Getting Outside

Being outside in the fresh air and natural light is important to me, so I was happy for a dry day. I spent about an hour raking leaves back into the beds and cleaning up edges. The ground birds and squirrels like to dig and scratch for goodies and scatter the leaves. These Juncos seemed to like it that I stirred things up a bit and were right there to hunt and peck. I took time out to rest on this bench and listen to the birds sing. They were flitting everywhere, also enjoying a dry day.

Then I took my snippers and basket and strolled through the yard, looking for material to make a winter bouquet.

At the same time, Tom was working on the roof and in the front of the house, finally getting the Christmas lights down.

The bush tits and chickadees were busy at the bird feeders. The chickadees scolded when Tom got too near, but the fearless bush tits were diving all around him, especially as he worked on the tree where they sit and wait their turn at the feeders.

We have both black capped and chestnut backed chickadees, but they are hard to capture in pics because they do not sit at the feeders. Instead they land, snatch, and instantly fly off to eat.

Serger update: I just watched the instruction DVD that came with my machine, and I suddenly feel much more confident. It also gave my back a chance to have some "recliner therapy" after the morning's work. I think I'll go play around with it and see what I can do.