In Pecking Order (Patagonia, AZ)

The Ladder-backed Woodpecker keeps its distance from me most of the times.  At least far enough away that I cannot get a good photo of one.  I usually see or hear them in the higher branches.  Some have even dropped bark on my head...I think they laugh at me afterwards.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker - female

This female surprised me by landing in a branch hanging over the trail and a big plus - in the sun.  Yea!  I finally got a few good shots of her while she looked for food.

......and I stayed out of range of the flying bark too.

I like watching the different woodpeckers, but there are times when they can be very annoying especially the Gila Woodpecker.  Recently, I had to replace my hummingbird feeder because a Gila decided the plastic flowers were in his way, soooo he pecked them off which lead to drowning several honey bees as they climbed inside to get more sugar water.  I was an unhappy camper about the drown bees, so I found a metal feeder.  NOW, the Gila can peck all he wants!  That flower is not coming off.

same photo from last post - Gila Woodpecker

What got me started on the woodpeckers?  Well, yesterday our gate sensor that announces the arrival of visitors started going crazy.  ding-dong! ding-dong!  We looked out - no car...no person....hmmm......Dan walked out to the gate to see if there were birds or an animal hanging around the sensor.  Yep, you guessed it.  The Gila was pecking away at the lens of the sensor and poked a couple of holes into it!  Goodness, Mother Nature can be a challenge and entertaining at times!  LOL!

On The Cutting Board
When I'm not chasing woodpeckers through the woods, I am busy getting some needlework done on the Cuddly Critters quilt.

The paws and ears are ready to applique, but I need to applique the raccoon's mask and add three muzzles to faces before I add them to the quilt top.

Embroidering the eyes was quite a job!  I should have ignored the instructions and appliqued the eyes.  Oh well, they are all done now.

When I need a break from the applique, I have been getting quite a bit done on the embroidery squares.  The designs are very tiny.  If I decide to make another set, I am going to enlarge them!

I have eight blocks done....

....and...okay, I don't think I'll count the ones I have left to do.  There seems to be quite a few left, but I don't mind.  It is a nice change of pace to sit and embroider these cuties.

Happy Quilting!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs (Patagonia, AZ)

Gosh, can you believe this month is almost over?  We have certainly had some crazy weather for winter.  One day we are bundle up against freezing temperatures and the next day, we are wearing t-shirts trying to stay cool.  For the last two days, we had rain with a dusting of snow this morning.  Well, all I can say is this - the weather knows how to keep us on our toes!

Before the rain started, the deer and birds were enjoying the sunny afternoons.  Doesn't this look relaxing?  A little nap in the sunshine....

Some time spent down at the creek for a little snack.... 

And one Gila Woodpecker playing peek-a-boo with me.  Ha!  Gotcha! 

Wool - the series by Hugh Howey
I finished the last three of the Wool series.  I loved all five short stories.  I decided to wait until I finished the last three to tell you about the rest of the Wool series.  You can get the whole book  on Amazon or buy one series at a time.

Wool3 The Casting Off
Each series revealed a little more about this underground community living in a silo.  How did they get there?   Who built the silo?  Were they the last humans on earth?  Could they survive outside?

Can you imagine never experiencing the warmth of the sun on your face or wind messing up your hair or to watch snowflakes floating to the ground.  Imagine never smelling a rose, listening to a bird's song or grass tickling your bare toes.  It seems a little depressing and yet life in the Silo goes on because they don't know what they are missing.  Their community in the silo is strong only because they are kept in the dark, but that might be a mistake.  People are naturally inquisitive and the government is naturally secretive.   To keep their secrets, the guilty are sentenced to "the cleaning" or being cast off.

Wool4 The Unraveling
The ones with power start abusing the trust empowered to them by underestimating how well people will follow without questions causing an unraveling of their structured society.  Once people start to discover the dark secrets that have held this community together, it could be the beginning of their end.

Wool5 The Stranded
I won't say anything about the Wool5 because I will spoil some of the surprises in the first four.  Quick note:  there is swearing, but no sex.
These are the links to my first reviews:  Wool and Wool 2.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Tuesday Treasury
Well, it has been raining cats and dogs.  So many cute critters to pick from in Etsy!  So here's just a few.....

Happy Trails!

How Do You Say Good-Bye in Bird? (Huachuca City, AZ)

Yesterday, we spent a good part of the day packing or trying to remember where everything went.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I bought more stuff!  It's like trying to fit size 13 feet into size 10 shoes!  That's what happens when I don't keep things where they belong.  Sigh!  Lesson learned.  I must stick to my #1 rule:  if I don't have room for it then I must not need it.  Anyhow, I managed to get everything packed away.  It just took a little longer and a lot of juggling of stuff.

We spent some time talking to our friends/co-workers one last time and we took our last walk around the Preserve.  I will miss all our new friends along with all our new bird friends that we came to know so well, but we will be back.

The Vermilion was cooperative by landing on a lower limb so I could get a better photo.

Even the Rufous-backed Robin came out to peek at us.  I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks.

You are not gone yet?

Today, we said good-bye to Patagonia.  As you can see, a very unique town.

I'm not going to miss the Gila Woodpeckers hogging all of the hummingbird's food.  I was a little worried they would break the feeder.  They are too big for the feeder.

Hitch watching a Gila Woodpecker

We did not go far to our next destination.  We are about a half-hour down the road at Quail's Ridge RV Park in Huachuca City.  We have driven by this campground on our way to Sierra Vista and it is nice.

The cats are not happy because it is back to harnesses and leashes again.  Can cats mope?  Because I swear that's what three of them were doing after they came in from their walk.  We are only staying here for a few days so we can visit some areas nearby then it is on to Benson for a week.

On the Cutting Board

Before packing up my sewing machine, I sewed together three mug rugs.  Now I have lots of hand sewing to do!

Happy Quilting!

Birds and Hikes ~ Hops and Freebies!

Blog Hop Party!

Quilting Gallery is celebrating their 4th Birthday with a Blog Hop Party and giveaways.  The list of participating bloggers will be revealed on 10 December.

It's My Memories Freebie Friday

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This Digital Kit Includes:

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• 5 Page Elements
• 2 Quick Pages

If you are interested in getting the software, please go to My Memories website and don't forget!

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And what have I been doing?

It has been a quiet week for us since Shaun left.  The birds have been our biggest entertainment.  A cold front is moving in with rain, so I’m hoping for some more frosty morning photos.

Western Bluebird

No, you are not a Hummingbird….

Gila Woodpecker

We hiked the Ramsey Canyon Preserve on Monday.  It was a wee-bit steep of a hike and my legs have been sore for the last two days.  We saw lots of fall colors, a couple of deer, and some Western Bluebirds.

Well, winter is finally here.  You know what that means….lots of Quilting Time!  Okay, so it is always Quilting Time, but you have to admit that it is more fun to stay indoors, drinking lots of hot tea, and working with fabric on cold windy days….Or….Better yet!...curling up under a quilt I am hand-quilting.  Who wants to be outdoors being wind blasted?  Not me!