Snow Days

We had some snowy and cold weather last week. I filled our bird feeders before the bad weather arrived, but the feeders were getting low by the time we did our 2-day Feeder Watch.

I put some seed out on trays set on the ground for the second day to supplement the waning food supply in the feeders. The temperature was in the single digits and teens! Once the birds discovered the seed on the ground, there were a lot of bird tracks around the trays; there were no tracks for the two snow days before I put the seed out on the trays!

The view of the pine from my office window became less snowy after the snow stopped mid-way through the second day, since the wind quickly blew the snow from the pine needles; the snow caught in the holly leaves stayed longer.

We got about 6 inches at our house (although there might have been some areas that were deeper because the snow blew around a bit). Our neighbor across the street was the first in the neighborhood to shovel their driveway.

I used my snow blower for the first time; I bought it toward the end of last season after appreciating my neighbor clearing my driveway with his snow blower; my back tends to hurt immediately when shoveling snow. It was a learning experience with the blower. The breeze caused snow to blow onto me, the batteries did not last long enough to clear the whole driveway, and the big pile at the end of the driveway created by the snowplow was problematic. On the plus side – my back did not bother me at all!

I was at home for 4 days. Meetings that were on my calendar for those days were rescheduled or moved to zoom. My husband got out on the 4th morning for a dental appointment, but his car has higher clearance than mine. I got out on the 5th day to buy groceries!

Through my office window – September 2022

I am finally situated to do ‘through the window’ photography from my home office in Missouri. The last tweaks were to put the screen in storage and clean the window. I also moved one of the bird baths for easier viewing. My husband and I moved a bird feeder to be surrounded on three sides by hollies….the open side being visible from my window; the other feeder, in a more open space, has become secondary based on bird traffic. Here are the best images from this month:

House finches at the bird bath

Rain drops pelting the bird bath

A chickadee that seemed to be looking at me!

Goldfinches at the feeder

A downy woodpecker at the feeder

Doves taking over one of the patio chairs

Settling in, developing new routines – 3rd month

It seems like the “settling in” picked up speed during this third month…the things we are doing now are the ones most important to making this place the home we want.

Kittens. Getting three kittens was a milestone for us. We had been without a cat since mid-January; even though we missed having a pet, we also realized it would be easier to make the long distance move without one. Once we were here, we waited until we had the house unpacked enough to be safe for kittens. And so – now we have 3 kittens (siblings) that are keeping us busy tweaking their environment to be safe for them…and not have too much damage to the furniture, drapery, etc. Having kittens will limit the travel we do together through the end of the year…but they provide an abundance of entertainment to make up for it.

Travel. I will be in Texas one week of each month to help enable my parents to remain independent in their own home….and celebrate their 70th anniversary in December. It’s not quite a routine yet but getting close; the way I handle laundry and snacks for the road and packing is becoming more consistent every month! And my husband is keeping busy with the kittens and visits from my daughter.

Birdfeeder. We now have 2 bird feeders….both visible from my office window. The one that seems to be the most popular is on a pole with our three holly trees around it. The birds seem to feel very secure coming there. The screen from the window blew off during a storm (I simply picked up and put it in the storage area of the basement)….so I can usually photograph the birdfeeder and bath through the window. I plan to clean the window frequently and enjoy the birds!

Yard. What a difference a month makes. The rains have been more consistent, and we’ve been able to reduce the frequency our sprinkler system comes on. Learning how to winterize the system is ahead of us…but not until we get closer to freezing temperatures. I am making plans to mow the yard (electric mower) probably beginning at the end of this season so I can enlarge the beds for shrubs, bulbs, and perennials in the back yard. I’d like to get bulbs planted this fall.  

State parks. We are starting a project to visit local and state parks. I’ve got a map showing all the parks within a 100-mile radius. They’ll make for some great day trips!

Previous ‘settling in’ posts: 1st month, 2nd month