Hoarfrost

Because the air temperature has been well below freezing, it was a delight to see the hoarfrost crysrals on the trees and cacti in my front and back gardens.

Hoarfrost (which I've never seen before) is formed, I read,  'by direct condensation of water vapour to ice at temperatures below freezing , and occurs when air is brought to its frost point by cooling.'

BEAUTIFUL!!

Fifi and Bertie

Bertie and Fifi are now fully fledged house cars, enjoying their new lives sitting in the sun watching the birds..............

   

Pandora

After a really snowy and windy night, I lit the fire early on this morning, fed the birds, and sat on the sofa............I read the NYT, made some journals/notebooks from food boxes for my next science class, watched the boring news about the government shutdown, and listened to Pandora on the TV, especially the Simon and Garfunkle collection.

Each song was accompanied by photos of the singers when they were in their physical prime (many of them are around my age, mid 70s.)

I was so struck by their youthfulness.............their innocence...........the energy in their eyes..............and the touching, poetic words to their songs.........................hey, hey, aging AIN'T for sissies..............neither is touching music........................

Johnny Paull's Bird Restaurant

JOHNNY PAULL’S BIRD RESTAURANT

I’ve just returned from the local food shop with three big bags of bird food.
I’m stocking up Johnny Paull’s Bird Restaurant as I’m expecting more
and more visitors as the weather gets colder.

The bird bath has just been cleaned and refilled, so I’m now sitting
and watching the birds (at least 13 different species) eating and drinking
their mid-morning brunch. Bertie and Fifi are watching, too!!

Mourning doves, collared doves, goldfinches, grackles, juncos, tree creepers,
sparrows, grosbeaks,  blue jays, woodpeckers, yellow bellied sapsucker,
chickadees, and the occasional very large crow

( I think I got them all!  Wish I could photograph them………..if I venture
outside, though, every dicky birds pushes off!).

Jeannine made some Pine Cone delights. She smothered the pine cones
in peanut butter and then rolled them in a variety of bird seed.
A minute or two past after she hung them on a tree the birds discovered them
- and loved them.

As per forecast, it snowed very heavily through last night, covering
everything with about 4” of very white fluffy snowflakes…..and that
pleased me as my trees and other plants so need a big, drink!

My bird restaurant clients were not too happy, though,  as they had to dig
for the food I put out last night. And, again, the Pine Cones were a favorite
and easier to feed from as they hang from the tree branches.