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Yes, I’m still bird nerding out that a female pileated woodpecker has found our backyard .
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Two sightings in twenty years and now twice in one week.
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Woot!
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Needless to say I’m making sure that particular feeder is always full in case she drops by.
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A bag fills the cylinder once with 1/4 left over, and I have to fill it every other day.
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Pricey, but worth it.
(Photo includes another of my coffee table metal sculptures since you seemed to like the hermit crab.)
🙂
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Yesterday was a sad day for our immediate neighbors.
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The row of willow trees that have graced the front of their property for more than 80 years…
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Were deemed a nuisance to the power lines and cut down by the state.
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As a rule willow trees don’t live that long but these were glorious and well cared for.
We will miss them.
😰
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Squirrels.
Nature’s seed stealing acrobats.
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My husband was thrilled when he received this red seal five dollar bill as change the other day. I made the mistake of asking why it was special but zoned out after the first 17 minutes of rambling explanation. Here’s a more succinct recap.
On June 4th, 1963 President Kennedy signed executive order 11110 which allowed the US government to make it’s own money and bypass the Federal Reserve. The 4+ billion dollars of United States Notes (backed by US gold and silver) were put in to circulation in denominations of $2 and $5. The $10’s and $20’s were printed but never released as he was assassinated and the program was shut down.
How thrilled was he?
The man actually ironed it.
😳
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Every night when the sun starts to set?
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We have a visitor. Sometimes two…
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Apples, berries and some taurine rich grain free dry dog food are the reason.
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They come to nibble seed that falls from our bird feeders but I can’t resist putting out a better snack.
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❤️
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If you care nothing for the feeding and rare sightings of our fine feathered friends please feel free to skip this post because I’m about to gush like a horny ornithologist.
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Yesterday evening at 7:41pm I walked by one of the windows that looks out over our backyard and saw this.
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We’ve lived in this home for over 20 years and I’ve only spied this elusive creature twice.
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They’re big, usually 20 inches long.
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They like deeply wooded areas and though we hear their jackhammer like drilling occasionally it’s rare to see them out in the open no less hanging on our suet nugget feeder having a nosh .
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To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
There was a female pileated woodpecker in our backyard!!!!
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The sexes can be distinguished by the amount of red feathers on their heads. Red halfway down the face to the eyes? Female. Red all the way down to the beak? Male.
River the bird nerd at your service.
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Not exactly a riveting video, I know.
But I had to share.
❤️
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I walked outside this morning to fill the bird feeders and found this.
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A pile of feathers.
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Having a hawk who uses our backyard as his personal hunting ground, this isn’t unusual… but seeing this around noon was.
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A young starling made numerous trips to the pile and gathered all the feathers in his (her?) beak.
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I’m sure they make wonderfully soft nest liners…
And are the perfect example of Mother Nature’s ability to recycle.
❤️
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Twenty one years ago… when we moved back to Maine and bought our house in the country, I gazed across the road at the giant empty field and dreamt of cows.
Yes, I’m that person. The one you take on road trips who points out the window and yells cow! every time she spots one.
I’m not sure why. I certainly didn’t grow up with bovines in New Jersey, but I’ve always found something immensely soothing about watching cows graze quietly in a meadow.
As you know, the property across the road was sold to an organic vegetable farmer… and while over the years he’s had goats and chickens and ducks, nary a cow has been spotted.
I’d given up my dream of wandering across the street and making hooved friends.
But last weekend?
I spotted something wonderful next door.
Something I never thought I’d see….
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Woot!
Cow!!
Well, a two week old calf to be precise… happily munching our neighbors front lawn. One ecstatic phone call later I learned he’s actually a class project for a grand daughter. Feed and raise a cow? That was never part of my school curriculum, but yay!
Our neighbor told me she has a feeling the adorable (cow!) project will more than likely be a permanent resident when all is said and done.
And I am beyond thrilled.
Cow!!!!
💕
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We’ve had a crazy spring. Or really, a crazy non spring. Cool, overcast and dreary with a little scattered rain here and there. Not nearly the April showers we needed.
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I had high hopes for a deluge when we were driving home under these skies last week.
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They were ominous and promised some good rain.
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It was falling somewhere.
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But not in our backyard.
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This was taken on the other side of town.
Oh well, maybe next time.
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Sharing some things that made me smile.
I saw the first Baltimore Oriole of the season yesterday and rushed to fill the feeder before they move on.
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They’re such glorious bursts of winged color I try to keep them around as long as I can.
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Perfect for that new Stephen King book.
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Because Lord Dudley Mountcatten always makes me smile.
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This would definitely make me smile.
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Bluebirds.
Always pretty, always look mean.
What have they got to be mad about?
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I dare you not to smile at this story.
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We’re often in Brunswick and I have to say, I’m sorry I missed Chuck.
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I’d go bar hopping with that handsome fella any day.
P.S…. don’t Google ‘beaver meme’ first thing in the morning looking for a featured image.
No good can come from that.
😳
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Because there’s simply so much of it…
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I’m not sure I need a reason other than the title, but thanks all the same.
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Now that’s one seriously old clam. How he avoided the chowder pot for that long is impressive.
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My only question when reading things like this is… why?
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Finally, a prescription I can get on board with.
👍
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