Owl-o-een Friday

Here's a Blast from My Stitching Past!

It is even stitching using DMC Flower Thread!  Can you even buy that anymore?

Design - Jack-O-Lantern Sampler

Designer - Curtis Boehringer

Fabric - 32 count raw Belfast linen

Fibers - DMC Flower Threads

Started - 19 August 1997

Completed - 1 September 1997

I dropped by Hiron's the other day to look at their fall displays.

Owls...

...owls...

...even more owls...

And all of them pretty darned cute!

Lots of wonderful Halloween displays.

Spooky stuff everywhere.

Oh and more owls in the front left!

Even black and orange trees.

I'm kinda partial to the orange and black spotted cream colored pumpkin.

HAPPY OWL-O-WEEN!!

October's Marigold - Finished!

Design - "October's Marigold"

Designer - Cottage Garden Samplings

FAbric - 32 count Lambswool linen

Fibers - WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 23 September 2014

Completed - 27 October 2014

A wonderful October stitch! Black and orange aren't my favorite colors by any stretch, but with the yellow, orange and green of the marigolds I think the piece is great and is probably going to be on my short list to be framed next year.

Here's a final celebration of our October Marigolds taken mid-month.

   My sister loves September and October. These flowers are part of the reason why. 

Here are a few birds sporting October colors.

  

The Goldfinches

A handsome House Finch

Another view

A Goldfinch and a Golden-crowned Sparrow 

A juvenile Starling. I do not care for the birds, but have to admit they are rather pretty.

A Christmas Stitch

Design - "Holly"

Chart - "Holly Stocking" F76 - Double Flip - Flip It Series

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - Aida

Fibers - WDW - 2 strands

Started - October 2014

Completed - October 2014

Today I'm presenting my Mom's latest finish.  She ripped right along on this one and finished it up within a couple of weeks.  Way to go Mom!  

With all our recent stormy weather, it was difficult to to time a walk of any length. 

Mostly I've stayed on the back patio  and admired our wild skies from there.

Lots of dark clouds.

Moisture falling only to rise to the air once again. 

And then sunshine highlighting the changing leaves of a Big Leaf Maple.

It is now obvious that Spot and Dot should be named Bambi One and Bambi Two.  In the last couple of weeks both fawns have sprouted small nubs - next year they'll sport proper antlers.

My large Quail covey appears to have disbanded.  Now I see a much smaller group of around eight birds.

This fawn made of a game of grazing ever closer to the birds (on the right) and chasing them off.

Owl Never Tell

Design - "Owl Tell"

Chart - "Hocus Pocus"

Designer - The Prairie Schooler

Fabric - 32 count Lambswool linen

Fbiers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 21 October 2014

Completed - 25 October 2014

I wonder what secrets this winking owl is keeping from us!

As you can see my front feeder set up remains popular with the Acorn Woodpeckers.

I am pleased that they are enjoying the suet as well as the peanuts.

An adult male on the left, a female on the right.

Here's Baby Boy bird on the left and a female on the right.

We'd had very rainy, windy weather that day on the birds look somewhat bedraggled, don't they? 

Baby Boy also like the nuts in the cylinder feeder.   

The Flickers have rediscovered the suet feeder.

This young female has become a regular visitor.  

I also saw a male Downy Woodpecker eating suet.  I hope to get photo or two of him to share with you. 

Birds of All Sorts

There's time to stitch a few more owls before month's end.

Here's what I have lined up.  With the middle chart I'm thinking of just stitching the owl and the pumpkin.

We've had blustery, stormy weather lately and that has made for poor bird watching.  

Only the true stalwarts like this Sharp-shinned Hawk put up with the poor weather. 

Some of the smaller birds braved the storms too.

Here a Goldfinch and a House Finch dine together.

While the Band-tailed Pigeons and the Lesser Goldfinches have left, the American Goldfinches continue to come to the feeders.

I am seeing more Gold-crowned Sparrows now that it is autumn.

And lots of Scrub Jays.

You cannot imagine just how many sunflower seeds have sprouted in our backyard since we've had some rain.  I'll bet these guys cached hundreds of seeds - and now they've all germinated.

Every Bunny Loves Some Bunny...Sometime

After a spell of not seeing bunnies, they have returned and are everywhere!

Recently we had four bunnies in the backyard. 

That made for much Cat Entertainment TV.

Mostly the bunnies appear oblivious to the cats. 

Though upon occasion, they go on High Alert. 

After all, what are those long ears for anyway, if not listening. 

Solomon and his father, Tom-Cat spent an agreeable morning on a rustic bench watching the Outside World.  

They hope you have a chance to enjoy the Great Outdoors this weekend.

Saturday Hummers

I counted three Anna's Hummingbirds (2 of them fighting with one another!)

They are one of the reasons I tarry in putting my garden to bed for the winter. 

They appreciate the late fuchsias.

I like them to have a natural nectar source as long as possible.

And I enjoy seeing them dart among the bright bloosoms...

...like my Black and Blue Salvia.

Here's a female...

...and here's a male.

He has much more red on the top of his head and throat.

Or is it pink rather than red? 

Almost the same color as the salvia.

The birds are using the feeders regularly, so I will maintain them throughout the winter months.