The Bird Man...

This is my brother in law, can you tell he has a passion for bird feeding? At first it was just the feeders but apparently now he has become the feeder! Great job Harley! Some people just have that knack don't they?

Positively Wonderous

Our backyard friend (??) depending on who you ask, has figured out that there is a feeder in the front yard that still has food in it (as the one in the back is completely empty, which he is not happy about) and here he sits taking one seed at a time, literally sending our cat and dog into frenzies. He seems to know as well that they cannot get to him as long as they are watching from the door and window, always on alert for the door to open.

The poor thing almost had a heart attach I am sure, as Goliath almost caught him the other day on his trip from the back to the front yard. Once he reached the ledge and safety he sat for quite awhile letting his little hammering heart settle down!

This year has been a wonder so far with critters; squirrels and ducks and now this wonderful addition that we caught site of on a pole out front.

We had heard them in the back quite often hammering away, this is the first time we have seen one out in front by the street. Quite a site with that red cap.

Yard Work, the Never Ending Cycle

Rain, rain, rain that's all its been for the past few days, and lots of it! But according to the long range weather we are going to be in for a stretch of sun and heat, heat, heat! So looking forward to it. We have put down the lime before the rain came, so in a few days the lawn should be green, and before long will come the weeds! Oh my, its a never ending cycle isn't it?

This year I hope to get a few boxes built so I can have a small garden growing, but I don't want the weeds, so plan to put it together in off the ground boxes, how smart is that? Read about it on another blog, too cool! Also going to put in a concrete patio (we have blocks there for now so will move them around the yard and create walkways), a little bit each year, by the time I am ready to give up the house, it will be the way I want it!

Backyard Annoyance!

This is our pesky backyard buddy who keeps filling himself full of the bird seed we put out. He even decided to stay around all winter when he noticed that we filled it during the winter this year! He gets a little daredevilish (or he just forgets we have 2 dogs) and moves to the deck to see what he can find there. Once in awhile he gets a little too lay back and almost gets caught! I am sure he must have a pretty strong heart, as he has come close to being a goner a few times, getting himself caught between the 2 dogsand going back and forth between them, or sometimes he gets himself hidden in some pipe at the back of the yard and has to wait them out before he can get himself back to his nest. Yet here he is again, cheeky little devil!

Easter has come and gone, none too soon as I am stuffed with ham and turkey as well as all that "chocolate". You would think we had little ones, with all the chocolate we had around, when in fact its all adults (children none the less). Although even though Easter has gone by, we amazingly had bouts of snow, hail and sleet all day long! Will it never end???

Yep, Spring is Here!

Yes I think spring is now here to stay finally, if the 2 ducks we saw this morning floating around in the puddle in the middle of our backyard is any indication! That was certainly a first, we have seen them in the culverts out front some times, but never in the back, an indication I guess of just how much water we have sitting in our backyard! Which makes it hard when bringing in the dogs (who seem to want out every half hour or so!) when you have to try to wipe off their muddy feet and legs, while trying to make them stay, while trying not to get your face smothered with kisses and your feet trampled on with muddy feet! Quite a feat at times, especially if you are silly enough to bring in both dogs at one time!

I am in one of my baking moods again, so have tried a new brownie peanut butter cheesecake recipe and a new cheese biscuit one as well. I go for weeks with baked goods in the house (as well as bowls of Easter candy) and then will go for months with nothing!

Fishing season has started so my son is off and we will likely not see much of him, especially on rainy days, as they seem to be the best days for fishing, or so I am told,,, we have not seen any fish at our table yet (they seem to catch and eat), I thought it was supposed to be catch and release?

Mother Nature is not in a good mood!

It's March 31st and we just got 5+ cm of the white stuff! I think Mother Nature is 1 day ahead of herself (April 1st would have made more sense). We just got rid of all of the snow on our front lawn, had a little in the backyard, and now we have a snow covered lawn once again. Is it ever going to end? I don't know about you, but this has been the longest winter I have endured for a very long time, perhaps if I was a snow person it would not feel that way, but since I tend to hybernate during the winter months, it has seemed endless! I had even put away the winter boots, gloves and hats, ha! Smart move!

I suppose it could have been worse, there are communities around that still have 3ft mounds of snow surrounding their homes, and even more now! All I can hope is that we will not have to endure a winter like this next year (although I have a sneaky suspicion that we will have a far worse one for the next few years, before we get back to having a no snow winter, as it seems to go in cycles of 3-4 years one way or the other).

Diet/Exercise and Me

I have been an off again on again dieter/exerciser type of person for probably 30 years or so now, I guess that shows how successful I have been at it! I have tried them all, and unlike the advertisers, have little success with any of them. I really do think now after reading much more about it that the true success comes from changing your lifestyle for good and the way you live each day. I know that I do better when I portion control, and eat less junk and sweets, I know that, however my willpower is somewhat lapse in judgement when it comes to saying no, especially to chocolate.
Anyway I joined an online fitness group where I log in what I eat, how much I exercise and my weight goals. I even measured myself to see how well I do. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I will let you know each month if I was able to accomplish anything.

The weather is finally feeling like spring, I did some window washing today. Next comes putting away all that winter gear, and bringing out the spring wear! Whew, made it through another winter, each one seems to get harder to bear. Must be that I am getting older!