Waiting on Spring.

I do believe we may see more snow this April than we have had all winter long.

 But the sun was shining today making all the sun-worshipers happy.

And we may not have flowers blooming but the birds are showing up in all the colours of the rainbow.

From the teeny weeny kitchen's window in the mouse-house, I managed a photo of our cotton-tailed rabbit heading for the feeder.

Cute little guy.

It's -11C as I type this.

I noticed yesterday that my perennials are poking through the ground.

Just like Simon, they may have woke up a bit too soon.

It's a good (sunny) day to finish up tiling the bathroom floor while we wait for the temps to rise.

I have so much clean-up to do around the property and I refuse to wear a wool hat and mitts to do it.

"Come on, Spring."

hugs, Deb

Cake & sun...yes, please.

Sue used to be my walking buddy before I moved an hour away.  Now we just eat cake together. Delicious and glorious cake. lol

What a surprise to have such a delicious tea-time today.

Sue's layer cake brought back memories of my grandmother's cakes with 

home-made jam in the middle. Those were wonderful times visiting gran, sitting in her big summer kitchen, drinking tea around the old wood stove.

I can still picture her sitting in her rocker, tea cup in hand and Maggie her tabby-cat curled up on her lap.

She'd say..."Oh, she's such a nuisance"

But she loved her so.

Annie got a little treat of milk.

Sue and I have been friends for only a few years

 and yet it feels like I've known her all my life.

Oh, you'll never guess.
It's.been.snowing. :(
But this morning the sun is shining again.

Will this winter never end? Geesh....

Maybe another piece of cake will help. ;-)

It's time to fill those feeders again. And knowing I won't have snow blowing in my face while doing that makes for a good start to the day.

You can visit Sue at http://readymadecosmos.blogspot.ca/

Have a fun weekend, everyone.

hugs, Deb

Quite the bird show.

It snowed all afternoon and night and we are covered in white again. Not funny...not at all.
I don't think even Audrey was impressed.

"Simon...are you under there?"
Hope the little guy stays toasty warm.

The birds were frantic at the feeders by late afternoon.

 

There was lots of fighting over the food. 

They seemed to have their feathers in a knot.

I guess they panic thinking this weather is here to stay.

We threw lots of extra seed out the door as the feeders were emptied.

Finches, sparrows, chickadees, juncos, cardinals....they were all here and hungry.

 Oh, this is depressing but the bird show was wonderful.

If I was that ground-hog that predicted six weeks 'til Spring I'd be running for the hills.

The weatherman says it will warm up today so I'm hanging on to his every word.

hugs, Deb

More visitors at the mouse-house

David came by for a visit today.

As soon as I sat on the dead grass he dropped and rolled.

He's a pretty funny guy.

I adore him but I don't trust him around the bird feeders.

So, when I see him hanging around I come out to spend a bit of time with him. He seems to be happy with that and then he goes on his way.

I think he just forgets why he came over in the first place.

He is a fine example of the delightful & affectionate tabby cat.

                                   That's him in my header. A good shot taken last fall.

Audrey almost peed her pants when this guy showed up looking for his mate.

He tried and tried to get under or through the fence. I asked the retired-guy if he would like to go out and help him. lol "Not gonna happen", he said.  The whopper of a bird eventually gave up and came up the drive-way to join her at our side feeder. He was quite a sight to see with his size and beautiful feathers. I wish he would have dropped one for me before toddlin' off to the next house.

Looks like I have some raking to do.

hugs. Deb

Flying and hopping around the mouse-house.

It's been very cold the last few days. The wind is nasty and we are back to wearing coats again.

Thank goodness the sun is shining so we don't all fall into a deep well of depression over this un-welcomed weather.

Annie doesn't care as long as she has her sun-puddles and perfectly-timed meals. She doesn't need much to be very content with her life.

She joins me as I look at one of my favorite blogs.

Audrey, on the other hand, needs entertainment all her waking hours (which aren't much).
She loves her bird-watching, as much as any cat, but she also wants time with me whenever the need hits her. She has become quite comfortable with being carted around the mouse-house; over my shoulder or cradled like a sleeping baby. Her needs are changing as she ventures towards her fifth year with us. She even considers her grooming time to be acceptable since it means time spent with me. I'm loving this change in her.
But...she hates the camera.

                                                           Here come the birdies.

Suet is back up while we have this cold weather. You would not believe how fast the chickadees found it and gorged on it this morning. This will help them get through the cold nights ahead.

Here is our resident bunny taken through the mouse-house kitchen window.

 Let's call him Thumper. lol  I love watching him hop around and boy, can he move when he wants to.
Every night, after dark, he comes by again to snack at the feeders near the garage. I put out some apple for him/her.

That's all the goings-on with our furry & feathered friends at the mouse-house.
We've been busy with house plans. More on that later.

Stay warm.

hugs, Deb

Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin bread is a favorite treat here. I even like it for breakfast with some added fruit.

With temperatures dropping below the freezing mark at night, it was nice to see the sun fill the mouse-house early this morning. We've had so many warmer days that you forget how cold it can still be during Spring in Ontario.
Back to wearing gloves today while raking around the property and filling feeders. I mentioned before that we have many dirt piles that need leveling and I'll be so glad to get the proper weather for doing so. It's just a bit too wet right now. But, so much needs to be done outside.

Back to the pumpkin bread. Besides being a favorite treat of ours, our dog, Kane, would lay in front of the oven while it baked as he knew he would get a slice, too. He loved anything with pumpkin; especially his own muffin. I'll always enjoy this bread remembering how his eyes would light up as I prepared a muffin, with butter, just for him. Every day I think of him. I miss him so much. But in my heart, I hope that never changes.

                                                          "Not that camera...again."

                                                        Pumpkin bread
Cream 1 cup of softened butter
Add 3 eggs & 2 1/2 cups of sugar
beat well

in a separate bowl...
Combine 3 cups of flour
with 1 teaspoon of each of the following...
baking powder
baking soda
salt
cinnamon
powdered cloves

Add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg

Add dry to butter/egg mixture alternating with 2 cups of pumpkin
Mix after each addition.

Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla

This is where you can add 1 cup of raisins or nuts (pecans are wonderful)
I  prefer it plain and add pecans on top.

Pour into loaf tins or muffin tins.
This will make 3 loaves 9x5x3 lined with parchment paper or greased and floured.

Bake at 350 for one hour for loaves
or 25 minutes for muffins
I cover the loaves with pecans or
pop a pecan on top of each muffin for that added crunch.

Enjoy!
Sharing at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.ca/ Foodie Friday and Everything Else.

hugs, Deb

April brings house-hunters.

April is one of my favorite months no matter how it arrives.

With the dark sky and cool temperatures, this April 1st will not make for a memorable one but warmer weather can't be far off. It's actually not as cool today as predicted reaching +12 C by noon.

I have walked around the property looking for some new life and realize it is a bit too early for any surprises.
Some crocuses are popping through and my hens and chicks were nice to see around the pump again. There were lots of birds about, though none would let me close for a good shot.
                                                                   Junco

Chickadee

Pine Siskin (thanks Elaine at http://viennacountrycove.blogspot.ca/

also

Grackles

Starlings

Black Crows

Doves

Finch

Downy Woodpeckers

Blue-jays and so on...

Black squirrel

(born in our maple)

This one, another black & two greys still live in that tree.

Simon is already up and running amok by the time I look out the kitchen window with my first cup of coffee. He's very lively as he runs from feeder to feeder and checks out the piles of brush laying about. I guess he is a 'morning chip'. I counted four chipmunks here this morning so he's bound to find a mate. I just hope he doesn't get ambushed and lose his sweet hidey-hole that he loves.

This is Simon's friend that visits at the pump regularly.

Pretty cute, huh!

Here are our two lovely visitors this 1st day of April.

 A 'couple' of Canada Geese spent all morning checking out the property in search of a nesting spot, I presume. Now, as lovely as they are, papa goose can be a Tasmanian devil when it comes to protecting his young. The thought of having to worry about this while our construction goes on was not a happy thought. Picture the workers running for their lives when papa decides they are getting too loud and too close for his liking. Plus, I'd be worried about the chicks once they start moving around. So, I went out and walked as close as I felt comfortable and stared him down. Within minutes he let out one huge "HONK" and the pair flew off. I doubt they'll be back.
I think it's for the best.

Sharing at http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/ for Saturday's Critters
:)