Series Sunday

I got out of the habit of working on Cottage Garden Sampling's floral series while I was travelling this summer.  I decided that Sundays would become "Series Sundays" and if on no other day of the week, I'd at least devote some time on Sundays to working on this series.  I stitched the vine on the bottom and the right side of "April's Daisy".  So I'm back on track again.    

"Red in the morning, sailors' warning"

This was our lovely sunrise Friday morning before storm after storm after storm moved in.  I spent Saturday night in a monsoonal deluge watching the University of Oregon football game!

Padma showed more sense and spent the weekend warm and dry.

Most of the birds hunkered down during the storm.

I was pleased to see a nuthatch at the feeders.  They prefer mature forest as habitat and so are infrequent visitors at the feeders.

The winter birds are starting to show up again...

...including this White-crowned Sparrow.

There are lots of Song Sparrows no matter the time of year. 

The Oregon Juncos are more plentiful in the fall and winter.

Sad Sunday & Then There Were Two

Warning: This is a sad post topic. 

I thought long and hard about whether or not I'd write this post.

But I decided that as an admirer of "All Creatures Great and Small" I needed to do so.

Since my return home in late August this Deer Three-some have been almost daily visitors.  As best I can figure out it is a doe with last year's fawn and this year's fawn. Lately much to my worry and dismay they have been hanging out near the road by our driveway.  I've seen them on the other side of the road - so they've crossed back and forth. Narrow curvy rural roads are dangerous for deer.     

On Wednesday morning while I stood near the hedgerow with my camera at the ready, the curious fawn approached me for a closer look.

She was cautiously interested and I did nothing to startle her.

Sadly sometime Thursday morning she was struck and killed by a car near our driveway.  Unfortunately almost every year as autumn approaches we lose one or two deer to vehicular encounters. It still makes me sad.  My mother saw the fallen fawn not long after the accident and said the other two deer stayed close by. Now when I see my Deer Two-some I can't help think of the silly curious fawn.

Soggy Saturday

Weather - what ya' gonna' do?  

The first Oregon football game (August 31st) was in the sweltering heat, the one tonight will be in a monsoon. Water off a duck's back, right? (That's a humorous reference to the University of Oregon Ducks if you don't follow college sports).

As always the cats think a rainy day is a perfect Nap Day.

It's hard to argue with that philosophy.

  

Everyone is getting ready for autumn - in their own way.

This gal looks so innocent - yet look at all the chomped plants just to her left.

Cause and effect?

This bunny was enjoying the last of the sunshine before the rain moved in.

He's so content he's half asleep.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Pumpkin Appreciation Day

Garden Grumbles & Cross Stitch Fumbles October 2011 Blog Header

Daffycat had the BEST idea!

Today we are joining together to celebrate Cathey's of Pumpkin Patch and Co's Blogoversary with photos of pumpkins.  Cathey I hope in some small way this will serve to honor your courage and bring a smile to your face. 

Faithful Friday

I'm still head over heels as the recipient of Michelle's generosity.

I never expected when I began blogging a few years ago that I'd get know some of the kindest people on the planet.

      

This is a terribly shadowy photo, but at least you can see I've been working along on "Faith".  Love all the blues and browns.  I'm thinking of changing the date from 1708 to 2013 as that would make it more meaningful to me. I've got graph paper and a pencil and I'm not afraid to use them!

This week's Bird Report includes an Anna Hummingbird hard at work on Salvia.

A Red-breasted Sapsucker working away on a Douglas Fir tree. 

Here's a young Northern Flicker scoping out my peanut feeders.

While this adult male Flicker has it all figure out.

See his tongue sticking out?

And look who's back at the feeder - it's Clown Bird!

No, it's a male Acorn Woodpecker.

Like the squirrels, I've been gathering up a few acorns.  I'm going to set them out later in the Fall and see if these guys will find them and take them back to their granary tree.

I'll finish with one more photo of an Anna Hummingbird.

This is the original shot.

And here's the close up I got when I cropped the photo.

I'm pretty pleased with the clarity and resolution.

Unexpected Gifts

On a day when I really, really, really needed a pick-me-up, what should arrive in the mail, but an array of Unexpected Gifts.

Dear Michelle (aka Mouse) of Tales of a Stitching Mouse made my day with this highly personalized Care Package. She wrote me a lovely note and included a darling Madeleine Floyd cross stitch kit.     

Mouse generally begins her blog post by putting on the kettle and offering a cuppa' tea.  I've teased her that I am a Hot Chocolate Girl. So she included some hot chocolate for me to enjoy, and look at this delightful stitch! 

It's absolutely perfect Michelle!  I am so pleased and happy.

This will make wonderful way to remember the day we spent together in York.  A wonderful day - a wonderful memento.  

Remember the Madeleine Floyd cross stitch kit Michelle just gifted me with?

Do you think that she had any idea, any idea at all that while in England I bought this set of Floyd place mats? 

And this Floyd tea towel?

I expect Michelle knows I do enjoy bird-watching.  But she probably did not know that she'd be spot on with the cross stitch kit!

Now on to Cat News...

As you can see, Solomon is feeling much better! 

His appetite has returned and he's back to begging for food...

...and generally getting in the way.

This week the skies have echoed with the calls of geese.

I saw several large skeins on Monday...

...and still more on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Doesn't it look like they're in danger of crashing into one another?

All the "Vs" were headed in a southerly direction.

Most of the flocks I've noticed have been travelling in the late afternoon to early evening.   

There is a large reservoir, Fern Ridge, about 5 miles away.

I wonder if these groups will spend the night there before starting out again in the morning light.   

How do they decide when and where to spend the nights while migrating?

Do they call ahead and book a "reservoir-ation"? 

As it turned out, the day ended very well.  The promise, the hope, the faith inherent in the story of Noah's rainbow resonated with me. 

An Autumn Walk

Design - "Charity"

Designer - Carriage House Samplings

Fabric - 40 count R & R Autumn Gold

Fibers - DMC - 1 strand over 2 threads

Started - 18 September 2013

Completed - 23 September 2013

This is a tiny piece - it measures only 1.75" x 2.25".

Amazing detail for such a tiny thing.

It's Wednesday. It's Autumn.

Let's try to dodge the rain showers and take a walk.

Watch out!  One of the prettiest things right now is the Poison Oak!

The last of the wild Asters are in bloom.

Snowberries - no one seems to like to eat 'em so they hang of the branches week after week.

 The Licorice Ferns are still bright green. 

I found a few cherries they birds had missed.

Autumn means an explosion of Oak Galls.

The leaves of Big Leaf Maples have not yet begun to turn.

The Vine Maple leaves, however, are already bright scarlet.

Well I looked through my books and I've still not managed to identify this fruiting tree.  It really bugs me as I'm quite sure that in the spring when it is in blossom, I have no problem figuring out what it is.  

Someone is already munching away on the fruit of the wild Dogwood. 

The Douglas Fir cones are ripe.

  

And the Cottonwood trees are beginning to drop their leaves.