We live in a rural area with a large field behind us and wooded swaths about half a mile north and we get a lot of birds. All winter we have cardinals, sparrows, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, gold finches, juncos, mourning doves, purple finches plus the odd blackbird, blue jay and robin and lots … [Read more...]
This Year’s Haul: Windblown Garbage in the Trees
We are on a ridge and it gets pretty windy here. The wind swoops up garbage and debris from cross street just south of us and deposits it in the trees and along the fence. In spring 2016 I found someone's cashier check for rent, paper bags, drink cups and lots of other mail. This year the most … [Read more...]
It’s Been An Interesting Week
It's been an interesting week. Last Tuesday and Wednesday we had a fierce windstorm with winds more than 60 miles per hour. For the first time ever since we moved here 5 years ago we lost power for more than a few hours. In fact we were out from early afternoon on the 8th until evening on the … [Read more...]
Exploring for Mushrooms in Our Winter Lawn
Right now the snow is mostly gone, leaving grass and leaves and interesting mushrooms out for us to see. We had unusual mushrooms in our front yard this fall that I've not seen before. These oval ones all growing in a group remind me of mini loaves of bread. Each one has a crack in its … [Read more...]
Enjoying the Path – Kleinstuck Preserve in Kalamazoo, Michigan
My dentist's office sits on a ridge above a deep wooded ravine. There is a trail at road end just before we park that I've wanted to walk but somehow something always got in the way - work, snow, rain, obligations - until today. The path leads to the Kleinstuck Preserve, a 50 acre woods with … [Read more...]
Watch Out! Little Green Frog in My Pool
A little green frog likes to sit on the top of our pool liner, right below the overhang. He's hard to see unless you are swimming. I notice him even without my glasses on because he is vivid green against the dark blue liner. He's tiny, about 2 inches long. The swimming pool is not a good … [Read more...]
Critter Wars 2016! Here We Go Again
It's been a while since I posted about our ongoing battles with rabbits, moles, deer, chipmunks and squirrels. We maintained a truce the last few years: We won't trap or poison and they can do what they want. Some truce! Now the stakes are higher with this big hole right in the middle of my … [Read more...]
Marked for Death: Pokeweed! Kill This Invasive Weed
Last summer I noticed a new, big weedy plant in sunny spots alongside the road we live on, pokeweed. When pokeweed has only a few leaves it looks like a 4 o'clock plant but it's obviously different once it grows a bit. Later flowers develop. They are white in pointed clusters, rather … [Read more...]
How We Saved $2000 and Kept a Grill – Refurbishing Our Gas Cooktop
We had a pleasant surprise when we moved here. Our gas cook top is a Jenn-Air with modular burners that switch out to a grill, wonderful for grilling hamburgers or steak during our cold Michigan winters. We loved the grill! We weren't too thrilled with the cooktop's regular burners. We have … [Read more...]
Tardy Hummingbirds Are Back! Orioles Came First This Year
We saw our first ruby-throated hummingbird today flitting from feeder to feeder. They are tardy! Most years they show up around my Mom's birthday, April 23. We put our feeders out on the 19th and waited. The hummingbird migration map, which you can see here, showed the early birds arriving … [Read more...]