Scattered Seed

We left the house early this morning, wanting to drive around the countryside near home to see what birds were about.   Fortunately, George knows most of the back roads in the area and where they will take us.

We started out where we saw the snow buntings last weekend. George had spotted them yesterday on a training run, but today they were nowhere in sight.  We did see a downy, goldfinches, cardinals, blue jays, crows, mourning doves, Canada geese, a red-tailed hawk, chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, eastern bluebirds, and a mockingbird along the way.

It was a frigid morning at 2 degrees, and I was thankful that we were doing our birding by car. Ice hung from the banks as we drove towards Watkins Glen,  and the falls that we pass by were frozen solid.

It was a beautiful drive up along Seneca Lake,  the sun shining,  and the water bright blue.

After a stop in Seneca Falls at Sauder’s for supplies,  we did a quick stop near the visitor’s center at Montezuma before going on to Auburn. George spotted two eagles passing over the fields,  and we tried several different places to catch a better glimpse,  and photos,  but they kept their distance.

We arrived at Dad and Evelyn’s in time for lunch,  then spent the rest of the afternoon playing euchre.   It is not a game that I play often,  so it took a while for me to get the hang of it.

By the time I had my strategy worked out,  the sun was going down, and we decided we’d better start for home.

My eyes were fluttering towards sleep as soon as we left Auburn,  and it was just by chance that I caught sight of a flock of turkeys crossing a field in single file.    It was an impressive sight,  about thirty of them,  dark against the snow.

Having that picture  (in my head only), I promptly nodded off.

I had today off from work to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and spent much of it watching events in Washington, DC, including an airing of the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from 1963.  Mid-afternoon Morgan called.   She drove down to DC yesterday afternoon with friends, to stay until after the inauguration. She was out walking amongst the crowds, and I could hear one of the commentators both on television, and through the phone at one point, although I couldn’t spot Morgan. She told me that she plans to get out on the mall around 4 a.m. tomorrow morning when it will be opened for the day’s events.   What an exciting day for her,  and for all of us!

On the homefront, I wanted to keep busy and make the best of this at-home day.

I made buckwheat pancakes for our breakfast.  Any other weekday it is cold cereal for me. Lesson learned….the box of buckwheat flour from the grocery store currently sells for $3.80/lb. and a bag of the same from the Mennonite bulk food store sells for .72/lb. I’m still using up what’s left in the box, so those were pretty expensive pancakes!

I threaded a string of peanuts for the titmice and chickadees and George hung that outside the back door.

My sewing project was a new bed for Martha. I bought the fuzzy material for the outer layer at Christmas, and she has been very patient using just that for the past few weeks. Today I created the inner pillow, stuffed with cedar, and she seems to like being nestled in.

Finally, I mixed up a batch of homemade laundry detergent. It’s something I have wanted to try to do for awhile,  so we’ll see how that works out.   I’ve always hated all those plastic detergent bottles as they cycle from manufacturing to my grocery store to my laundry area and then into the bin.

And through the day there were the birds, always faithful, always putting a bright spot on my day.

Last night as we watched the news and pre-inauguration events, George suggested ordering a pizza.   Garrett found a place that could make any kind imaginable, so we shared a Buffalo chicken pizza….spicy hot, but yum.

We slept pretty well on our air bed,  complete with our flannel sheets and pillows from home.

I was sleeping near the patio door, and was able to peak out occasionally to check on the weather.

We watched some more of the events in Washington this morning  and Garrett made us some homemade sloppy joes and coleslaw for lunch.   I enjoyed sitting at his new kitchen table, watching the comings and goings at the apartment complex. The meal was just perfect for a winter’s day, and delicious.  He’s a good cook.

We were on the road about 3 o’clock, and immediately we knew it was going to be slow-going for awhile. The snow was quite heavy, and we encountered near-white-outs in places.

Coming in to East Aurora,  the theater marquee glowed through the falling snow.

More miles of heavily falling snow,  and I was thinking that it might have been a better idea to have stayed with Garrett another day.    Just at that point, the weather broke and we saw the light of day.

West of Warsaw, as we came up a rise in the road, suddenly before us, the hill was covered in wind turbines. We had seen no sign that they would be erected there on our last trip to Orchard Park, so it was a little startling to find so many on the horizon. They made the barns below them appear to be in miniature.   It seemed there were at least twenty across the hills to either side of us.

Once I knew that the weather had cleared and the going would be easier, my eyes began to flutter, and I dozed off for a half hour or so.   It was just enough to refresh me,  so that when we hit a bump on 390,  I was fully awake again for the remainder of the ride home.

We arrived here about six, with evidence of new snow in our driveway, but nothing as measurable as we had encountered as lake effect near Buffalo.

In recent years, I have come to really appreciate handmade things. Evelyn must have known that when she began this project for me. She had shown it to George in the process of making it, but I was completely surprised, and delighted, when I opened my Christmas gift and found this kitten, beautifully crocheted and framed for me. I can crochet a scarf or an afghan, but how this piece came together shows great dedication and skill.   I found the perfect spot for it is on  our light blue bedroom wall.

Thank you Evelyn!

I love the newness of the year, the fresh start, the clean slate. Not knowing what this year will bring, but hoping and planning for the best. I stayed up till midnight last night simply to watch the little calendar on my laptop absorb Dec 31, and emerge with Jan 1….I am easily amused. Once the new year had arrived, I was content to close my eyes and have a good night’s sleep.

This morning there was more snow to brush away and the chill in the air of 16 degrees. We went over to Dad and Evelyn’s to return the warm socks  loaned to me, and for breakfast of bacon and eggs before heading back home.

As we headed south the snow seemed less and less, till home, where here there are only a couple of inches on the ground.

The birds out back were pecking around at the near-empty feeders…..mourning doves, house finches, juncos, house sparrows, goldfinches, starlings, and a single American tree sparrow that I haven’t seen in a very long time. (It came and went before I could unpack my camera). Not to disturb them, I waited till they had dispersed, then headed out to pour more seed.

Tonight it seems good to be back home,  soon to be in my own bed.    I’m glad, though,  that we had the chance to take the trip with Dad and Evelyn,  adventuresome as it was.    Seventy-five miles separate us,  and we don’t get to help them out often enough.

Technology is like magic to me.   My kids are always teaching or showing me something new,  and I am amazed.    Today,  hundreds of miles apart from each other,  all three sat down at their laptops and we had an iChat with each other.     It was like having Rebecca,  Melissa,  Morgan and Albert right here with us.   We chatted for about an hour, and with some creative walk-arounds,  we were able to see the snowfall in Seattle,  and the home-improvements in Durham.   What fun!

That’s me in the little box at the bottom,  taking the picture…..

Up at daybreak,  the furnace running,  the wind blowing the snow horizontally across the deck.    In the early light I could see the juncos in the snow,  and the mourning doves in the trees.   It turned out to be one of the best Feederwatch days I’ve ever had.

A lone brown-headed cowbird showed up,  and showed me his snow-covered beak

The Carolina wren returned, and went straight for the suet

There were two white-breasted nuthatches stopping by this afternoon

A hairy woodpecker worked up and down the willow tree

A female cardinal stayed around most of the day,  but kept its distance whenever Martha was let out

The mourning doves huddled together in the sun,  but were soon under attack…..

One flew into our diningroom window when this Cooper’s hawk flew in (I think the dove escaped)

I spent the day catching up on the laundry,  George wrapped presents,  and I managed to get a second batch of Christmas cookies underway.   Yesterday I made the snowball cookies that I remember from my early Christmases,  and today I made George’s childhood favorite,   date pinwheel cookies.

I was chopping dates and walnuts as Morgan and Albert flew across Iowa at 452 miles an hour.

George and I sat down together just before two o’clock this afternoon, to watch their plane near the airport in Seattle.  A few minutes later the site notified us that they had touched down.   With all the winter weather across the country this weekend, we were anxious to know they were safely there.   I was back in the kitchen a few minutes later when a text message came on my phone from Morgan to confirm their arrival.

George plugged in our Christmas lights early in the day,  and with all the wrapping and baking,  we longed for some new Christmas music.   We agreed on a music box selection,  both of us reminiscing about a shop at the mall near the college we both attended many years ago.   I remember Faudree’s as a feast for the senses…..beautiful music,  smells,  and items for sale.   We rarely bought anything, but I loved to go in and hear the music box selection on the symphonium.    With a little search and click,  we downloaded our music into my iTunes,  and the sound took me back thirty-some years,  before calculators,  computers,  cell phones, or the ability to track an air flight in real time.

Tonight the wind is howling, and the furnace is working overtime to keep us warm.   We have another weather alert for the morning,  this time a windchill advisory.   The cats have the right idea….snuggle up!     Winter is definitely here.

There is a certain peace and contentment tonight,  as I look around our house and see the little adornments of Christmases past.   Each item that I pulled out of the decoration box has its story.   Family surrounds me as I place each one.    George brought up five boxes from the basement,  all labeled “Christmas”,  but I knew a box was still missing…..

Garrett drew these pictures when he was eight years old.   He loved to draw,  and his inspiration was a set of ornaments we had acquired and hung on the tree.   I found the pictures tucked away in an overlooked box in our side room downstairs,  waiting to take their place on the refrigerator where they were first displayed fifteen years ago.

This one was presented to me at 8:37 p.m. on December 17, 1993

And this one was presented to me on December 19, 1993 at 5:39 p.m.

true Christmas treasures…..

The house is quiet.  Garrett headed back to Orchard Park before dawn this morning,  and now it is just the two of us again.   Time to reflect over the past week.

In our refrigerator and freezer we have leftover turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish,  pumpkin bread, and buttercup squash.  There was leftover chili from Friday night’s dinner,  and we had that for tonight’s meal.    Garrett put together a turkey barley soup,  and that will be my lunches for work this week.

Saturday we made a trip to Auburn.   The car was crowded,  Morgan,  Albert, and Garrett deciding they could squeeze into the backseat together to save taking a second car.  Despite the tight quarters,  there were no complaints,  and just a pleasant trip along the lake and through the countryside.   We had good food and a good visit with Dad and Evelyn.   Morgan and Garrett don’t have many opportunities to get up to see them,  and Dad and Evelyn had the added bonus of meeting Albert.   On the way home, we pulled over to admire this beautiful sunset.

All in all,  we have many good memories and a sense of contentment remaining.    It was so nice to have two of our three children here,  and Morgan’s beau,  Albert.   Our house seemed busy and full,  and we enjoyed every minute of our five-day Thanksgiving.

The pumpkin pie is just out of the oven,  the cranberry pie is set aside, and the chocolate pie’s in the freezer.    Pumpkin bread is thawing,  as is the 16 lb. turkey.

Tonight we are all gathered in the livingroom watching Wall-E,  the video.    Garrett is curled up on the floor with Martha.  Morgan is snuggled under the granny square afghan.  Albert doesn’t seem to mind the chill of this cold November night.

It’s so nice to have them here.