Business Is Up At The Feeders

As the sun was rising yesterday morning this
is what I was looking through at the kitchen window.



The icicles were growing so long that I could
not even take pictures of the birds feeding from the
feeders because of the ice.
So it was time to go out and knock down some ice from
the eaves and gutters before it started causing ice to dam
back under the roof and cause problems or bring down
the gutters from the weight.
With another snow storm on our front doors steps
which I did not even want to think about, I took broom
in hand and knock down all that I could reach. Since
we live in partial two story I could not reach them all
but with the sunshine yesterday a lot of ice slide off, taking
down one of the lower widow boxes in the process so I
had to go out and rescue it. I was just glad in the great
slid it missed breaking one of the windows.



Now at noon it is snowing like crazy and the roads
are getting terrible. My Mom just informed me that
she called the Ohio Dept. of Transportation to tell them
to get on the ball and get on the roads because she has
grand-kids coming home from work this afternoon. LOL!
Whatever! She is more gutsy than me. I did not remind
her that just because it was bad upon this hill did not
always mean all the roads in the valley were bad too.
Twenty minutes later they were going by plowing.
Which is just about as long as it would take them to
get from town to here, so Mom it worked.





With the snow falling the feeders are getting lots
of action. The birds seem to come to the new metal feeder
as the older plastic feeder gets lower on seed.
The reason being the new metal one is a little slippery
for them and the snow was making it even more slippery.
As sad as this sounds watching sliding birds is a little
fun to see. LOL! Not so much fun for them.




But they are gorging at it anyway today like there will
be none for tomorrow.
Reminder to self: add birdseed to the shopping list.




This winter I have not yet saw any
new variety of birds. It has been the old faithful
one such as the many Cardinals, Junco's ,Sparrows,
Goldfinches, Titmice, Woodpeckers and Nuthatches.



By the way if you hear angry shouts it will have been
me because Blogger is causing me fits today just
trying to get this finished and intact. Seems others
are having problems too.




Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and
a snow free one.





One last thing has anyone else lost Blotanical
all together. My logo disappeared and the website
is not responding????

Hunkering Down

The birds have been hunkering down, puffing out
their feathers and gorging themselves.
When I see the bird's feasting at the feeders as though
there will be no food for tomorrow I know the
snow is still going to continue or a new round is
coming. It is tough watching them trying to feed
with the strong winds and the snow coming in sideways.
The Junco's , Cardinals, Sparrows, Titmice, Woodpeckers
and Nuthatches have been the main feeders thus far,
but as the cold continues and the snow is piling up
there are bound to be new types of birds coming in to fed.
So keep those feeders filled and the fresh water out.







After all of the Christmas decorations are down, usually
that means the next day or two around here, I decorate
the front porch for winter.







The Christmas wreaths come down and a wreath of
sparkling ice crystals and lights go up.





Here in Ohio you decorate for every season and any
little ole thing it seems. So I decorate for the winter
just to brighten things up for the gray days of winter.

The small prime tree comes out of the crock
and sticks that have been spray painted white
and seed lights are added.
The Christmas swags and flowers are replaced with
snowmen.
Whoops, I think that one little snowman is a little
crooked. LOL! What you see after the pictures are taken.





This corner of the front porch now is all bright
and sparkling on a cold winter night.
I am not sure the 'Winter Welcome' sign is exactly
truthful on my part though, you all are welcome
but as far as winter I could live without it.
I think there was a horrible mistake made -- years ago
and I was really suppose to have been born on some
tropical island.






The sled stays out with the skates upon it but the
Christmas greenery and ribbons are gone.
Miniature lights and another sign brighten this
corner of the porch.
The sign reads 'Let it Snow'.
Last winter someone coming up onto the porch
and turned this sign over. Guess they had had enough
of the snow and thought this would stop it . LOL!
The way it has settled in this winter I may go out and
take the stupid sign down myself.

A Sparkly Winter Day to You All!

Just Beneath The Surface

Or out freezing your t-hinder off in the morning
when the thermometer is reading 5 degrees and
the wind chill is below zero.
Nothing will wake you up any faster making the old
sleepy eyes pop open.
What a rush. LOL!





" Hope "

As I went to open the blinds this morning all the signs
of a very cold night were written all over the windows.
Jack Frost had been busy working with his paint brush
while we slept.





The patterns made the windows look like lace

curtains were fastened to them.

Then when the sun begin to rise and shine through
the window panes the patterns were decorated with
clear crystal quartz.

After seeing the pictures the caption I would give
to them if they needed one would be 'Hope'.
Just beneath the stark cold surface of life,
hope shines through to brighten our lives.

After breakfast I ventured out to refill the bird
feeders and to check on the water in the bird bath.
I keep a small heater in it to provide water for
them throughout the winter.
It was just about empty so the birds have been using
it and by the tracks so are the raccoons and stray
cats. I hope they can stay clear of one another

and they all make it through this winter.





While doing these chores I could not help but to
once again go back in to get the camera.
The sun shining upon the snow was an array of
diamonds and colored prisms.
I tried to catch the colored specks of red and blues
but my camera just would not pick them up plain
enough to show up on the pictures but the glistening
snow came through.




The lavender plant seems to be taking all of the cold
thus far with the sparkling snow around it.





Jack Frost
"Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one."

- Helen Bayley Davis -





Gardening Gone Wild is sponsoring a January
picture contest and the title is "Winter's
Beauty" chosen by Alan Detrick, who will be this
months judge. What a fun way to start off the New
Year and give us garden and camera enthusiasts
an escape from the cabin fever of winter and
looking into the beauty of a winter day instead.
Everyone get those beautiful Winter pictures
entered in.
I think I will enter ' Hope ' into the contest
to look for hope into this New Year ahead and
toward the hope of a new Spring.
It certainly will not be the best picture because I
have seen more beautiful ones already entered
but it will be fun to participate.
Good Luck to all the entries and....

Happy Winter Gardening Everyone!

Just Breathe

Well now we can all just breathe.
Christmas is over and if you were like so many
people the returns were made today and the
clearance aisles were cleared and left in shambles
in the departments stores for those Christmas
bargains to start you off next year.
Today was just one of the three days I stay away
from the departments stores including, black Friday
and Christmas Eve.
After working so many years in retail I know just
not to venture back into the abyss.

How many of you got lots of pretty gardening
presents for Christmas this year?
A am going to love seeing what everyone got.

I did not get any gardening presents this year but
I did get a plant present that I just love.





This little snowman is made from a small
gourd. Isn't he precious. LOL
The painting of it and dressing him was so
wonderful. Some people have so much talent.
Unbeknownst I really picked it out for myself.
At the Bob Evans Farm Festival this year I had
picked him up and thought he was so sweet but
then but it back. I do that a lot and then
when I get home I wish I had gotten it.
My daughter then looks at it and
she bought it as if it was for a co-worker. So I was
tickled to see it as my present this Christmas.

We had an inch of rain yesterday and it melted
and washed away all of our pretty snow.
I am sure that it will be replaced in the next couple
of days.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with
family and friends and I will be watching for
those gardening presents you all received.




Everyone Just Breathe
And Have a Great Weekend!

Winter Comes Right On Time

It was bound to happen sooner or later but
it looks like winter has finally came to the
Hocking Hills Garden.

In the southeastern part of the state we got
more snow than our northern friends.
I wish I could send it to those up in Cleveland that
wanted it but they will eventually catch up and pass
us for snow fall amounts before winter is over.





I must confess that if we had to have snow we
were surely blessed with a beautiful one Saturday.





It was one of those great snowman making snows.
Wet and heavy sticking to everything and washing it
in white.





In the woods beside the house the snow covers
and sticks even to the sides of the trees.





The field across the house is just beautiful and
I only wish the sun was shining a little so the
pictures could have been lighter but even with
the cloudy skies all day yesterday and today I
could not stop snapping pictures.





The rododendron bushes have sagging branches
and it looks like my yellow Capistrano one has
broken off to the ground. It has been dying back for
the last two years and I can only hope it will send
sprouts up from it now.





The poor garden kids look cold and their hats
tell how deep the snow was on the ground.
Poor things, maybe I should have brought them
into the shed for winter , but they are still smiling.
Alright I know they're not real!

Even with all of the snow there are some things
that just refuse to give up and let go.

This maple leaf is hanging on and sways in
the winter breeze.





This was the only green besides the pines that I
could find around the house.









With all of the snow needless to say there
has been a run on the bird feeder.
Go to my other blog "Natures Scenic View"
to see some of the snow birds.

Snow

"There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the
forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the
still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every
blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of
twig, is clad with radiance."

- William Sharp -

Happy Winter Gardening Everyone!

I Heard Groans and Moans

I could hear you all yesterday a moaning and a groaning
from all of the turkey, ham and deserts.
Well actually that might have been me making all
of that noise.
I heard all of the physiologists, doctors, nutritionist's, etc.
explaining why or how not to overeat on Thanksgiving or
Christmas. That we should not make it an excuse for over
indulgence. My question was why not? Why shouldn't we
have two days in the year without the guilt of eating the foods
we like and that make us feel good. Why shouldn't we have a
day when the family can all get together and fellowship with
one another. One day to say "diet go stuff yourself ".
In a world that is so body conscious instead of family conscious
where everyone is scattered near and far, what is wrong with it?
I say yes to pigging out for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What a joy to have a guilt free holiday!
Don't you all feel better now?


I awoke this morning hearing this tinkling against the
window panes and I just knew I was not going to like
what I would see when I looked out the front door.




Looking out and across the road to the field there was
these big white things falling all around.
I moan, " oh, no".
So I slowly venture to the back door to take a look out.
(Like that was going to make a big difference)




Nope, "drat". It was really snowing.
So I open the backdoor to get a better look and the little
stray kitten comes flying through the door as soon as I opened
it thinking it is really going to stay indoors.
"No little fella I am not going to start that, isn't it enough
that I feed you?".
So I run through the house trying to run him down
(these days that is a feat unto itself)
and carry him out onto the back step where it is freezing and
icy. So I know then the snow is not going to be melting as fast up
here on this hill until later this morning.
So alright blogger friends I guess I really have to accept
the fact that this winter thing is really going to happen.
Though some of you have had your big snows already
and that even in the northern part of the state there has been
snow, this is southeastern Ohio's first sticking snow.
I should not complain because we had snow last year on the
18th so we have really been fortunate so far.
So what does a person do but say 'alrighty then' on to
Christmas.
How many of you were shopping at 4 a.m. this morning?
Trust me as an old retired retail lady we do not share your
enthusiasm. Before the morning is up we both will be
shouting at each other ;-)

But this posting is not all about the weather, my lack of
enthusiasm or guilt free overeating.





The amaryllis 'Cocktail' that has been growing so fast has
started to bloom already with beautiful big white blooms.





The only thing wrong with that is that it is suppose to
be white with red variegation's or stripes. Now unless
that green center is going to turn red it may just be that
it was mislabeled for the nursery and I got another
amaryllis besides the 'Cocktail' variety that was ordered.





It is a pretty one but not what I ordered.
Now I am wondering if I should notify the nursery from
where I ordered the bulb from.




I do hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
And of course a guilt free one too.