Not So Wordless Wednesday (Patagonia, AZ)

Eh? What can I say...it is definitely winter in Arizona this year.  I'm beginning to wish I kept more of my winter clothes.   We woke up to about a half an inch of snow yesterday morning.  I had to defrost the hummingbird feeder before our little buddy woke up.  As a matter of fact, there wasn't a single bird around.  I searched all the surrounding trees.  Not a single bird in any of them...hmmmm, I wonder where they all go on such a cold night...

fluffed up Housefinch

Once the sun came over the mountains, the chirping started and the feeding frenzy began.  Some of the little guys looked like they were having a hard time getting started.  Maybe we should serve coffee with their seeds then we can watch them ping off the branches!  Just kidding.  I don't want them to have caffeine headaches after we leave the area.

Pine Siskins and Lesser Goldfinch

It was our day off, so we went for a walk before breakfast. So here's some photos of our walk with lots of blue sky, sunshine, and snow....not too many birds...they were the smart ones...they stayed in their warm beds.

sunrays through snow covered branches

Dan wanted to look for tracks in the snow to see how active the area had been the night before.

We saw lots of little tracks - deer, coyote, bobcat, skunk or fox or both, and something so tiny that it only left two little lines in the snow.  Oh, no mountain lion tracks this time, but he is still around.

a misty morning on the Sonoita Creek

The green watercress in the creek added a lot of contrast to the white snow and blue sky.

Sonoita Creek

Sonoita Creek

Okay, so I'm posting too many photos of the creek.  I can't help it.  I just love the way the snow changed the creek's area.

Sonoita Creek

The Railroad trail had a mystical feel to it....very enchanting and so quiet.  We saw only one deer and no javalina.

snow covered path

very inviting

Last photo....

the end of our walk

On The Cutting Board

Another quilt top ready for layering!  This one is fitting for today's theme - A walk in the woods quilt.

Happy Quilting!

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!

Red Sky in The Morning (Patagonia, AZ)

On Wednesday, this Preserve hosted a group of Conservancy workers.  They were here for two days to help map our old cottonwoods.  The weather was co-operating with low 70s during the day.  Even the nights were nice, but I was really enjoying the warm sunny afternoons that made me forget all about the recent freeze.  On their first evening, we were invited to join them around the campfire.  It was nice to stare into the flames, soak up the heat, and listen to the chatter around us.

We woke up the next morning to a pink sky which had me wondering if our beautiful sunny weather was leaving us again.  It did, but the dark clouds and rain did hold off long enough for the field work to be finished.

Of course, by the time I took the photo most of the pink was gone.

Thursday Morning's Sunrise

So, we are getting more rain today and not too many visitors on this quiet Saturday.  Even the birds and critters are feeling a little lazy today.  I went for a walk and sighted only two deer with a few birds.  No pictures from this walk.

We have less than a month left here and I am ready to start traveling again.  This has been fun and definitely a lot quieter than any campground, but not as great as our first winter here with so many different critters to see.  Well, I have at least three weeks left.  Maybe, I'll see some Coatimundi before we leave here...fingers are crossed!

The following photos were taken earlier this week...

There was one Bridle Titmouse letting Dan know he was being too slow on filling the feeders this week.  The little guy was hanging from a branch above his head and chattering up a storm - "hurry up! hurry up!

Happy Trails!

Not So Wordless Wednesday (Patagonia, AZ)

Surprise!  I'm actually going to do a Wordless Wednesday....Enjoy!

Northern Cardinal

Red-tailed Hawks

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Squirrel!

Happy Trails!

Warm Weather and Feathered Friends (Patagonia, AZ)

The weather warmed up immensely and business has picked.  I guess everyone is tired of being cooped up.  I know the sunshine feels very good right now.  Since we are a little busy on this warm Sunday, I plan to keep this post short.

Here's a few photos of some of the birds and one deer I have seen recently.

 

With the weather warming up, we are seeing more bucks hanging around the does.  The bucks are very shy when it comes to people.  I find it funny that the males run off, but the females will stand their ground and stamp their hooves as a warning.

I dare you to come down this trail...

On The Cutting Board

I finished the border with more stars to Cuddly Critters quilt...actually the name in the magazine is Starbear Friends, but I like Cuddly Critters better.  This green border has a lot of different colors in it.  Almost any color scheme will work with this border.

And I started embroidering the faces.  Of course, I had to start with the kitty!

Cuddly Critters (Patagonia, AZ)

Recently, I spent some time going through the last couple of months of photos and realized that I had not shared some of my most prized bird shots for this winter...so far. 

This Gray Flycatcher has been spending quite a bit of time in the wetland area. I do believe he is posing for me.

Gray Flycatcher

This little guy was a big surprise for me.  I had been watching another bird along the creek when I saw a flash of yellow go by me.  He landed on a limb just a little too far away, but I managed to get one decent photo of him.  I never did see his rump for the yellow marking, but none of the other birds fit his description.

Yellow-rumped Warbler?

I spent most of last winter chasing Green-Tailed Towhees.  They are not easy to photograph since they spend most of their time hidden in bushes and thickets.  I would see flashes of them in the underbrush, but I never got a clear shot of one. 

Green-Tailed Towhee

I could not believe my luck when I came across this little guy busy eating out in the open on the trail.  I was even more surprised at how close I was able to get to him.  He must have been very hungry or he was use to humans being around him.

you looking at me?

On The Cutting Board

I have been looking at this one baby quilt (cover) since I bought this Quiltmaker's All-Time Favorites magazine in Spring 2001.  It is so cute with four little critters hugging a star.  There is a cat, a dog, a bear, and a raccoon.  I can't stand to just look at it anymore.....I have to make it!  

It has been a long time since my last traditional quilt.  My star's points are far from perfect, but it is coming out a lot better than I had hoped.  I have one more star border to add and then I need to gather some browns to applique the cuddly critters.  Gotta go...the quilt bug is alive and well!

Happy Quilting!

Found Cat Needs a Good Home (Patagonia, AZ)

We found her a new home.

Found cat on Blue Haven Road, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Nature Conservancy.  Friendly lap-warming cat with nice demeanor.  I wish we could keep this one, but 4 cats in a motorhome is a little crowded.   About an hours drive south on hwy 82 from Tucson.  A half hour north of Nogales.  If you are interested, please call our office 520-394-2400