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Saturday, May 2, 2020

Getting Creative, Working Between Showers, Another Birthday

The Ridge
On Saturday, May 2nd Bill and I were lazy again and stayed in bed until just before 8. It was cloudy outside my window and that is what we expected for the bulk of the day. There could be rain today too, a 50% chance which is pretty likely. 40%? We don’t always get it but 50 is a given. Bill made his coffee and when he told me it was 9C/48f I headed out the door for my walk.

A walk down North Line
There wasn’t much wind at all so needless to say it was very pleasant. I had two experiences. One, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a Mama robin flying into her nest just at the fence line. I zoomed in as best I could from my distance and hoped she hadn’t built it too low. There are cats in the neighbourhood. On my way back after reaching a mile, I noticed a truck coming towards me slowly. Stopping periodically. My heart gave a wee lurch but I really wasn’t worried.

I was hoping for some sun but wasn't expecting it
When they pulled up beside me, two men in the cab, they asked if I knew who the adjoining field belonged to. They were looking for large rocks and although there were plenty in the field, didn’t want to help themselves without permission. Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer that for them and they were on their merry way. I noticed they turned west on North Line and found a cache in the ditch down there.

robin red breast sits on her nest
Back home, Bill said I should have told them to come to our place, there are rocks up over the berm/fence they were welcome to. I don’t know how much effort they were willing to put into it but that would have been nice to offer. I didn’t think of that! We both went outside and I bundled against the still cool air and dumped my last 2 bags of mulch into the wheelbarrow. I was able to spread that around the small gardens so all that is left is the big garden when we buy more.

The work around the garden's edge was long past due
It neatens it up and now I just have to keep at it
It was almost 12 noon so I came in and made us an omelette sandwich. Bill’s on toast and mine in a tortilla. Yummers! Then after dishes, we headed back out. The first thing I did may be a useless endeavor but you can’t blame a gal for trying new things! I was curious about a friend’s post regarding oriole feeders so when she emailed me with what was used, it got me thinking. What do I have that I can use? It’s definitely rinky dink but worth a shot.

Well, they look pretty even if they don't work!
With our last two oranges that were going soft, I cut them in half and skewered through the centre. I had my empty suet feeder so did my best to rig it up as a feeder. With a couple of outer lettuce leaves, it made a nice little meal. I Googled if birds ate lettuce and the answer was yes and it is good for them with the nutrients it provides. So don’t be laughing! Ha ha. We’ll see if we have any visitors. I would be overjoyed!

I do love my egg tortillas for lunch
Then I decided to dig some rocks out of a section of grass that is always difficult to cut with my mower. I’m always hitting rocks and not only does it make me cringe but it hurts the blades. Bill needs to fill an area with rocks so I worked away there and at the edge of the flower garden. I grumble each summer about the grass that tends to grow up in between the rocks. I wonder ‘why?’ do I have rocks there anyway? So, I started raking and pulling and piling rocks.

As I was sitting under the awning, I noticed the cows
across the road hitailing it for the barn
In doing so, I searched for the hostas I couldn’t find yesterday and they had indeed started growing but just got covered in last years mulch. Bill worked in his Hangar and started a fire down there so we were in close proximity of each other. I had de-layered a bit, not needing so many jackets in the afternoon. It was a pleasant 13C/55F by now and that is pretty good for not having sunshine!

I thought it was cute, later on the calves were running to catch up
with Mom and Dad as if it were a game
However, around 2 there were 3 or 4 little rain showers. I kept working until it finally drove me to the patio where I opened an awning. I didn’t want to come in yet, thinking it would stop again soon. It didn’t for about 15 minutes so I sat under the awning until 2:45 when I decided to come inside. I was feeling chilled and that is never a nice feeling. I changed out of my work jeans into some comfy stretch pants and my slippers.

It is unusual to see an rv go down our road
unusual, but nice
Donna and Gerry arrived at the Acreage around 2 to do some more cleanup and they are planning to spend their first night out there. 😊 Tomorrow is supposed to be the best day of the weekend. I hadn’t started today’s posting yet so worked on that. You talk about entertainment! The birds are going crazy out there in the rain! I’m so distracted, up and down with my camera, from window to window but still not getting very good shots. No orioles though. LOL

Of course, pictures of Chippy
and Chippy 2
I placed an Avon order on Tuesday and it said delivery would be yesterday. That is never 100% accurate (almost like a weather forecast) but usually a day or two later it arrives. I don’t remember if UPS delivers on Saturday so I’m thinking it will arrive on Monday. I need to keep my account active so thought it a good time to stock up on some basics. I then worked on my cross stitch while I had my afternoon tea.

I saw more goldfinches today than I've ever seen at one time
The time flew by and I thought I’d better get up and go for a walk. The rain had stopped around 4:30 so it was a good time to go. As I rounded the garden, Bill was just coming up. He’d lost track of time, neither of us could believe it was already 5! We walked down the lane together just to stretch our legs and when I told him that supper would be at least an hour (I wasn’t sure what I was making yet!), he went back into the Hangar.

The birds were non-stop, taking turns at the feeders
I love how the rain drops rest on the leaves
of my Lady's Mantle
Inside, I started frying the ground beef with onions in Madame IP. I added mushrooms and frozen corn and then placed a pot on top of the trivet with potatoes in it. I should have cut them smaller; they took longer than I’d planned. 

Chippy in one more performance
Supper was truly late! A simple meal that I’ve made often in a pinch but this time I made a batch of Cheri’s no yeast dinner rolls. I turned on the tv and found a Jack Reacher movie. We’ve read books about him as a character in Lee Child’s stories.

I was happy to see the Northern Flicker return today
to get in on the action
We were eating around 6:45 and dishes were cleaned up right away. We had some Jell-o and whipped cream for dessert later than we should be eating but oh well, what’s done is done! Bill put a movie on and after my blog was posted, I sat with my cross stitch again. 

As evening draws near, the sun came out
The best part of the day seems to be arriving later than usual but we enjoyed seeing some sun and warmth at the end of the day. We reached 15C/58F at 6:30. I’m looking forward to what tomorrow brings.

Yum, it was good
It was a great day. I got some gardening done, some rocks moved and mulch laid. I tried not to overdo it but these ole bones will let me know in the morning. 😊 I hope you enjoyed your Saturday too!




Another brother-in-law is celebrating a birthday today. 

Happy Birthday, John!

Thank you for popping in!

14 comments:

  1. The orioles absolutely love oranges. I went through bags and bags of them last year. We had 3 pairs of them. They are so beautiful. When they're done, there is nothing left of the oranges except the skin. I'm sure they don't care what your get up looks like. They'll just be happy to get the oranges.

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    1. That is encouraging! I'll have to maybe set them differently but now I'm excited! Thank you Ruth.

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  2. It’s such a good feeling to work in the yard. And you have such beautiful birds. Glad the sun peeked out!!

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  3. Patsy, you asked about Crows, Grackles, and Blackbirds. So if it helps, crows are all black and much bigger than any other bird that visits. Grackles are a more normal size like a long skinny Robin, all black except for a white eye ring, and have a long lopsided tail. It's really obvious when they fly. The usual Blackbird we get is the Red-winged Blackbird, and you should have a pair or two nesting nesting around your pond. The male is black with a yellow or yellow and red wing patch, but the female is heavily striped with brown so she can hide among the cattails on her nest. Hope this helps you sort them out.

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    1. Thank you so much, F.G. I was hoping you'd respond because I know YOU know. :)
      I'd never heard of grackles before you mentioned them. I will pay attention to the size but I think we have the big crows. This is helpful. Red winged blackbirds I know, just wasn't sure if there were any without the red wings. We have quite a few of those at our feeders. I appreciate the explanation. :)

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  4. Nice there wasn't too much Rain and you were able to get your chores done. The birds will appreciate the banquet you are putting out for them.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the changing season.

    It's about time.

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    1. Thanks Rick. It is great to be able to work outside. The birds are little pigs but they are happy with the food for sure!
      Changing season is right, looks like we're slipping back into pre-spring weather this week. LOL

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  5. Nice sunset pictures. We are completely surrounded by tall trees here and I am missing seeing it go down. Stay safe.

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    1. Thank you, yes, I understand missing the sunrises and sunsets. It is like withdrawal!

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  6. What a nice day you had! It's wonderful being outside after such cold weather. I bet you see orioles soon! I noticed your rolls brown better than mine. Do you use a metal, glass or silicone pan for them? I am using silicone. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Your meat dish over your potatoes looks very good.

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    1. It has been so nice to get outside for sure!
      The rolls were cooked a little longer this time and I'm sure that is what you're seeing. I use a silicone muffin pan. I won't do them as long next time, they were a little crunchier. :)

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  7. Now that's a great day! Dinner looks yummy and those biscuits are mouth watering! Gorgeous sunset!

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