The Last Day of the Year

Design - "Wee Santa 2017"

Designer - Heart in Hand

Fabric - 30 count WDW Aztec Red

Fibers - WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 5 December 2017

Completed - 30 December 2017

IN honor of the last day of the year, I'm featuring a couple of kinds of birds that frequent my yard every single day of the year.

Steller's Jay

California Quail with a Fox Sparrow thrown in.

More Quail

Quail and a Golden-crowned Sparrow

A Quail couple using a tray feeder.

So Little Time

Design - "Reindeer"

Chart - "Christmas Past" #51

Designer - The Prairie Schooler

Fabric - 32 Black Zweigart linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 21 December 2012

Completed - 26 December 2012

The time between Christmas and the New Year seems to fly by.

These guys are flying too.

A female Downy Woodpecker.

The Acorn Woodpeckers have mostly been AWOL, but I caught a male in the backyard the other day.

I hear them talking and squawking in their granary tree...

...but they are not hanging out at the feeders.

As long as they have not left the area, I am content.

Sunday's Hummers

Two different photo session of the same Anna's.

Here it is in low light.

I think it is a young male.

It was protecting a feeder at the edge of the backyard.

Looking all around.

And watching me.

Here's the same bird in bright light.

The small dark patch on the throat is how I ID it from other Anna's.

This is much closer to the house... 

...and a handy location for guarding four feeders!

And watching me.

A Couple of Critters

I saw two or three chipmunks this morning, but they were quite skittish and I was only able to get one non-blurry photo.

There was also a group of three deer.

Again, I was only able to capture one.

Winter Birds

Design - "Merry Winter"

Designer - Homespun Elegance

Fabric - 28 count Amber linen

Fibers - Belle Soie Silks - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 15 December 2016

Completed - 19 December 2016

Many of my Christmas birds were rather large!

I had two Turkey Vultures hanging out all morning until the clouds and fog burned off.

Then a Red-tail Hawk took up residence.

He kept watch over the feeders.

The Day After

I hope everyone who celebrated had a nice Christmas, we certainly did.

One of my Christmas Day gifts...

...was a small flock of Bushtits at a suet feeder.

I heard them and then they flew in a few at a time...

...until there were six...

...at the feeder.

Munching away.

And then there were momentarily a dozen birds...

...and they bit by bit flitted away.

Christmas 1916

Merry Christmas!  Christmas is a time for creating memories.

Here is a photo from 1915 of my grandmother Margaret Upton (the baby) with her parents in the back row, and her paternal grandparents in the front row.  The happy grandparents journeyed out by train from Pennsylvania to see the new baby born in Oregon.

The next year Nellie (Ellen) Carter Upton, the grandmother, sent a Christmas card to her son and daughter-in-law ending it with kisses to her young grand-daughter.

103 years ago...

Christmas Card 1916

This post card has a Garland, PA postmark of Dec 23 2pm 1916.  It was written by Ellen (Nellie) Carter Upton, the mother of Otto D. Upton. She sent it to her son and daughter-in-law, Elsie Greenwell Upton, and her young grand daughter, Margaret Upton.  I've transcribed it as accurately as possible - Nellie was not a big believer in punctuation!

To:

"Mr & Mrs Otto Upton

Portland Oregon

c/o Gen. Del.

Dec 1916

To our loved ones

Just a word or two to wish you a Merry Christmas & happy New Year I hope you are all enjoying the best of health We are all well but Me & I am a little better but not at My best yet Glad to know you have found such a good place to Move on to hope you will do well on it   it will seem good to you to get settled I bet for you have been so unsettled for a long time  I will write a letter in a sort time  With lots of love to all & kisses for Margaret

from Mother"

  

   

Christmas Eve

Do you still send or receive Christmas cards?

Here's one from a cousin of a maternal great-grandfather back in 1935.

Envelope

Card - Front 

Card - Inside

This card was sent from Elmer Waning of Damariscotta, Maine.

Born in 1884, Elmer was the son of Willis and Ardella Waning and Billy Waning's cousin.

Soon it Will Be Christmas

Design - "Reindeer"

Chart - "Tiny Tidings XXI"

Designer - Lizzie Kate

Fabric - 32 count French Cafe Mocha linen

Fibers - DMC & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 1 December 2017

Completed - 5 December 2017

IN the last minute Christmas rush, I've had little time to observe the birds.

But here are a few of my Winter Regulars. 

Female Oregon Junco

Oregon Junco

Golden-crowned Sparrow 

Another Oregon Junco

One Squirrel One Bird

This is the look an angry squirrel makes.  He tried a bite of the seed. It

is coated with hot pepper capsaicin and he is NOT a happy camper!

My only hummer photo for this week.

A young male Anna's.