The Little House in the Not-So-Big Woods

Hey there. Yes, I took a break, but I'm ready ...

2011-11-02T17:56:38.496-05:00

Hey there. Yes, I took a break, but I'm ready to get back to it. I got a little depressed about the drought and intense heat we had over the summer, and just didn't like going outside. Look for a new post pretty soon.

Thanks for writing--I think this was the poke I needed.

Hey, Joy. Are you still writing? I miss your posts...

2011-11-02T15:22:39.900-05:00

Hey, Joy. Are you still writing? I miss your posts!

You'd have the confidence if you saw the long ...

2011-09-09T16:17:47.817-05:00

You'd have the confidence if you saw the long view: one toasted marshmallow in the midst of a giant flock of juncos, with no other bird treating it any differently.

Toasted marshmallow is a perfect description of th...

2011-09-09T15:45:24.811-05:00

Toasted marshmallow is a perfect description of that little bird! I doubt I'd have had the birdwatching confidence to identify it - I'd probably still be flipping the pages of my bird guides trying to match color and shape, to no avail.

Hi Joy, I put out extra food too when that cold we...

2011-03-06T00:57:13.536-06:00

Hi Joy, I put out extra food too when that cold weather was here. I also made sure that at least one of my fountains flowed fast enough to keep flowing. I think we may be headed in to Spring now, but seems like every year I think that, we get that last freeze in mid-March. Guess we'll see...

Nice balmy weather where I live! And we saw a who...

2011-02-24T10:11:30.274-06:00

Nice balmy weather where I live! And we saw a whole host of woodpeckers recently, so my favourite is that woody who came visiting!

Great visitors at the feeder - I'm with Larry,...

2011-02-23T00:19:16.910-06:00

Great visitors at the feeder - I'm with Larry, the Harris's would be a lifer for me as well. I've just got bushtits, starlings, black-capped chickadees, song sparrows and the occasional ruby-crowned kinglet at our suet feeder.

Great post Joy and beautiful shots of the birds. ...

2011-02-18T20:29:28.660-06:00

Great post Joy and beautiful shots of the birds. I really like that Harris's Sparrow, it would be a lifer for me!

@zoologirl: ...and we're in for a spell in the...

2011-02-17T20:23:50.384-06:00

@zoologirl: ...and we're in for a spell in the 70s.

All those red-wing blackbirds just look funny to m...

2011-02-17T20:19:04.198-06:00

All those red-wing blackbirds just look funny to me on snow. Great photos. This week we've had 50 + temps in Minnesota. But as I'm writing this, we are headed back into the single digits. :( Stay warm!

Michael, thanks for the specific ID. I love knowin...

2011-02-17T19:42:38.093-06:00

Michael, thanks for the specific ID. I love knowing what I'm dealing with.

Lovely Great Plains Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata e...

2011-02-17T19:38:14.899-06:00
Lovely Great Plains Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata emoryi). I'm so glad all that the reptile and mammals in this account were so well behaved!

Thanks for the tour of your tree. It's amazin...

2011-02-08T23:50:17.370-06:00
Thanks for the tour of your tree. It's amazing what all one can find when she/he takes the time to look.

thanks for hosting- great post!

2011-02-06T19:06:49.428-06:00
thanks for hosting- great post!

@Anne: I was pleased with the titmouse picture. It...

2011-02-06T15:48:01.988-06:00
@Anne: I was pleased with the titmouse picture. It was taken from a distance of about 4 inches, so it SHOULD be hard to mess up.

@Lana: I never thought of using it as a landscaping material. Hmmmmm...

I can sympathize with your cold temps, although we...

2011-02-06T14:34:37.637-06:00
I can sympathize with your cold temps, although we've avoided sn*w for the most part so far & today's going up to 60F (FINALLY!)
Love all of your birds. I have a lot of the same in my yard, but appreciated those that I DON'T have.
As for debris afterwards--that's how we're filling the low spot in the backyard. I'm not entirely kidding, either. You should SEE the sunflower seed husks out there!

The titmouse photo is the best!

2011-02-05T15:35:48.908-06:00
The titmouse photo is the best!

@Mike: You've got goats on the brain, dear.

2011-02-04T08:22:03.923-06:00
@Mike: You've got goats on the brain, dear.

>> like the jump forward, then scoot back a...

2011-02-04T08:10:03.942-06:00
>> like the jump forward, then scoot back a couple of times.

Are you sure it isn't "just a jump to the left, and a step to the ri-i-i-i-ight"?

@Beyond My Garden: You can expect some fat blackbi...

2011-02-04T08:05:35.186-06:00
@Beyond My Garden: You can expect some fat blackbirds when they return.

So you are the one taking care of our red-wing bla...

2011-02-04T07:56:08.489-06:00
So you are the one taking care of our red-wing blackbirds during the winter. I note each spring when they return to us here on the Ohio.
Don't the birds make a mess. I sweep every day and next year my yard will be littered with tiny sunflower seedlings.
nellie

Your post reminds me that in times past folks had ...

2011-02-03T00:52:31.930-06:00
Your post reminds me that in times past folks had more time to stop and notice things. Whizzing by in our trucks and cars, we seem to have lost that connection to things growing "along the way".
When the first snow fell, people tended to stop, reflect,and enjoy the fruit of their labors. Now..well we just keep pressing on in the insanity of progress!

Love the photo of the moss on the bark! In answer...

2011-02-02T13:10:05.222-06:00
Love the photo of the moss on the bark!

In answer to your question on my blog regarding the contorted hazel:
haha.. contortionist ;)
Well, I thought it was a tree, it's meant to grow to about 20 feet tall. But it's very slow growing, so might take a while before it becomes that large.
My hazel is about as tall as me right now, it's maybe 5 years old. You could probably treat it as a shrub.

A jewel of a post. Lovely to read and reread. i ...

2011-02-02T12:48:37.194-06:00
A jewel of a post. Lovely to read and reread. i learned at Windhorse Farm that dead trees were the life of the forest, and thus should not be cut down. Your piece shows why.

T.

thank you for this lovely lyrical post which was a...

2011-02-02T08:47:58.045-06:00
thank you for this lovely lyrical post which was a joy to read. All the microcosm of life around this high and dry tree beautifully captured in words and images. Awesome is the taproot
Laura