...and then there were three

These first peonies are fading fast...

...but I planted many different varieties.  Ruffles and more ruffles.

Peonies are such great old-fashioned flowers.  I'm going to have a massive bed of them when we finally settle somewhere!

Our house finches are growing quickly.  Do you see the feces around the edge of the nest?  For the first week or so of their lives, the adults eat the feces of the young, but after that, the babies void at the rim of the nest.  The rim of feces grows and grows until they, at last, fly away. They're considered pretty messy birds, although so far everything is staying in the fern.

The big news around here, though, is...GOZ. 

The nest I've been watching is still occupied, but ANOTHER clutch of eggs has hatched in an unknown location, probably a week or so ago.  First we had four little goslings, but now (gulp) there are three.  And we love watching them!

I was weeding by the pond this weekend and the adult geese brought the babies, bumbling, over the bank.  I sat quietly and watched as they fed all around me. 

Actually, it's quite wonderful to just sit outside with a camera.  I did the same thing in Indiana and there's so much to be seen.  This weekend, the weather was mild, and I worked quietly as the goz padded around.  Small brown birds skimmed the water for gnats and mosquitoes.

A pair of ducks preened and swam in lazy circles.

A slug, disturbed by the sudden loss of weed cover, headed for darker pastures.

A black rat snake popped his head up in the ivy to watch my progress.

It was so peaceful.  The weather has been so delightfully cool around here, mostly in the 60s and lower 70s, so it's been the perfect time to get outside and work in the yard.

Everything is fully green now...

...and maybe the long, hot summer won't feel quite as long, since spring has been so good to us this year.

Have a great week! 

The Quilt I Built

January showers bring January flowers...at least in South Carolina!

The camellia trees are in their element, absolutely dripping with flowers.  The smaller shrubs will be coming into flower in the next month, and we're about due for Lenten Roses, too.  I can't wait! 

Tabitha loves a rainy day.

I went outside with my camera last week despite the drizzle, and it seems that it was 'fowl' weather, indeed!  A flock of turkeys was feeding in the side yard.  I startled a big heron at the pond's edge, and also a few ducks...

...and "our" goz!  A group of ten...the original eight plus the two parents.  I expect that the flock will separate soon.

They're already acting a little testy, constantly chasing each other around aggressively.

Breeding season begins in February, and then...babies!!!

Part of my master organization plan is to do some things that I've been meaning to do for years but never took the time to do.  Last week I scheduled in time to make some household products with essential oils.  I made a general household cleaner, window cleaning spray, conditioner, shave gel, and a shower spray for the tiles. 

The real winners are the general cleaner and the window cleaner.  I have always cleaned with either vinegar or bleach.  I added some water, essential oils, and dish soap to the vinegar.  It doesn't clean any better than just plain vinegar, but it sure smells good!  The window cleaner (with vinegar and witch hazel) works and smells great.  The conditioner (basically water, apple cider vinegar, and essential oils) was kind of a bust.  I've used vinegar on my hair for a long time, and the essential oils added to the vinegar/water mixture are all but overwhelmed by the vinegar smell. And the shave gel...sigh.  I know you can get a bottle of aloe vera at the dollar store for a buck, but I read that the stabilizers and thickening agents used there weren't great for your body.  I ordered cold-pressed organic aloe vera gel ($12) and, with olive oil and essential oils, made the most expensive shave gel ever.  It makes my skin soft but it's runny, so it's hard to shave with.  I think I'll go back to the spray stuff after this. 

I tried a new recipe this week, since I had some leftover pumpkin puree.  I have a great pumpkin bread recipe, but I was intrigued by a recipe that uses raw honey instead of sugar, and Greek yogurt instead of oil/butter (I left out the optional millet).  I didn't expect much, but whoa! 

It was just as good as my regular pumpkin bread recipe.  The regular recipe is 400 calories a slice, and this is just 200 calories a slice.  I highly, highly recommend it! 

This was a great week for finishing projects.  I finished my crewel work, sewing anemone flowers onto some blue linen fabric, and made it into a pillow.

I'm pretty pleased with it and ready to move on to the next crewel project!

I also...drum roll...finished my quilt!!

It was a great milestone for me, finishing this quilt.  I'd always had a desire to learn how to quilt, but I didn't even know how to sew.  I had to take local classes, and online classes, and watch Youtube videos, and make a LOT of mistakes (I didn't even understand what seam allowance was on my first practice quilt!).  I had to learn that a quilt isn't sewn in a day.  It's a process.  I had to snatch 15 and 30 minutes when I could.  I had to recognize that a quilt will never be perfect.  There will always be wonky seams and squares that don't match up as they should.  I'm a perfectionist and it's hard for me to continue working on what I consider to be a flawed product.  But many flawed products helped me to end up with a pretty pleasing first quilt!  

It took me a while to sew the binding (edge fabric) on.  I used clear nylon thread so that the sewing won't show through.  It's very soft, very cozy, and just the right size for cuddling on the couch!  Now if only we could get some cooler weather here so I can actually use it! 

The Goz, Take II

Early mornings here have been full of the familiar gobble, gobble sounds of our turkeys, although I haven't actually seen one for a few months.  Sometimes the sound comes from across the pond and sometimes from the woods, but wherever they are, they're definitely active and happy!  We've had a pretty regular visitor in our treetops, too.  The barred owls are back!  Not every night, but many nights we hear them calling.  They were so loud last week that Todd and I walked outside to listen.  There were at least three owls calling - one in the yard, one in the woods, and one across the pond.  We located the back yard tree where one owl was roosting and stood right underneath.  It was too dark to see him, but we could hear him, right about our heads, hooting in rounds with the others.  I'm glad that we have so many around.

Another group of welcome visitors are "the goz."  The first group of hatchlings - aka "the big boys" - have really grown.  They're boisterous and great fun, feeding around my feet while the parents give soft warning hisses, but never bother me. 

The youngest hatchlings are growing rapidly too.  They're still the bright yellow of the very young, but have gotten much more adept at moving easily and gathering tender shoots.

Some of our visitors are a little less celebrated by one of us.  Todd, as always, maintains his anti-snake stance.  I like them, but do keep my distance.  However, I startled a 6-foot black snake last week when I went out onto the front porch to pick up a package.  I didn't notice him slithering out of a fern, but once inside, his movements caught my eye through the glass.

He looks vicious...

...but black snakes aren't venomous.  They're wonderful to have around because they eat pests like rats, squirrels, and chipmunks.  This snake could've easily bitten me, but they're very shy and rarely bite unless stepped on or threatened. 

Poor Todd didn't see it this way, especially when the snake slid up the door frame and draped itself over the door knob and house number frame.

We left him alone and he disappeared into the night.  Problem solved!

Hope you all have some welcomed visitors of your own soon, although maybe not of the serpent variety.  Have a great week! 

Zest For Nest

Lots of singing by our front door, and a flurry of activity too:  a pair of house finches were attempting to build a nest in one of our hanging ferns!  This is not an ideal location, because we use the front door a lot and it's very disruptive to nesting birds.  I moved the fern before they'd had a chance to do more than make an indentation amid the fronds.  Here is the male, doing his part...

The female is more drab, but still has beautiful patterning on her feathers.

They aren't the only ones nesting.  I've noticed a pair of canadian geese hanging around...

It wasn't long before I spotted the female sitting on a gigantic nest, right across the pond from us.  GOSLINGS!!  I can't wait!

We have a lot of nature activity now.  Our wonderful towhees wake us up in the morning with their song.  

White-tailed deer feed in our yard daily.

Turtles sun themselves...

 

Fish leap...

...and I'm seeing more insects again!  Just 'garden variety,' like this carpenter ant pulling his lacewing prey to his nest.

A young millipede, recoiling from the sun.

A pillbug, doing what he does best.

A fat butterfly, gathering nectar.

A dragonfly with an amazing iridescent copper-colored abdomen.

We love seeing all the creatures busily going about their days!  Our creatures, meanwhile, are just enjoying the sun.

Everything is green and lovely, and we spend time by the pond...

...or working in the yard.

It's a great time to be in South Carolina!

Have a great week!