two shakes of a lamb's ear

 It's getting chilly.

ice on pond

frost on lamb's ear

Even though most mornings are frost-free, we're still in that inevitable plunge into winter.  Leaves that remain on the trees are decidedly dead.

It's kind of tough having a December birthday...it's usually too cold and wet to do anything outside.  Here's the sky the day of my birthday this year:

We had a million indoor activities, though, including a trip to the local bingo hall, where I was one number away from $200!

I made my own cake, as usual.  For the first time in a few years, I made an ice cream cake.  They're so easy to make!  A scaled-down brownie recipe, baked in a loaf pan...frozen, then frosted...frozen, then layered with ice cream and whipped cream.  Delicious!  

The kittens love having us in the house so much during bad weather.  It's a prime opportunity to beg for food.

I keep food on my desk for Calliope, but Barnabas wants a taste too.

And...you know.

Besides these "wild animals," we're still getting lots on our trail cams, although mostly deer...

...and this rapidly-growing buck.  It's hunting season and I frequently hear shots from the forest...I'm glad that he's been able to stay safe!

After getting hours and hours of groundhog footage by the white barn...

...we moved this camera to the back field.  I'm looking forward to some new animals, maybe even a bobcat!

We'll see what turns up...have a great week!  

I "Mint" To Have Only One Slice!

Spring is flying by, and every day brings another little milestone.  Our ducks are back!

The trees, too, are filled with the sounds of songbirds.  We have an abundance of bluebirds, towhees, cardinals, phoebes, finches, and many others.  My favorite bird song is one that I hear all day long...that of the Eastern Towhee:

Drink your tea!  Drink your tea!

Thankfully, we haven't had as many deer sightings.  We still see them a few times a week, but nothing like the fall, when they willfully and maliciously decimated my garden.

Suddenly, all the trees around us have filled out...even our Japanese Maples.

My little hibernating houseplants that I cut back mid-winter have started showing new growth.

We're enjoying the last flush of azalea flowering...

...even Bosewichte!

New discoveries, like a clematis vine that did not flower the first year we lived here...

...and the first iris of spring.

Todd finished most of the leaf removal...

...and Borga has been soaking up the sun on the newly-uncovered lawn.

I've been toiling away at my little flower bed.  It probably took me close to a week, an hour or two at a time, to clear away the weeds.  It took me another week to dig up the space with my hand spade.  It was terribly difficult, because each spadeful brought up something like this:

The runners/root system of the weeds.  I despaired at ever getting them all up, but I put in two hours a day until they were finally cleared, at least to a depth of six inches.  I'll have to RoundUp any new shoots.  Meanwhile, I was able to get my seeds planted.  This year I went with my favorite "Indiana Annuals" mix:  tall spiky purple salvia mixed with pink coneflowers...feathery-leaved cosmos...cheerful zinnias...and a front bed of mixed marigolds.

It will be a battle with the established weeds, clay soil, iffy sunlight coverage, and possible drought conditions.  If these guys won't grow, nothing will!

In the past few weeks, I've made a nearly-forgotten layer cake...

..a batch of baked chocolate goodies I call "D'oh-nuts" for their resemblance to the sprinkles-covered doughnuts always seen on The Simpsons:

...and a multi-level ice cream cake...

...for my special birthday boy.

 

I "mint" to have just one slice, but I'm afraid we demolished over half the cake between the two of us in just one day.  It was delivered to Todd's office the next day for "safekeeping"!

Hope you're having a good week!