Actually, this nest is in Rick's back yard. About a week or so ago I posted a photo of a magnificent hawk. This is her nest. It's way up in the tree; hard to focus the zoom well enough! But quite impressive.

A few ditch sightings that made my recent walk a happy one, like this pretty deer.

What a sweet face!

Cardinals are one of my favorites.

This one actually hung around long enough to pose for a few photos!

This mama duck was preening herself on the banks of the pond...

...while her ducklings clustered close beside her.

The ducklings are turning into ducks -- their feathers have formed!

I'm not sure who this is -- I think a grackle! But it looks awfully fat!

Should you think it's all about the animals, here are a few blooms that make this walk so pleasant, starting with the glorious honeysuckle on my route.

I'm not sure what these are... I don't really care. They're pretty.

And what's not to love about pure white?

I leave you with a little pink. 

Enjoy all your walks, flora and fauna!

A Sunny Day Walk!

When I get a good day, I max it out! So, off I venture into my roaming space. I've shown you this before -- it's not to scale, of course, but you can see my roaming space is about eight blocks to the Ditch and around.

These photos were taken on two or three different walks over the past few days. Got your mask? Let's go!

There's lots of early spring action. On this visit, I saw a whole flock of cedar waxwings (correct me if I'm wrong, bird fans!) in hog heaven at this bush of bright red berries.

It was hard to focus on them between the branches and they were pretty flighty -- eat and run! But so pretty. They weren't the only bird in the area, either. This pretty cardinal was flitting around...

...and there were loads of robins.

This red-winged blackbird is for David -- singing his song! (I finally got one with decent light!)

There were more than a few ducks, some dining....

...others just sunning themselves.

The geese were on patrol, watching out for their mates and taking on any bird that came near.

I saw a few grackles and a lovely mourning dove.

I'm not sure what this is. At first I thought it might be another waxwing but it has a pretty yellow tail.

I wasn't the only one out. On my first two rides I saw cyclists...

... lots of walkers, people on the benches and even someone who brought their own hammock.

That was too many people for me, so I changed my walking time to earlier, hoping for less people. I did see a few, including my neighbor Pat, with his Jack Russell, Annie.

I used to have a Jack that looked just like Annie so she's my favorite dog!

The greatest gift is when I happen to catch glimpse of a deer. Look on the far shore. Do you see her?

She was completely at ease with her various bird friends and they were relaxed with her.

One of the few times she looked up was when a Fed-ex truck went by.

She was beautiful.

But should you think it's all calm at the Ditch, think again. Apparently one duck must have come too close to another's nest for there was quite a kerfuffle as her mate chased him off.

Rounding the bend and off for home.

Signs of spring. (Although today the temperature dropped, it's sleeting and raining. This, too, will pass.)

A Little More Fall, In and Out

Well, autumn is officially here. I see it at the farmer's market with the shots of color: pumpkins, tomatoes, zinnias. (Oh, and because so many of you asked, camera info at the end of this post.)

And a row or two later, I am blown away by this gorgeous bunch of fungi.

I see it branded into the sidewalk as I move toward the Ditch, imprints of fallen leaves, leaving their mark on the cement.

I see it in the sumac and the astors.

I see it at Kohl's. And by the way, why anyone would spend 15.99 or 23.99 for these pumpkins when you could cover a faux pumpkin with artificial leaves, probably from Dollar Tree at best, a little more at worst, is beyond me. They're really cute. And all it would take is a pumpkin, leaves and a glue gun. You're welcome.

I see it in the falling leaves.

And I see it through the bare branches -- a spotted fawn on the Deer Island at the Ditch. I never would have spotted him otherwise.

It smells like fall, too, at least around my house! Heat up the oven -- make this simple chicken casserole and serve over wild rice.

Basic ingredients -- I use chicken tenders instead of the breasts the recipe calls for. Any dry white wine will do.

The joy of this is that you can make it up early in the day and later, when it's nearing dinner time, pop it in your 375 degree oven and in 45 minutes it's on the table. (Maybe a bit longer if straight from the fridge.) That's just about how long it takes me to do my wild rice.

Remember that farmer's market? Well, I bought a quarter bushel of tomatoes and so guess what!

Yup! Loads of batches of pasta sauce starter with onions, garlic and tomatoes. (One batch had artichoke hearts and mushrooms, too.) We'll dress it up with extras (olives, sausage) later! I took the immersion blender to one batch and it was the best tomato soup ever!

I've been making pesto, too. And I can't resist caramelizing a few more onions than I need while I'm doing the sauce!

You knew I had to add a little to the house, didn't you. Mostly, it's a few botanical elements, dried and faux. I love these leaves in the tin pail. That's one of Carol Gillot's (Paris Breakfasts) watercolors beside it. Pears are perfect for fall!

The china cabinet top got a bit of an upgrade.

And a few branches in the big vase with battery lights by Lizzie's bowl.

A quick peek at the other cabinet -- outside...

...and in.

I love this corner with my Stickley lamp, a few leaves and a photo of the Eiffel Tower by my friend, author Judy Winter. Can't wait to see it in person again!

A number of you asked about my new camera, what model and make. It's a Canon SX730 HS and has a 40x optical zoom (which stretches to 160, although at that full zoom, it's hard to steady.) It's reasonably lightweight (not as light as my earlier model) and fits easily into my purse. I got the little kit which included the memory card, battery, mini-tripod, card reader (disappointed my old Canon cord didn't fit) and a little cleaning kit. I found it on Amazon through a seller called WhoIsCamera. So far, I'm impressed, although I have to say, looking at these photos enlarged, they seem a little soft. That could be operator or setting error. We'll see.

 I guess I'll be putting it through its paces in October and look forward to sharing with you!

Meanwhile, enjoy some magical fall!

Sharing this week with:    Let's Keep In Touch     /   Pink Saturday   /     Thursday Turnabout