A Second Cold Morning

As it turned out we did have a low of 19F on Friday morning.

It was a cold and a frosty morning.

All the trees were coated with frost.

I think Padma looked like a Siberian Cat on patrol.

The ferns were white with frost...

...the Queen Anne's Lace...

...the Teasel...

...and the blackberries are were lined with a coating of frost.

The cold morning temperatures made for some puffy 'hunkered down' cats.

And all the birds had on their heavy down jackets!

The Steller's Jay...

the Junco...

and the Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Here's a female Junco.  She's all downy too.  You can see the feathers on her head are a much lighter color than the male (2 photos above).  

As soon as I put out the nectar feeder I had a customer!

Notice how puffed up the Anna's Hummingbird is.

I don't think I've ever observed the white downy feathers on the rear of a bird before. (Guess his bottom was cold!)

Even the deer looked like they had on extra-heavy coats.

Friday night / Saturday morning is supposed to extremely cold once again.

A message for Lorene F.:

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Brrrr It is COLD Outside!

I haven't had much time to stitch, but I did work a little bit on my Prairie Schooler Tom Turkey.

Thursday morning dawned clear and cold... 26F!

The Ali-baba fountain was encrusted with icicles.

The Pansies were not very happy either.

On extra-cold days I try to make sure that everyone has plenty to eat and drink.  These Gold-crowned Sparrows waited as I set out cracked corn. The one on the right appears to have sustained an injury to its beak. 

The female Flicker waited in the morning sun, all puffed up against the bitter cold. 

She flew down to have a bit of breakfast... 

...cracked corn and peanuts.

The House Finches also found a bit of sunshine in an effort to warm up.

They are fans of the sunflower seeds.

In the cold of the morning, even  a Nuthatch deigned to come to the feeder for a bite of breakfast. 

Usually they are residents of the forest and shy away from the open areas around the house.

One of the Sharp-shinned Hawks used the Acorn Woodpecker's granary tree as a look-out post.  

When the temperatures drop below freezing, I bring the hummingbird feeders inside once it gets dark.  Then I put them out at daylight so the birds can immediately have an energizing nectar drink to help battle the cold.    

On Wednesday morning this male had already been to the feeder several times and was talking and preening in a Douglas fir tree. 

With the right pose, the sunlight turned the feathers on his head a ruby red.

He chattered up a storm...

..and showed off his feathers.

Thursday night and Friday night were both forecast to have a low of 19F! That's very cold very early in the season for these parts!  I moved some of my plants into the garage for a couple of days, and covered up others with old towels and blankets in an effort to help them battle the extreme cold.  While my greenhouse is not heated per say, I use turn on two 100 watt bulbs on very cold nights.  In the small space they emit enough heat to keep the temperature inside the unit above freezing.

Over One is Done & My Other Regulars

Yahoo!  

I finished up the over one on "Fair Daffodil".

And now I must say that the stitching over two seems like poking holes through wide open barns door - very easy! Stitching up the rest of the design should be pretty straight forward I think.

Back to the birds.  

The other regulars at my Peanut Gallery include...

...my two Acorn Woodpeckers...

...though I just have recent photos of the male.

The Steller's Jays are BIG peanut fans too.

I've counted as many as 5 or 6 lined up and squawking awaiting their turn. I am going through more than 20 pounds of peanuts in a month's time!

O Is For Owl

Design - "October - Monthly Markings"

Designer -  Heart in Hand

Fabric - 30 count mystery linen of some sort

Fibers - GAST & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 11 November 2013

Completed - 12 November 2013 

I messed with the pattern a bit to make the owl's eyes and face more symmetrical than charted.  I'm pleased it all worked out as I did it by freehand. First stitching the right eye, then positioning the "O", and finally balancing the left eye.  

So Thanksgiving is Approaching

Thanksgiving is approaching.

I've long admired other's finishes of this Prairie Schooler turkey, so I thought it would be a nice seasonal stitch. 

I haven't seen my Downy Woodpecker in a while,

but the Flickers have remained active at the feeders.

The female was all about the suet as you can see by the crumbs on her beak.

With this pose I think she looks as though she has her hands wings folded behind her back.

She's a discreetly pretty bird.

And is able to fend off the jays and starlings.

You can see how much more brightly colored the male Flicker is.

Brighter orange tail feathers...

Bright red stripes on his cheeks...

He was content to eat peanuts from my smallest of feeders.

Twelve Bees and Numerous Finches

I didn't have much time to stitch on Sunday what with one thing or the other.

I did manage to kit up Cottage Garden Sampling's "June's Honeysuckle".

And hey, I stitched twelve bees too!

I don't have Cardinals to provide winter cheer, but I do have House Finches.

As is often the case it the Avian World, it's the guys who provide the color.

Some are quite pale...

While others are vibrant.

Until I looked at this photo, I'd not realized the color included the back clear to the start of the tail feathers.

The breast can be quite rosy too.

Here's a pair atop my Ali-baba fountain having a drink. 

AS you can see, he is quite a handsome fellow.  No wonder he has a date!