Along with very cold temperatures....

a few inches of snow came to our area this past weekend.

The birds always cluster around the back porch when it snows....

expecting seed to be placed there as well....as at the feeders!

The deer came to the bird feeders as soon as it started to snow...

to just eat the fallen seeds on the ground or stretch for even more.

They come often and stare at me as I take photos from the window....

....snow or no snow!

This was our first real snowfall of the winter....woke the next day to two inches or so and a heart shape on the patio!

So I took my first 'snow covered field walk' of the winter.

Weather changes the scene....this was the view two weeks ago.

The snow presented a few special images on these two stumps....

A small heart was on top of the tallest and a little pig on the smallest!

An old camper top in the field had it's windows dressed in crystals!

The first shows a reflection of one window in the other....

and what looks like a pale moon in the sky.

But that pale moon was actually the sun....paled by very thick clouds.

By the time I returned home....the sun grew brighter!

The birds were waiting for their seeds, suet, peanuts, and dried mealworms.

They feasted.... 

....while I went inside to make biscuits!

....I made some crisp & thin and others crisp but big! We like them both ways.

Also made scalloped potatoes with spinach, gr. onions and celery. 

German Chocolate Cake was on the menu too!

Last week I baked whole wheat bread using molasses which turned out good. A delicious broccoli cheese bread recipe I got from Lois @ From Lois' Hands makes wonderful sandwiches...plain and grilled.

Here's some other meals eaten during these last days of winter!

~
Today is Valentine's Day...I will be eating chocolate of some kind....

...and thinking of Spring!

 

 

~ ♥ Wanda ♥ ~

It Is Winter....

....and the male Cardinal often perches in this pine tree by the back porch.

This female Cardinal successfully regrouped from a dazed condition... 

brought on by a 'loud' collision with one of my computer room windows.

 

 It's only in the winter that the deer lunch on my Yucca plants. This is one of the  twin fawns nibbling a bit, before turning to join the other....they always look back while walking away.

The two of them pass through the back yard often....

...sometimes joining up with their mother in the field.

 

I usually feed the birds on the back porch only during times of heavy snow...

  you can see our snow has been light....but have been feeding them there anyway...along with 4 other feeders in the yard.

The Carolina Wrens usually prefer to dine away from the crowd...

always on the move and chirping!

 

The Red-bellied Woodpeckers could care less...

they always make a dramatic swoop in to get their fair share.  

Others that feed are...

 chickadees, titmice, mourning doves, juncos, sparrows and downy woodpeckers.

 

It has snowed a couple of times...

 

....but disappears quickly with our unusually mild winter. 

 

It is winter though and we do have a winter look most of the time...

...on one of our milder days with sunshine I took a short walk in the woods....

went down to the creek, saw a long draped grapevine on the way, passed my son's deck on the hillside, made a shadow wave and found a heart-shaped rock. 

 

Not much in the woods this winter to take photos of...

just patterns on decaying logs, dried deflated mushrooms, bright green moss,

spooky faces in ice crystals, maybe a heart shape in the making...

and up by the house....daffodils peaking through the snow!

 

The 'blonde' squirrel made another appearance in the side yard...

he has never been to the feeders...like the gray squirrel and chipmunk! 

Photos of a few meals cooked these past 2 weeks were taken....

 

...a collage photo of recent mail art I've made...

 

...and photos of Alivia and her friend Sierra on a mild sunny day...

 coming to take orders for Girl Scout Cookies!

...so until the Girl Sout Cookies arrive...

I'll enjoy homemade ones...

 

...and hope for more wonderful sunrises like these to start my day...

 Today it's raining and 53F... Is it winter?

~ Enjoy The Little Things ~

Enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family.

Similar meals and desserts were had both days...

although some dishes were presented in different ways.

Most days haven't felt like winter in December...

if not for the cold mornings....it could be the fall of the year.

No snow...just sightings of green moss, little brown mushrooms and a very light cream colored squirrel.

The deer family remain safe and pass through often.

Here's one member being groomed by mom!

Sometimes...it's just the two youngest out on their own.

Three days after Christmas the field glowed in it's warm straw colors...

and the Elm trees in the woods still held their amber leaves.

Yesterday ....heavy rain and then very bright sunshine

produced a huge rainbow over the field! Quite a view!

Colorful rainbows...instead of winter snow...is fine with me!

Family will be here for New Year's Eve!

Hope everyone has a Wonderful 2012!

~ ♥ Wanda ♥ ~

Can't Help But Wish

It's still deer hunting season so it's been wood puzzle solving

instead of walking in the woods for me.

Can't help but wish it weren't such a long season.

At the beginning of the season last year.... 

a distant shadow in a tree looked like a plastic bag....

zooming in with my camera...I was startled to see

a bow-hunter sitting high up in the tree.

I prefer to see my shadow only when walking this time of year.

(enlarge to see him and my shadow)

So...just in my yard I roam...I do look over the hillside to see

if the hollow treasure tree is still standing and across the ravine

for a better view of that newly fallen Beech tree.

At sunrise a long jet trail glowed like a pink ribbon in the sky

and a photo of a visiting male deer as he was leaping

made him appear cute and tiny in size.



(enlarge to see deer)

Granddaughter Alivia enjoys watching the other visitors...

the chipmunks and squirrels who eat the fallen birdseed and

it's nice to see that this year's fawns are still safe.  

I've spotted a few hearts in the lichen and clouds.

I noticed the top of the trees even have a similar shape.

To keep our shapes in control...desserts

have been lightly sweetened and made with whole grains.

Apple crisp and apple cake...both stuffed with apples!



Whole grain couscous, quinoa, brown rice, pastas, veg. chili,

baked potato, fish, chicken breasts, salads, soup...and

 Thanksgiving leftovers made up some of our meals.

The making of mail art for friends and family

is an enjoyable pastime....below are 4 I recently made.

Two more blogging friends just joined our group also.

A few Christmas cards have started coming in....

That's what I will be doing tomorrow...addressing some to go out!

I try to have them mailed by the 10th...wish me luck.

Most of the snowmen have come out of storage...

and found their places around the house.

The three little angels once belonged to my mother-in-law.

The angels with instruments and the three bears

were gifts from my daughter Annette.

The red boxes are used to store decorations for the tree.

They are still in there!

The tree is up...but only with lights at the moment...

eventually it will look like last year's tree below....with

little Santas that say "Pinch my cheeks and I'll give you a kiss!"

I've been putting it off and waiting...I believe...

...because most days here have looked something like this...

not like last December at all...I can't help but wish...  

.... for a Christmas-Look-To-It Snowfall! 

Actually...I'm waiting for Granddaughter Alivia's help!

~ ♥ ~