Last evening my husband called me to the kitchen window - come quick! I was amazed to see a hawk on the driveway tearing apart its prey. I felt bad for the dove - but I realize that the hawk has to eat. Far better that a hungry hawk get it rather than a domestic cat or dog, who would usually only kill it for "fun"! I believe this is a sharp-shinned hawk. We watched him for a few minutes, and then he flew with his dinner to a nearby tree.
A few days ago five turkeys - four males and one female - came around to the pasture. (No hunting is permitted on our property. It is turkey hunting season here in TN, but those that squat on our land are safe!) It was obvious they were all vying for the female's attention, and four of them looked on enviously while one guy strutted his stuff!
A friend made us two new birdhouses. My husband put one up fairly close to the house and I had my doubts about anything using it. Well, thankfully I was proven wrong several days ago when the chickadees took it over. Then, a few days later, the bluebirds decided that they wanted it. It was fun to watch the battle of wills between them, but in the end the bluebirds drove the chickadees away. These pictures aren't that great; it was a foggy morning when I took them. Look closely and you can see one bluebird on top of the house and two chickadees in the bushes to the right of the birdhouse. The chickadees are planning their next move, but the bluebirds are confident that by the end of the day, they'll win, and they did. Soon we watched them bringing grasses in to build their nest.
Mmmm. . . . don't they look good? And they were! Thanks to the pure maple syrup that I won on Cedar's giveaway! Thanks, Cedar!
Is that a snowflake or a butterfly that just passed my window? Oh dear, it's a snowflake! Well, it appears that here in Eastern Tennessee, Winter is giving its (hopefully) last hoorah and in celebration of that and in memory of Winter, I'm going to give away this scarf. 
I have a whole bin full of scarves that I crocheted and knitted, intending to sell them, but never did. This one is crocheted with Paton's cha cha yarn. It is pale blue (so at least the color is "Springy"!), 60 inches long (so you can wrap it around your neck several times) and almost 3 inches wide. Besides being long, this scarf is also very soft.
I know that scarf season is for the most part GONE for this year - yet when I look out my window, I'm not so sure - but don't worry, it'll return next year!
I will randomly draw one name from all of the comments that I receive on this entry, by April 15. Good luck!
We've had a gray fox coming around our place for a year now, eating the cat food that we had originally put out for the raccoons - but hey, whoever gets there first is welcome to it! Well, other than the fox and raccoons, we have opossums, skunks, and two particular deer that eat it. The two deer are a doe and her fawn from last year. The doe started eating the cat food, and when the fawn got bigger, it did also. And they also have their own food -- sweet feed that we put out just for them! We have quite the show to watch from our kitchen window right before dark, and even after dark when we turn the outside light on, which doesn't seem to bother the critters. Angel Kitty watches, too - safely from inside, of course!
Here was a little drama that took place out of our kitchen window last evening.
First I saw the fox approach the feeding area from the front of the house and I took his picture . . .
Oops! I think he saw me!
Isn't he beautiful? Must be all that cat food he eats . . .
Well, NOW who's watching him?
Oh, of course - that deer again! He's keeping his eyes on him! (note the deer in the right hand side of the picture)
Okay, now the deer's on the move. Just a few more quick bites . . .
Time to skedaddle!
And Up the hill he goes. Long after he's gone, the deer continue to maintain a vigil.
Last year I got a video of the deer chasing the fox away from the bird feeder area where we used to put out the cat food. The fox kept sneaking back and the deer kept chasing him away. This went on for some time and it became obvious that it was just a fun game for them to see who's faster and smarter - fox or deer. Although the deer were pretty quick and I know those hooves could do some harm, the fox was pretty sly when he slinked down behind the trees and crept up to the food! I wish I could upload the video, but my dial-up internet makes it time-prohibitive!
Some trivia about the Gray Fox: It is primarily nocturnal, but can sometimes been seen foraging by day in brush, thick foliage, or timber. It is the only American canid (canine) with tree climbing ability, and it occasionally forages in trees and frequently takes refuge in them, especially in leaning or thickly branched ones. It favors den sites in woodlands and among boulders on the slopes of rocky ridges. Well, that explains why we have gray foxes here, with all of the rocky ridges we have -- and caves, too!
This morning I climbed (and I do mean "climbed"!) up to the top of our ridge, wearing my backpack laden with camera and other assorted necessities (i.e., walkie talkie, compass), and found a comfy log where I spread out my indian blanket and sat for awhile to write. Unfortunately, the wind was howling, making me uneasy with all of those creaking, swaying trees around me, and it became so COLD that I could barely hold my pen! But it was fun to be in the woods for a change, after a long winter of staying indoors for the most part. I startled a deer that snorted but never revealed itself. Vultures soared over my head, making strange calls as though laughing at me: "Look at that fool!"
One reason I went up was to see if there are any morel mushrooms yet. I didn't find any, which doesn't mean anything since I usually can't find them, but our neighbor went up yesterday and he didn't find any either which means they aren't out yet since he always finds them! I guess it is a bit too early.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the challenging climb and the commune with nature. It looked like the sun was shining behind the mountains in the distance (it wasn't shining here!), and the shimmering glow was pretty to view.
I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, Small Wonder - Essays, and as usual, I am impressed. I have read most of her novels (The Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, and others), and am never disappointed. She writes with such clarity and sensitivity that I find her books difficult to put down once I start reading. Her descriptions of characters and locations in her books are lively, colorful, and intriguing. I can't say I have a favorite - I love all of them that I've read - but Prodigal Summer is dear to my heart because it takes place in southern Appalachia and, as the back of the book describes, is a "hymn to wilderness that celebrates the prodigal spirit of human nature, and of nature itself." I also love her novels that take place in the desert. Having visited there, I know how despite its dry barrenness, the southwestern desert holds a special allure for those of us who are romantic dreamers. Her books on the desert capture my heart and provide inspiration. In Small Wonder - Essays, she tells the true story of a baby in Iran who became lost but was found safe and sound, being fed and cared for by a black bear. She also writes about a young bobcat that came up to her window one day where she was sitting writing in Arizona, and stared into her eyes for several moments before turning away. She writes movingly about our country and its policies and how we are shaping our own destiny by our attitudes. To quote the flap of the book: . . . "these essays are grounded in the author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that answers may lie in those places too."Barbara Kingsolver and her family divide their time between a home in Tucson, Arizona, and a farm in southern Appalachia, where, as she describes in Small Wonder, they reside in a log home built of chestnut logs in the late 1930's. Her descriptions of their old tobacco barn and the surrounding countryside remind me of the area around where I live.Her latest book - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - is based on "you are what you eat." It is the story of her back-to-the-land living with her family in Appalachia. I am ordering a copy today!
Okay, I don't get fixated on much, but I saw this bathroom faucet in a friend's house and it just stuck in my mind until finally I said, I just have to have one too! It is rustic pewter and fits right in with our rustic-style home. The old faucet (I forgot to take a picture of it) was also a rustic style, but silver and, unbeknownst to us, the previous owner of this home had painted it gold. We discovered that when the paint started to fleck off. It looked awful and we didn't want to keep on painting it. It was still functional but when the men took it off, it literally fell apart so it is a good thing we replaced it! Well, that's what I tell Doug, who was not enthused about the idea. See, he and plumbing jobs don't get along very well. Our neighbor, Al, luckily, did that kind of work for a living so he came over and they worked on it together. The directions made it sound so easy and that all you need are a mere four tools; isn't that what they always say? Al, who is familiar with such things, brought his entire toolbox anyway and lucky he did because three hours later, they got it put together after using most of the tools in his box! We bought the faucet at Lowe's. They had some at Home Depot that were similar, but the color wasn't quite the same and I like this one better.I bet I'm the only person in the whole world who is blogging about their bathroom faucet! :)
