Red Crossbills: Our First Sighting

Lon took these photos yesterday morning.  According to our field guide, they are Red Crossbills.  It was the first day EVER that we've seen these birds at our feeders.

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Wild Birds Unlimited store in Rockford to buy some peanuts.  We spoke with the owner and mentioned seeing the Red Crossbills.  He told us that during the nine years he has owned the store, he's never heard anyone say they'd seen this particular bird in this area of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

Their plumage can be highly variable as you can see here.  Yellow, orange and red colors were all visible in the birds we saw.

We're happy to have seen these Red Crossbills and hope to see more of them.  I did spot a couple again today.

Watching birds is such fun!!!

Today's Argh Moment

I work for a dentist.  I submitted a claim for a patient recently and today I received a two page response in a large 8 1/2" by 11" envelope.  As you can see in the photo, the insurance company paid 92 cents postage.  Anyone with an ounce of sense would have folded the two sheets of paper into thirds, slid them into a normal business letter envelope and mailed it for 46 cents.

Things like this make me SO crazy.    

This is obviously one more irksome reason why insurance premiums are so high.

Argh!


 

Brrrr...Birds in the Winter

Jared gave us a heated birdbath a few years ago.  It works well as long as someone keeps it full of water.  Lon loves that job...can you tell?  Thank God he does because I don't like being out in the cold at all. 

These icicles caught my eye.  I don't recall ever seeing icicles leaning sideways. 

Lon took these photos of our snow-covered birdhouses.  He thought they should go on my blog.  So here they are!!

Besides keeping the birdbath full, Lon fills all of our birdfeeders regularly.  The seed, peanuts and suet go fast at this time of the year.  

The birdbath and these feeders are just a few feet from the table where we eat.  It's a joy to observe the splendid variety of birds who stay with us all year round.  

Blueberries Are Good for Your Memory...

or are they?

My friend, Gully, who lives in Alaska, reminded me recently that blueberries are good for a person's memory.  I'd heard that claim some time ago, but of course I'd forgotten!!!!!

While this promise was fresh in my mind, I accumulated the above foods and drinks containing "miracle" blueberries.  I didn't want to risk forgetting again...:)

It appears that I'm quite serious about improving my mental faculties based on these purchases, right??  Realistically, my expectations aren't high but the possibility of improvement prompted me to make these purchases.  I don't normally buy blueberries so at least I'm out of my mundane routine of eating mostly apples and oranges as my fresh fruit choices this time of year.

Questions, comments and/or arguments are welcome.

 

I'm Growing Tomatoes...Wish Me Luck

I saw this cute kit in a store today.  I couldn't resist bringing one home.

I opened the box and found the instructions.

I put the medium pellet (about the size of a silver dollar but half an inch thick) in this little bowl.  I added the water and waited for it to absorb.  I stirred it up a bit so the moisture was throughout.  (I hope that was okay). 



I opened the seed packet and found more than I'd bargained for!!  I'm supposed to save the extras for my garden.  What garden??

I placed six seeds on the growing medium.  After I took this photo, I pressed them lightly down into the medium.

Now I have to remember to keep them moist and pray for sunshine!   

A Heart-Warming story

This is very touching. What a mama!!!!

During an early morning response to a house fire, firefighters were amazed... A Mother dog risked her life to save her puppies from the fire surrounding the burning house... The Mother dog, Amanda, raced back and forth between the house, putting her 10 day old puppies in the safest place she could find - a Fire Truck! ... As a onlooker photographed it with his cell phone after she already had a few in one of the truck's equipment compartments. She didn't stop racing back into the smoke and fire until all of her puppies were safely away from the fire. The firemen on scene could not believe their eyes. Most people have never seen a dog this smart or this brave! Bringing each one out, six trips into the fire and no one could stop her. All the fireman could do was to try to keep a little water spray on her to keep from singing as she kept making trips running through the open door. You can see some of the singed hair on her back end, forehead and lower legs. After rescuing all of her pups from the blaze, Amanda sat down next to them to nurse, protecting them with her body. Onlookers called an emergency veterinary service and she and her pups were rushed to the hospital. Aside from one puppy being treated for serious burns, the entire family are alive and well! Thanks to the bravery of Amanda! What a heroic mother! How Great!!!

Thanks Marilyn for another heartwarming story. 

God's Majestic Creativity

What fun God must have had

the day He designed these.1.Himalayan Monal
2. Formosan Magpie
3. Flamecrest
4. Golden Pheasant
5. Green Jay
6. Kingfisher
7. Lady Amherst's Pheasant
8. Bleeding Heart Pigeons
9. Nicobar Pigeon
10. Quetzal
11. Winson's Bird Of Paradise
12.Bird of Paradise
13. Peacock

14. Sup, Polish Chicken

I Can see how it might be possible for

a man to look down upon the earth

and be an atheist, but I cannot

conceive how he could look up into

the heavens and say there is no God
~ ~ Abraham Lincoln 

Thanks to Marilyn for sending me this in an e-mail.