S.O.S.! - Save Our Suet! :)

Last winter we had a real problem with raccoons stealing our suet from the bird station! If they had trouble getting the suet cages open, they'd take cage and all! One snowy morning I'd played detective and followed the raccoon tracks along our property, across the road, and into a thicket where I know there is a stack of green suet cages, - most of them brand new!! :)
I had to start taking down the suet cages at night, and putting them back up in the morning! It was an annoyance to both myself and the birds, who sometimes didn't get remembered untill mid day! :)
When the warm temperatures of summer came, the thieves left us alone and I was able to stop manning the suet! :)
They returned this fall in time to clean us out of our grapes, apples, and pears!!! They took most of our corn crop too!!
Then, the other night, when it froze, they turned their attention back to the suet!

This is where I found it on that fridgid morning! They were unsuccessful at getting it opened and I'm amazed they left it and didn't take the whole cage with them, as they often do! :)

They did carry it away from the bird station, however! Before deciding to leave it behind! :)

If you look closely you may see it lying between two small mole hills. If the photo enlarges, when you click on it, you should be able to see it! ( For those unsure how to return to the blog once the photo enlarges, just click on the blue "back" arrow at the top left corner of your screen, and it will put you right back at this spot in the blog! )

The last few nights there hasn't been any theft, but once the nights start freezing on a regular basis, I expect they'll step up their burglary again!

I'll be starting what Rud refers to as "The S.O.S. - Save Our Suet - Program"! I don't look forward to going out on dark, cold nights bringing them in, and rehanging them on those chilly mornings! It's enough to make me consider turning into an Annie Oakley, and reclaiming what's mine!! :)

Seashells In My Lawn! :)

Imagine my amazement when I noticed little tiny seashells in my lawn! I've never seen shells in the grass before and had no ideah any shells this tiny even exsisted! But there they were, -beautiful little white shells! :)

Of course they had stems and were actually tiny, white mushrooms, but sometimes even the real thing can be an incredible find! After all, even though we've lived here, in western WA, for years, I've never seen them!! Yet here they are, all charming, peaking up from the grass! :)

They're little white gems that make me smile every time I see them! :)

So far they are just in one small location so I try not to crush them under foot and actually step around them! I can't help it! I think they're adorable! :)

Birthday Boy Brennan! :)

Today was a cellebration of the birth of our grandson, Brennan, as he turned One year old!! :) It amazes me how so much spirit, can fit into a little body! :) We Adore him, more than words can say, and I finally understand what other grandparents meant when they tried to explain to me how very Precious and Wonderful Grandbabies are!! :)
Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!! We love you!! :)

Fun, Frolicking, Fall! :)

Every year November awakens my senses to the joys of autumn! :) The beauty of vibrant colors in the yard and neighboring rural landscapes, and the thrill I always derive from watching the leaves dancing in my rearview mirror, as I drive the country roads! :)

These photos have been easily aquired as I've had to look no further than my own yard for the fun signs of Fall! :)

From the Japanese Maples ...

To the ornamental cherry tree! I love how this tree manages to spin a patchwork of green, yellow, orange, and red, on nearly every leaf, each year! :)

Even the Japanese Maple Leaves display a playful array of color on each leaf, from cream to red!

Nov. also means Thanksgiving is arriving, - a time to count our blessings and give thanks! :)

When nature offers such natural beauty it makes it easy to feel grateful! :)

My ever loyal companion keeps watch and enjoys the peace and quiet with me! :)

This next photo, ( below ), shows rain streaking down, but unless it will enlarge when you click on it, it doesn't look like it shows. Hope it enlarges for you! :)

Fall can be thrilling with grass-greening rain fall ...

Which is often followed by breath-taking rainbows! His promise to us that He will not again flood the earth! :)

If you look close you will see this one's a double! I wonder if that means there's supposed to be two pots of gold at this rainbow's end?! :) I hope this photo will enlarge when you click on it! :)

This fall we've been enjoying alot of wonderful sunsets!! :)

Sometimes it's almost as if the skyline is on fire! :)

I had to share one more mushroom photo, as these purple ones sprang up since I did the blog post on fungi! Just one more fun, frolicking display of Fall!! I love November!! :)

Crocus Candy! :)

If you're like me, flowers can be candy for the eyes! This catalog photo of the mixed crocus is similar to how the crocus, that I planted today, should look this spring! :)

The ground should have an even coverage of each of these, white, pale blue, ...

silvery-purple, yellow, ... ( sorry for this image. I should have turned off the flash ) ...

and creamy yellow crocus! :)

I took this photo when I was around half done with the planting! All 250 bulbs went into this south-side flower bed! I'm relieved that I managed to get all the bulbs in the ground during this short dry spell! :)

The leaves make it difficult to see the crocus bulbs waiting their turn to be planted! Hopefully the photo will enlarge when you click on it, - for a closer look! The bulb spade blends right in, - can you see it? :)

And here's a look at a catalog photo of the tulip mix I planted yesterday, ( in the previous blog post ). As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It'll be fun if they look like the photo! :)

Now that they're in the ground, I can start thinking about getting some bark! That's the last remaining outside goal, on my fall do-list! Then I can leave these bulbs to sleep for the winter while we enjoy the rest of the holidays! :)

Tulip Time-Out! :)

Today I took a "time-out" from all my other pressing responsibilities to get the tulip bulbs planted along the side of the garage! With only a few dry days in the forcast, getting them planted is just as pressing as the other things on my agenda! :)

As I planted them I pulled the soil away from the wood exterior walls, so once they were all in, I could water them in without concern of getting the wood wet! The overhang is so wide on the garage that it protects it and keeps it pretty dry, requiring me to actually water in the bulbs if they're to get enough moisture to grow and bloom come spring! I learned that the hard way, last year, when I thought the rain would wet them and it didn't. To my dismay none of last years tulips came up! Today I pulled withered, dried-out bulbs from the soil as I replanted the new! I made a point to water them in before calling the job finished today! :)

I'd ordered a tulip mix of 100 bulbs! Turns out that was the exact number I needed to fill the space!

The catalog says this mix will be mostly reds and yellows, with many bi, with a sprinkling of pink and white! The photo looked attractive so I'm hoping it will be bright and cheery this spring! :) I'll be sure to do a follow-up blog, with photos, at bloom time! If you like tulips, you can look forward to them with me! :)

Now if I can just get the crocuses in the gound tomorrow! ... :)

Welcome November! :)

The jack-o-lanterns have been tossed, the candy is gone, and I'm ready and happy to welcome November! :)
Having given in to some Halloween candy, it's time for Rud and I to rededicate ourselves to fitness, and we're anxious to get back to exercising! I still need to change the guest bedroom back into our fitness room so we can get back to it! :)
October was an unusual month for us with him gone working on the ranch, and me enjoying company and flower root and bulb shipments arriving by UPS! I have all the 10 peony roots in, and 40 of the tulip bulbs I planted between rain showers, and hope to finish planting the rest of the 350 bulbs in the next four DRY days, if I can! :) It's a tall order, with the other church responsibilites that are pressing me this week! :)
It feels good to have Halloween done, and Thanksgiving and Christmas still to look forward to! :)
There's alot I could say about the things I love about Nov.' but it will have to wait as time is overfilled for me this week and I must "work while the sun shines"! :)
Join me, everyone, in extending a heart-felt welcome to November!! :)