The skiff of snow we had the other day was just the prelude to get us in tune for the magnum opus.
Some snow for Christmas was a fine seasonal touch, even if it was a bit hard on the birds, but the snowfall we had in the last two days, coupled with a drastic drop in temperatures and an increase in NW wind – well, let’s just say I’m praying for the return of my old friends, wind and rain.
Since the Arctic winds are coming from the north or northwest, I decided to put more birdseed on the leeward side of the house. Out of the wind, the picnic blanket won’t blow away or freeze to the ground as readily.
So, not being particularly house proud, I sprinkled bird seed liberally by my front door and in the dry edges near the house on the south and east sides.
Emma can’t believe her eyes. So many birds. You know she’s a “bird dog” but that is not supposed to apply to songbirds. She’s in shock that birds are right there on the other side of the glass – you know, that glass beside the door where she always looks out when she’s left behind.
“Wow!” she says. “A varied thrush!” And she tells herself to stop drooling.
“Oh, it’s you again,” says Vera Thrush. “You should stop poking your nose into the glass pane. You’re mucking it all up with noseprints.”
“On second thought,” thinks Vera, “I should maybe check out another area and come back later when that maniac killer dog is having a nap. But … does she ever sleep?” Vera turns to go. “Better safe than sorry…. Hmmpf! Can’t believe I said that. Such a cliché.”
Yes, yes, it’s a white Christmas and almost everyone is happy. Snow covers the ugliness of winter.
But it also covers all the seeds and insects the songbirds would love to pick at. This fox sparrow is probably wondering how he’s going to get through the next days. He doesn’t know that it’s going to get even colder in the next few days. I’m making sure to keep the bird feeders filled and in a relatively sheltered place.
But mostly I fear for the tiny hummingbirds. Why, oh why, didn’t they fly south when they had the chance?
The hummingbird feeder was already starting to get chilled by late afternoon. In the next days, the sugar water in the feeder will try to freeze even partway through the day. I’ve been bringing the feeders inside at night and I will probably have to exchange the frozen water for warmer sugar water before the day is over. The forecast says it will get very cold at night. Meanwhile, this hummingbird was happy to find the sugar water not frozen today. Poor little thing.
My sweet Emma and I are happy to let you know that we are guests at Luanne Castle’s blog today. Why don’t you stop there for a quick visit?
Luanne Castle has written a lovely review of one of my books, Julia’s Violinist.
I’d be delighted if you would visit her blog post and find out more about this novel that is so dear to my heart.
Please visit: https://writersite.org/2021/12/20/my-review-of-julias-violinist-by-anneli-purchase-and-note-from-the-author/
It seems to be snowier this year, but only in dribs and drabs. It snows, and the next day it rains and the snow is gone. But the wind is bitter cold and the air is raw. I hope all the little birds and squirrels find warm places to spend the night. I know they’re out and about even in terrible weather, looking for bits of food to keep them warm enough. Even the hummingbirds that didn’t fly south are sipping at the cold sugar water in the feeder. Poor little things.
I hope you are all helping to keep the birds alive this winter by putting out suet or bird seed. Please don’t feed them bread. It’s not going to do them any good. They need proper bird seed and sunflower seeds. And if you have a cat, be sure not to put the feeder where a cat could get to it. On second thought, if you have a cat, don’t feed the birds. Let your neighbour do it.
I hope you all have a happy time over the Christmas holidays. Be good to your friends, neighbours, and families. There is probably not enough of that kindness in the world.
With so much Covid fear, it seems that we are losing the closeness we had with friends and family. Everyone is afraid of this monster illness. But maybe we need to work harder at keeping up our friendships by writing, or phoning, or having more over-the-fence visits, until we get a handle on this virus.
Let us try not to forget that humans are meant to hug, and smile without masks, and love each other. I worry about the toddlers who are not learning to read their parents’ facial expressions as they grow up. Somehow, someday, we need to get back to the way things were.
Have a healthy and happy Christmas time. I wish you all the best for 2022.
PS. I noticed I said, “I hope” several times in this post. I was going to change it, but then I thought, “No, I DO hope a lot.”
I hope you have a lot of hope too.
Somehow, these past two weeks have been filled with commitments, appointments, and reasons to go into town. With the weather alternating between cold rain and slushy snow, I don’t like to put Emma out in her kennel. She has a doghouse inside that fenced “playpen” and she’s quite safe in there, but it’s chilly when you don’t have a chance to run around much to stay warm.
So, we keep her in the house while we’re gone. She mostly sleeps on her dog bed until we get home again, but after leaving her for the third time within several days, I was feeling bad for her. She’s always so happy when we come home, so I know she gets lonely.
Today when I came home from an appointment, she met me at the door as usual, and I asked her where my slippers were. She always brings them to me when I come in from outside and I usually don’t even have to ask her for them.
But she brought me one of the Captain’s shoes so I went looking for my slippers and here is what I found.
A stash of six shoes on her bed! She must have gone up and down the stairs six times to bring them all to her bed upstairs so she could snuggle into them while we were away.
Emma says, “I suppose I could always pass the time by reading one of Anneli’s books. They’re still on for only 99 cents until December 31st. Check them out on Anneli’s blog post https://wordsfromanneli.com/2021/11/21/book-bargains/”
“They’re great books if you want entertainment for a tiny price.”
“And did you know that Anneli has another blog for writers and readers? It’s called annelisplace. You can find it here. https://annelisplace.wordpress.com/”
A few nights ago, while I snuggled under the covers, the outside world was also being put under a cover — from freshly fallen snow.
The hummingbird feeder I had taken down to be out of the wind on the exposed deck, was no longer nestled among the branches that the birds used to love to sit on. (See the photo below). It had become a snow trap. Any bird venturing into the maze of bent down boughs might get a snow shower which, in the case of a tiny hummingbird, could be fatal. I had some work to do but I fixed up a place for the hummingbirds to feed safely.
The regular birdfeeders needed a place that was safe from the Steller’s jays who would gobble up the whole contents of the feeder. I had found a place in the branches of the filbert (hazelnut) tree. But then it snowed. Can you find the feeder to the left of the tree trunk and about four feet off the ground? The birds were happy to scratch up spilled seeds under the tree.
The Steller’s jay is quite the bully no matter where I put the seeds.
Pretty as the snow is, I worry about my poor little animals out there, scratching for enough food to keep warm and stay alive.
Have you ever bitten off more than you can chew? I’m sure Lincoln will figure out that he has to chew it a bit at a time, but that filbert looks big enough to choke a horse.
Trouble is, there are three squirrels hanging around here now and the competition is getting fierce. The feeding frenzy is beginning as the temperature dropped and it feels like snow tonight.
By the way, Lincoln says, Don’t forget to look at Anneli’s bargains for her books at https://wordsfromanneli.com/2021/11/21/book-bargains/
The 99 cent sale lasts only through December. Grab the bargains now and add them to your e-reader. Just click on the link above.
*****And also, if you like language or writing, why not check out my other blog at anneli’s place?
wordsfromanneli 