In which I sit and stare at the computer screen, stuffed full of coconut cream pie (me, not the screen) and try to force my brain to think of something meaningful to say. Obama won in the US; for this I am grateful, because that country influences my own to a degree much greater than I would like. But I don't want to talk about that: I am election'ed out, and there are plenty wiser people out there who are more worth listening to than I. There's wet snow/hail/sleet ticking against the window, but I don't want to talk about that either: there willl be plenty of time to moan about the weather in the next 6 months.
Want to look at some pretty pictures with me? Sure you do:
These are some of the birds (and rodents) our backyard is host to in the winter:
Raucous blue jays
Very blurry shot of a rare-ish visitor, a red-bellied woodpecker
downy woodpecker:
and pesky red squirrels:
Putting peanuts on the deck is instant cat TV!
We have discovered that if you want lots of birds to visit, put out peanuts. Peanuts will attract most anyone and it's especially fun to see a jay try to fit 2 or even 3 at once in its beak.
My not-so-profound thought for today: feed the birds; it makes them happy, and then you are happy too.
Coincidentally, I did a post about feeding the birds and the squirrels too. I love feeding the critters. It helps one's calm to have nature in your backyard, I think.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am banned from putting out peanuts in the shell anymore, because it's left to my husband to clean up all the shells after the jays and squirrels eat the peanuts and leave the shells everywhere. So now it's only shelled peanuts, which is more expensive and not as much fun, but oh well. They still come and eat, and that's the main thing.
I agree - I think there's even research out there that shows our brains need to see the patterns of nature to be truly healthy. Wish I had a reference handy - heard it on CBC radio a while ago.
DeleteFunny about the peanut shells, our critters seem to carry them farther away; at least, I don't notice them littering the yard. That's Nova Scotia for you - even the wildlife is polite!