ABC Wednesday: Snow Day at Grandma's

The main topic of conversation these past few weeks, whether on the news or on blogs, has been the weather. Areas like the southern United States and parts of the UK unaccustomed to snow have been hit with unusually cold temperatures. I have such sympathy for people in these areas; it must be hard to watch gardens full of tender plants shrivel in the freezing temperatures, and traveling in places without a stockpile of tons of salt, not to mention snowplows, has to be dangerous.





Here in the heart of the Midwest, we are used to severe winters, but still it's not pleasant when the temperature drops to Zero or below, as it has for the past two weeks.**




Not only is it cold, but last Thursday six inches of snow fell here, and the winds picked up, creating hazardous road conditions and closing most of the schools for two days. When the weather is like this, I prefer to hibernate inside and don't venture out unless absolutely necessary. But what are working parents to do when they have to get to work, and the schools and daycares are closed? That's when Grandma comes to the rescue!


Youngest Grandson and Granddaughter came to stay on Thursday while Mom and Dad fought their way through snowdrifts. Of course, I'm always happy to have them here, and they find plenty of activities to entertain themselves. Early morning found them spending some time with "friends" Mickey, Winnie, and Handy Manny while Grandma fortified herself with her first cup of coffee and Sophie caught a few Zzzz's. Sophie doesn't leave Youngest Grandson's side very often:)

After playing in the basement playroom for awhile while Grandma finally took down her Christmas tree there, Granddaughter insisted we build a snowman. I had forgotten that it takes 30 minutes to put on snowsuits, hats, and mittens and another 30 to take them off, all for 15 minutes of play time outside.

We tried our best to build a snowman, but this snow was the light, fluffy kind that doesn't stick together. The snowman project was soon abandoned in favor of creating trails through the snow and a short-lived snowball fight.

"O Mother dear,

we sadly fear

that we have lost our mittens . . ."

Those darned mittens wouldn't stay on no matter what Grandma did, so it wasn't long before we had to go back inside.

Back in the cozy warmth of the living room, Grandson enjoyed sharing one of Sophie's favorite activities--bird-watching. We were in luck--the usual assorment of juncos, sparrows, and the downy-headed woodpeckers were busy at the feeders, despite the eyes at the window.

While they kept watch, Granddaughter and I hurried for the bird book to identify this new visitor--a red-bellied woodpecker. He was rather wary about coming too close, which is why this photo is not very clear. I rarely see one of these woodpeckers here, and I'm happy to say he's been visiting the feeders every day since then.



This inspired Granddaughter and I to try a new project--creating some simple birdfeeders out of pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed. ShadyGardener posted instructions some time ago on how to create these, or you can find instructions here. This is a great activity and very easy to do with children. Granddaughter barely had time to make one before her parents arrived earlier than expected, but I finished a few more after she left.

The cardinals, especially, like these simple treats, as do the juncos or the sparrow pictured here. Apparently, it's time to make some more as this one has been picked clean already. Pinecones are in abundant supply here, so there shouldn't be any problem in keeping the birds happy with treats all winter long.

We have reached the Zenith, if you will, the end of the alphabet for round 5. ABC Wednesdays have been hosted for three years by Mrs. Nesbitt, but Denise is stepping down due to time constraints. Thank you, Denise, for sponsoring this for so long! While ABC Wednesday will probably continue under the sponsorship of someone else, I, too, am going to take a little break from this meme. While I may post some ABC's occasionally, I have plans for the next few months that will make posting and visiting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays rather difficult. I have met some wonderful people around the world through this meme, and I do plan to continue to visit you on Wednesdays as often as I can.

I leave you with one parting shot--what would one of my Z posts be like without a photo of my favorite Z---the Zinnia! This is what gets me through the winter!

"O Wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

--Percy Shelley

More creative ideas for the letter Z from all over the world can be found here.

**The forecast for tomorrow and the next several days is for temperatures above freezing. Hooray! I might get out those summer clothes that I still haven't packed away:)

Welcome, Spring!

Happy Spring to everyone! Yes, I know yesterday was officially the first day of spring, but the weather was so sunny yesterday, the best first day of spring that I can remember in a long time, that I spent it outside cleaning up flowerbeds instead of on the computer.



Signs of spring are everywhere. I am happy to report that I do have crocuses! After complaining on Sunday that none of the crocuses I planted last fall had appeared, a few miraculously shot up and bloomed on Monday. Each day I seem to notice another one. My apologies to the squirrels, the cats, and whoever else I blamed for digging up these bulbs.

Another harbinger of spring, the robins, have been out in great numbers for several weeks now. Some years the appearance of a robin in spring is not that remarkable, because a few usually over-winter here. But this year I didn't see a robin all winter, probably due to the extreme cold we had, so they were a welcome sight this March. The photo is not very good, but my camera has only the standard 3x zoom, so this was as close as I could get to the robins. Besides, you'll notice another sign of spring--the grass is now green!

Before spring brings out all its blooms, and I return my focus to the flowers in the garden, I wanted to share with you my attempts to photograph some of the many birds that visited here this past winter. Throughout the very long winter, the birds were a constant source of entertainment.

On a very cold, blustery day in early January I put up a new bird feeder. My fingers were so numb that I made a makeshift hanger around a branch and filled it, not realizing that the winds would whip it around. After swaying from side to side on a gusty day, the feeder was quickly emptied, and all the birdseed fell to the ground. These dark-eyed juncos, though, had no problem scratching it up from the snow; in fact, I think they preferred feeding this way.

The juncos were constant visitors here this winter. Apparently, they like the cold, because I've never seen as many as this past year. Of course, the addition of several feeding stations may have encouraged them to stay for awhile, too.

My friends, the cardinals, decided to spend the winter with us, too, instead of heading south to sunnier climes. This photo looks as if I had"Photoshopped" it, but I assure you, other than very close cropping, the cardinal is real.

Although I've always enjoyed watching the antics of the birds and listening to their glorious songs, especially in the spring, I've never been a "birder." But I've learned so much from fellow bloggers who can identify so many different species of birds and who post such stunning photos of them that I've caught some of that enthusiasm.

I decided that what I needed was a proper bird field guide so I could identify some of the birds that visit us, besides the familiar robins, cardinals, and sparrows. I had part of a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble left over, so I ordered this book online, going by only the description of the book provided on their website. I was so happy when I got the book, because it is perfect! Birds of Illinois provides beautiful color photographs of both the male and female of each species, information about its habitat, what seasons it can be seen in different parts of the state, and other characterisitics. In addition, it is color coded, so if I have no idea what kind of bird I've seen, I only have to look through one section of the book according to the bird's dominant color. It's also a small book, easily fit into a purse or bag should I want to take it along on a "gardening adventure." I highly recommend it for any beginning birder; I believe there are more in this series for other states as well.

Thanks to the book, I was able to identify this downy woodpecker, the first I'd ever seen in our yard. (Ignore the pot and many sticks, please; they have since been cleaned up.) He has become a daily visitor to the peanut butter suet feeder; in fact, you can almost predict when he will arrive each afternoon for his lunch. I was also excited one day to see a red-breasted nuthatch. Such a pretty bird--I quickly grabbed the binoculars and then the field guide to be able to identify him. I saw him only once, though, so no photos.

In an effort to get some decent bird photos, I kept moving the feeders closer and eventually purchased this feeder that attaches right to the living room window. My thanks to Kylee for first showing this on her blog early last winter and to Robin for telling me where I could buy one--WildBirds Unlimited. I bought the smallest feeder they had in case it didn't work out, but after using a tip from the salesman--use a little vegetable oil on the suction cups before attaching--the feeder has stayed up all winter. The only problem has been that the birds have not been too attracted to the feeder: perhaps it is too small, or maybe this could be the problem . . .

. . .Toby! Toby has really appreciated this feeder. I can always tell when there is a bird nearby when I see his tail twitching.

Then again, it could be Sasha who scared off the birds. This is Toby's spot, so Sasha normally doesn't venture onto the couch, but the bird feeder must have been too enticing for her as well.

Actually, I think the birds, like this junco, eventually got used to the cats. It was that human with the strange silver third eye suddenly appearing next to the window that usually frightened them off.

Out of all my futile attempts to photograph a bird at the feeder, this was my only success--a chickadee who appeared last week. Pretty pathetic, I know. I was very happy with my little Sony Cybershot camera when I got it last Christmas, but once I started blogging, I've had a serious case of camera envy. However, as far as I've been able to determine, there is nothing in the economic stimulus package to bail out the bankrupt Prairie New Camera Fund, so it looks like a fancy new camera with a powerful zoom and supermacro will have to wait. In the meantime, I won't strain your eyes further with any more blurry or far-off photos; from now on, I'll leave the bird photography up to those of you who do it so well. Instead, I'll just stick to flowers and the creatures who will stand still for the camera . . .

Aw, c'mon, Tarzan, do you have to make faces for my camera, too?? I give up. An Ansel Adams I'll never be.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of spring!

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day

he created Spring.

--Bern Williams