Not much going on here
BUT WINTER!

Brr!
A quick peek outside in the garden....looking for joy
 I found it in the cement garden bench with the skid paws across it.
It stood in the sun casting shadows on the snowy ground.
For a brief moment I saw Stonehenge
Ha! in my yard......what fun

Now I am off to get birdseed and peanuts
and few more feeders.....seems some of them are broken on the ground
hmmm.......as are the suet feeders...usual suspects
Oh well, I must keep my Open Bar of Joy well stocked
It keeps the view from the kitchen window interesting

The hawk just flew through my yard like a laser beam
Keep going, buddy

I think I might start a countdown....to spring....
I already have new garden magazines next to cup of a tea
waiting for me
....I read them slowly
peruse the pages of pictures...like they were secret messages
waiting for me to decode
and I will...come spring

starlings

 starlings

clowns of the garden

they arrive with their buddies

 push their way to the front of the line

Even Happy Jack gets out of the way

they can devour food like no others

It is cold outside today and more snow fell overnight

The starlings found the suet block that the squirrels had knock down yesterday

and more starlings showed up because of it

They look so unkempt..their feather sticking out all over

The rest of my bird wards saw that if they didn't get in there

...the food would be gone...quickly

so when I peeked out from the kitchen door

I saw a congregation just outside

and in the trees above

The one good thing about starlings is that they startle easily

and this is one way the rest of them get to rush in and grab a seed or two

Yesterday, I saw a squirrel aggressively chasing and pursuing

mourning doves in the horsechesnut tree

chasing them away from the seed on the ground

Really, what piggies...they get most of it anyway

Boo was having a good time watching them too

slamming into the door if they got to close

Why there were times I thought he was going to faint if he held his breath any longer

We have to take the days as they come

...yesterday, cold and sunny

...today,cold,snowy and dreary

But I  look for the joy

for it is there always

...and today, I found it in the antics of the starlings,

..the lowly, despised, non-native birds of the garden

My Open Bar of Joy

is open to all

They afterall, bring much of my joy

and if we only let stay what belonged

...I'd have to find a new home



meeting called to order

Ah...my Ladies Aid Society
They swirled around the mugo
hunting and pecking like chickens
I love seeing these birds in my garden
sometimes though I don't see them until I flush them out
getting too near to them as I weed

It is a cold day...a bit of sun and blue sky today
The birds are very active this morning,
must be those strawberry hulls I put on the feeder
or that slice of whole wheat bread that I broke into pieces
by the garden path

Oh the garden path....how I miss summer with all her blooms and foliage
Even driving through the country to Galena, the fields so dull
the landscape of bare branched trees uneventful
Except..I did see a Bald eagle about two weekends ago
in  bare branches near the Kishwaukee river

...but back to my itty bit of earth.....
   it sleeping until it is time to push up through the earth
stretch out those stems...reach for the sun
as I do today
I hope I bloom today

The snow is almost gone
only the refection of branches
is left on a wet deck 

...like secret garden writing

Carl Cardinal......I love Mrs. West Wind's children's books...love to name my wards

well, he sat in the tree until I threw out some seeds

....I was too busy inside making soup... to go outside and fill the feeders

ah,then Tilly Cardinal showed up in the next tree

So far this year they have been daily visitors

I hope they nest again in my garden...joy

I have been keeping a bird journal again this year

Junco

Downy woodpecker

Goldfinch

red finch

sparrow

chickadee

dove

nuthatch

and

HAWK!

Cooper...but who cares ;)

grackle

starling

and

one seagull

wrought iron tulips

Up early this morning

The garden called to me to come out,

be with it.

I grabbed my camera,boots, and opened the door.

The sun was just rising in the east

a pretty sky of blue and pink...golden rays of

light casting over trees and buildings,

so pretty.

The snow crunched under my feet as I walked around the garden.

Doesn't look like much this time of year...not

the Janis Joplin wildness that it will become by July

yes, Jennifer, I have that wildness in me

I'm a wench...a bawdy lover of the garden

in its wildest behavior

I seek to tame little....just a bit of order

This morning the little tulip wrought iron fencing

stopped me to ponder upon it

My son-in-law went to a lot of trouble rescuing this bit of
Chicago Lutheran history for me
....I was supposed to get the entire fence..but a thief

beat him to it.....but I am happy ...so content to have this bit of

of Trinity Swedish Lutheran Church, that is no more.

The convergence of these thoughts makes me a bit sad

for my son-in-law is going through so much right now

and being a human and a grandma....I ask ..why Lord?

But this fence of tulips humbles me

Tulips in the dead of winter...joy

and my son -in-law gave this to me

Thank you garden for calling me out

to see this...feel this

accept this

Look, there is my buddy the squirrel

who I saw a few days ago doing the wild thing in my Horsechesnut tree

when it was 50 degrees out
..we must operate on hope,faith and love.
how else does the garden grow?

the quiet beauty of the aftermath of a snowy day
blue skies above
the flittering about of birds
the footprints revealing
someone was there before you looked out
trying to survive another day
as are you
and you cast out some seeds
do what you can
for survival

We finally got snow...real snow...heavy,wet snow
My garden wards need me
I need them
Little squirrel
your playfulness looking for something in the deep snow
made me quiet inside
for a moment
thank you

the corner of my lips moved to an almost smile as I saw the little squirrel
outside my door this morning munching away on my gifts of seeds and peanuts
unaware of the giving
and I aware of the reason they come
a reminder of ordinary joy

...and it is a fact
that the garden can comfort in different ways
reflect on the outside how you feel on the inside
lost abandoned frightened alone
an ill wind blowing your parts around
it is good that the garden can speak
the unspeakable
why it would be a sin for flowers to bloom now

This morning I peeked through the shutter and saw the female cardinal
munching on sunflower seeds
How there were any left after yesterday's theft by the rascal squirrel
I'll never know
I guess he must be up the tree with a huge belly ache...not..little fur piggies they are
All I did was to put the bag down for a minute to pick up some garbage
that had blown around the yard...and whammo..off he ran with the bag of seed
This happened to me once before...only it was a paper bag of tulip bulbs!
They were the color of a candy lipstick I used to treasure as a child
a pretty pink stick wrapped in gold foil......ah, I thought...lipstick candy growing in my garden
ha!....off ran the thief with my tulip bulbs...and there wasn't thing I could do about it
except learn...never leave any munchies within sight of a squirrel
Well, I'm glad there were a few seeds left for the cardinal
It was  morning joy to see her.
I'm off to get my haircut today...I am weeks overdue for a cut
oh , I am a sight
I only hope Tom doesn't give me a cut like hers

This is what happens to a squirrel who runs off with the seed bag...
the whole bag!
care to throw a rotten tomato?
tomorrow... ankle bracelet

zinnias
I will have to plant more of them this year,
such butterfly magnets.
Usually I think of this when it is about late July and too late,
...when I see them at public garden displays,
or worse, my neighbor's yard.
Planning...it takes planning
and speaking of this, I have spent a few hours scouring my garden books
yes, garden books in January
I have been searching for some ideas on how to change my garden
I am taking down the deck...don't know why I even put it up-
it separates you from the garden...be done,be gone.

However..I paused.....my animal guide,the old fox,is under there
it's his burial ground....I know because I looked and saw all of his bones
lying in perfect form....like he just laid down and died there..which is what he did.
What do I do about that?
plan around it? Will the landscapers think I'm loco for sure,
after all I am the one who calls them to trim, then stops them when I spot nests in the honeysuckle-
they nod...but I know they think I'm loco.
What will they think when they start to take down the deck and find these bones?
Oh my ...what if they find Handsome's bones or the tortoise shell of my missing turtle?
Oh my...I better do some more thinking and reading.
I wonder if there is a book on this?

Ah, (I say that a lot, don't I?)

ah, a glorious January morning

sunny, blue sky,brisk air

air..so wonderful to walk in

refreshing..what else can I say?

You who live with warmth all the time

you don't know what you are missing

The garden was welcoming this morning,

the ground stiff from freeze as I walked along its path,

a slight crunch under my feet as I stepped on the stiff blades of summer's grass

now asleep

Sleep on

The birds were eager, perching on nearby branches

begging as a high art form
joy....I hear the blue jay, and the chickadees
and just beyond the yard,the goldfinches.
As I filled the feeders and scattered seed on the ground for the mourning doves
I happened upon a rabbit hunched behind the trellis,
he stayed as still as guilt,
not even his nose moving.
How happy I was to see him...he has been absent lately
 from my cast of characters that make my garden home.....
But the wards gathered here this morning on this beautiful January morning
to announce...it's here
winter.....feed us
and keep the water bowl full
Sadly...there will no stray kitty for me to take care of this year

RIP

my beloved Handsome

oh how my heart aches and breaks to see you again

Such a joy to spot an unknown nest in bare branches of trees in wintertime

and the cheerful chickadee dee dee of this wonderful

bird as it darts among the branches of the alder tree

and bunny hiding  :)

and before I go inside to get to work

I stop to notice the morning sun

gliding across the Terra cotta pot

joy

a flash of red in my peripheral vision

Squirrel doing his sun salutation

I stepped inside filled with January morning joy

and the wench is happy

A dusting of snow this morning, and of course the beggars showed up
so I tossed out a handful of seeds-too lazy to put on my coat and fill the feeders.
Yes, lazy...winter does that to me...too often
I heard the weather report...it is going to be in the teens by evening...with bitter winds
and by Friday it may be 50.....what is happening ?
I have this sense of delayed misery....I was agonizing over the inevitable bleakness of winter
as I was standing in the glory of red and yellow leaves...and I have been waiting for it to happen
The garden hasn't really gone to sleep..why there are plants that are still green
and I even scoured the yard for a flower...so ceratin I would find one hiding just under
a cover of green leaves!
Come, oh winter, come
I have prepared my heart for you
Do not make me wait any longer
for I will be vanquished with longing
for your treasures.....that I know you will bring
warm cozy house
good simmering soups
the joy of indoor flowers on my violets and oxalis
come winter come
slay me with your romantic blizzards
your tingling breath in my nostrils as I clear away the path of white
come winter come
I have made way for your return
so come winter come

I like lichen, moss,green stuff on trees.
If I squint a bit I can use my child's eyes and see
as if I were looking out of a helicopter ..looking down seeing the rainforest
yes I could....now if a native steps out and waves...I'm in trouble
But bless the child that still sees and still takes a breath of joy
of secret discovery all her own

oooo! look at the pattern of ice in the garden dish
have you ever wondered ...why such details?
in everything?

humbling, it is

40, and still growing strong

Would you believe that this plant is over 40 years old?
My husband bought it for me in our first year of marriage
when we lived in a tiny furnished apartment....ah those were the good old days
We had a tiny little room in the back...that was always bathed in sunlight
and I loved plants...so quickly it became our plant room....oh the luxury of youth
I recall with sweetness the sweet potato that I stuck into a vase of water....and it grew all around the room
our Landlady was amazed......she couldn't grow or cook a thing
Me...green thumb in my DNA
I lugged those plants around to 5 houses throughout the years
and this is the only one left.....I had a mother in law tongue that I finished off two years ago....leaving her outside too long....oh woe
But, this asparagus fern is well and growing.....my daughters fight over who will get it
Hey, where do you think I'm going?
Once while visiting my son in Laguna Beach, California....I saw that they grew there abundantly
...in his neighborhood...thorns and all.....lovely seeing them growing that way
I often feel sad for plants imprisoned in pots....oh, I know I am a bit of a ditz this way
and cut flowers bother me too...once wrote a whole essay about that
anyway......I love this fern.....this lifelong companion..this reminder of the man who gave it to me
and the 41 years...today...that we enjoy

The garden waits,
as do I, for winter to move in.
We have been teased by warmer than usual weather
and only a brushing of snow,once
and not on Christmas
I left my tray of goodies out on Christmas Eve for my wards
nuts,fat,greens,bread cubes,seeds,berries
my annual Christmas offering to them
In the morning everything was gone
last night I looked out to see a possum sniffing around the dry grasses
I have not forgiven him for killing my squirrel
But I don't know why it happened...maybe my squirrel was sick or injured
and he just happened upon him..sniffing around one night
It is a good thing to let it go...to be part of the garden
and let it go..let it be...let it happen
hard as this is for me to do..I, who want to control my environment sometimes
to become one with the garden...even now... as we wait for winter
some green still showing

dead vines on brick wall
shadows look like skeletons
winter soltice day

It is a dreary day today, gray skies, annoying drizzle
little bird or squirrel activity
and while walking along the muddy garden path
I realized it has really arrived
the time of no color
Humans ,I think,
aren't meant to go through this deprivation
it must have something to do with that darn angel
sent to guard the way in
For surely, this is punishment

Sometimes the garden seems like an assemblage
...a bit of this and that
layered upon layer
until you stand back and say
Oh my!...
even in the last days of autumn

 I went inside

and had fun with the sun

outside

All I could think of this morning
was the line from the movie,Oliver...."More please"
Like hungry orphans my resident wards
showed up early, sitting up and begging on the deck
not 9 of them(thinking of you Witch)...only 3 this time
I threw out a few peanuts and some low carb bread
they scampered quickly to grab what they could and headed to the safety of the branch
As you can see we had a dusting of snow
....a reminder that it begins:
winter

 

It's like seeing in black in white

...going into the garden

a bit of wheat color here

a shade or two of muted green

dried crumbles of leaves fading fast their autumn colors

Even the sky is white/gray

and the rain only sets the mood

like a cemetary

full of stories

unspoken

I counted nine squirrels just a few feet from my deck

Must be the pumpkins

Now I ask you...is it fair for my squirrel wards

to pass the word?

I don't think so....

It reminded me of the time we had 4 cats

It wasn't bad until we saw them all lined up at the food bowls

yikes...that's a lot of kitty kat

As is 9 squirrels

but gee they are so cute

and my hubby is still in the hospital

what he doesn't see won't hurt him

.....and I won't tell him that I found the birdfeeder heater

either..

well..........the little guys have to drink

after all that pumpkin

cheer and joy

I have needed these little breaks......these walks in the garden

I need to look for joy....

Today it is chilly and the skies are a white gray

not my favorite kind of sky....I could use a heartache blue sky

but I am not the stage manager...so gray sky it is

the ground is wet and in some places muddy...with little footprints

from the grand kids a day or so ago when one of them tripped and knock a tooth loose

....an unexpected trip to the dentist followed

But this morning it is just me

I communed with the garden...quietly praying as I took each step

The garden...the ordinary garden...the ordinary

how I wish every day could be ordinary

But the garden reminds me that even in the depths and ending of autumn

heading into winter...there is life

a sudden discovery of a bloom...surrounded with dried up leaves

leaves...leaves that have released and accepted their fate

returning to the earth to become part of her

The squirrels ...6 of them!...are scurrying about

leaping and jumping.....they always bring a smile to my face

 They have found the pumpkins I put out a day ago

Maybe next spring I will have big yellow blossoms

springing up in secret places....maybe I'll have a pumpkin or two

oh joy...unexpected joy and anticipation

yes, I needed this walk

this ordeinary stroll through barreness

that wasn't really barren at all

but filled with joy

We had our first snowflakes this morning
hardly noticeable
I put the pumpkins out for the squirrels
The ground is wet from yesterday's rain
It rained most of the day
while I stayed inside putting up the tree
I put a log in the fireplace, put on Christmas Carols
lit candles,baked cookies
But my eyes were always looking outward
through the glass...to the remaining leaves of Autumn
then to the one remaining flower huddling close to the brick wall
The garden is leaving..going underground
dropping its garments....what remains is exposure
enabling me to see the bones of the plants and trees
their structure
Soon it will look like a barren land
not a garden space of joy
But the wards will still come to cheer me each day
and some days I will suffer watching them suffer
bitter cold winds and deep snow
But I must remind myself that winter's blue skies are the best
and seeing my breath on such a day is a thrill
and some days it even feels warm
and winter beauty is a different kind of beauty
it is footprints in the snow...birds at feeders, squirrels with snow covered faces
and of course the stray or two who alway manage to find my door
where they are welcome
On Christmas Eve I put out a special tray for my wards filled with goodies for all
left over bits of nuts and fruit and bread,bits of ham and turkey
to thank them
 for all the joy they bring me
So today I will finish all the house decorating
then I'll take a walk,check out what berries still remain on the bushes