Monday, December 09, 2013

Winter Birds and Winter Crafts

Whether officially or not, winter has arrived.  I know by the ice in the rubber buckets every morning that I have to crack out for my Ducks.  I know by the ice crystals that form on the grass and dirt.  I know by the feel of the rock hard frozen ground underneath my feet.
I know by the Birds which are frequenting our feeder.  The Junco is for our family the harbinger of winter, and we all (most) look forward to his arrival in November.  By now he is a fixture in our yard, often dropping by the feeder for a snack and flitting just out of reach; his white tail feather flashing when we take walks out back.

The Junco's much more flashy winter companion is the Cardinal.  For while Mr. Cardinal is around during the summer, he rarely if ever graces us with his presence during those warmer months.  But when the temperature starts dropping we are rewarded with a few more glimpses of this brightly colored bird.

The blustering bluejay too becomes more sociable as November turns into December, and we are the happy recipients of jolly visits from these birds with one of the biggest personalities.  But though it is debatable I think the little tiny Chickadee, with his sassy laugh and winsome ways takes the cake when it comes to personality.  He certainly is the boldest of the group!

Inside, when not watching our feathered friends from the window, we have inevitably taken up some winter crafts to do while we are more in then out. 

We still find ourselves unaccountably busy, especially trying to finish up the cider we need to make with all the apples in the garage, but since the evenings come sooner, and darkness and freezing temperatures keep us from most of our other activities, the needle comes out and various projects are worked on.

Charity is working on a cross-stitch pattern, I am knitting away at some practical wash clothes (all of ours had holes in them and were absolutely despicable).

 
Josiah has finished up his tatted flag and now is experimenting with creating other hand tatted objects, while Faith just finished a granny square afghan from a kit she received from Aunt Myrt.

It's nice to be able to get to some of the things that have been pushed aside during the summer months. 

So if you're looking for us you will find us serenely working on sundry projects while happily watching the birds out the window.................

........

...We wish!! :D

~Chs