Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!
We had a wonderful visit with my family last week. We had some interesting travel issues yesterday, and are finally back at home.
My parent's house is such a great place to see a variety of birds. We even saw a bald eagle!

A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

We went up to St. Paul this weekend for the 12/18 Prairie Home Companion. This was the first time I'd gone. It was a lot of fun. We went out for Japanese afterwards, then on to Brit's on Nicolette Mall. Earlier in the day, we'd slept in, had breakfast with Santa (including a kid sized buffet!), and shopped along Nicolette.

The only down side about the whole weekend was the cold I came down with late Saturday. It just wiped me out! I hope I get it under control enough, I'd hate for my pile of tissues to be bigger than the pile of the family's wrapping paper!

Alas, I just want to get through my air travel tomorrow with little sinus discomfort and I'll consider that a grand success.

Merry Christmas!

Holidazzle Parade

We'll be going up to Minneapolis this weekend. I don't know if we'll be able to make the Holidazzle parade. It starts too early for us to make it on Friday, and we've got other plans for Saturday.... We'll just have to wait and see how things work out.

Marybeth's Homepage

Greetings visitor! Today is a quiet Saturday. I've done some long planned updates to my web page. The backyard page has been split into two pages: birds and garden. There really isn't any new content out there right now, just organizational changes. I hope to add some of the bird pictures I've posted to this BLOG to the bird page. The garden page will be active again in the spring.

If I get time today between catching up on work, Christmas shopping, Christmas cards and stitching I will update the stitching pages. I've been working on a lot of cards and started a new hardanger piece, in addition to some Christmas gifts.

Toodle-loo!

Monday, Monday

Well, it's another grey and snowy Monday here. Back to work after what seemed like forever. All the traveling of the last few weeks has tired me out. I am looking forward to these next few quiet weeks. Since we decided to not decorate much for Christmas, there are a few hundred less things to do. I did hang a wreath on the door, and found a snowman decoration. The goose has her Santa outfit on.

My husband is famous:
Errata for The C++ Programming Language (3rd Edition)
(see the 8th paragraph)
Isn't that cool?

Male Hairy Woodpecker, yesterday morning 

Winter Sunrise
Rochester, MN
Dec 3, 2004

Here's my backyard squirrel munching on the seed log I bought because I didn't have a squirrel problem. I guess I need some squirrel proofing in my yard now. 

Sunshine

What a wonderful thing it is to see the sun. After what seemed like eons of cloudy, rainy days, the sun is shining down upon us. Hoorah!

It's 76 outside. Quite unusual for the end of October. I do have halloween candy ready to hand out for trick-or-treaters on Sunday. As long as I can keep my paws out of it, I'll be fine. There will be some left, one of the bags has some peanut butter cups in it, and I don't care for those.

I saw a Junco outside earlier this week. It must mean that winter is near. That's hard to come to grips with since it's 76 and sunny now. Mother Nature does have her ways.....

Clean bird feeders

Yesterday I cleaned all the bird feeders. They really needed it. Just a few minutes after I had hung them back outside I had lots of birds. This morning has been a flurry of activity. The cruddy old feeders must have been deterring the little birds. Today I've seen more birds than I've seen over the last few weeks combined!

Common Redpoll

Ahhh, with fall colors come the migrating birds. So, I got to see a new one at my feeder this morning. I'm pretty sure it's a Common Redpoll, based on it's pinkish-red breast. I now have the bird books at the ready, so the next glimpse should get positive confirmation.

I'm back

Ok. I haven't posted since before I went to Holland to see my sister. I had a great time! Pictures will be available shortly (this morning) from my web page.

Just saw a female downey woodpecker at the suet. I've planted lots of tulips this year (brought back from Holland, of course), and lots of iris from my sister in law.

Next big task is to dig up my flower bed and replant all the bulbs. The flowers haven't been doing well this year, (or last year for that matter), and probably need to be cleaned out from extra bulbs.

Happy Saturday everyone.

Not much new to report

Just a quick note here. Fall seems to be coming early. Some of the trees have started to turn colors, and drop their leaves.

It seems that some of our Goldfinches have fledged. I saw a male (the dad) and 4 or 5 little goldfinches who didn't seem to quite have the knack of the feeder. The little ones didn't seem to fly away when I went to the deck. This made "dad" very agitated. He wanted to leave, but wasn't going to leave the little ones.

You aren't a finch!

A downy woodpecker came to the finch feeder this morning 

New Bird Feeder

Bought a new bird feeder. This one has the spring action perch, so big birds can't get to it. 

Pretty Flowers

Pretty snap dragons that just came up. Must have been seeds from last year. 

Diana Krall

DianaKrall.com - The Official web site of Diana Krall

We went to see Diana Krall last night. This has been a "jazz" summer. She was really good, and talked a lot about herself and her music. The late night was worth it, although ask me again after lunch when the lack of sleep hits me.....

Updates to stitching page

I updated and cleaned up my stitching page this morning. With a cold, that's about all the exertion I can handle. *achoo*

Good morning

It is a cool and grey day here. The good news is that we've been able to have the AC off for several days! (the fact that it's cool and grey and we won't be able to paint, and that I have a head cold are the implied bad news) I've managed to finish up a few miniature cross-stitch projects in the last week or so. Hooray!

The other night we were watching birds, and we saw a scraggly looking cardinal. We took a guess that his appearance was due to the fact that he's getting his first set of red feathers in.

We also saw one of the mysteries of nature - right in our back yard. One of our chipping sparrows was feeding a very noisy cowbird. It is rather funny to see such a little bird feeding such a big (relatively) youngster.

And today.... We I identified (hopefully correctly) a juvenile, male, Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He was pretty feisty - guarding his space on the feeder from the other birds.

Wisconsin Wren

While visiting my aunt this weekend, I snaped a picture of a wren feeding her babies! 

Rainbow 

Rainbow

Had a nice rain tonight. Then the sun came out, and we had a fabulous rainbow. I took the time to take a few pictures, and got a good one of the rainbow reflected in the window. Cool, eh? Time to get back to the chores.

It has been a while....

Some new stuff here:

Candytuft is blooming.



Sunflowers are blooming



I finished my colonial sampler, and turned it into a pillow



I have been stitching baby cards.

Oscar Peterson

Went to see Oscar Peterson in concert last night. Had a good time.
The concert started late because Mr. Peterson's flight was delayed.
Didn't get home until after midnight. *yawn*

Empty Nest

Yesterday, my husband was out mowing the lawn by the robin's nest. One of the parents was frustrated with him, and "paced" nearby with a worm in its beak. The babies were hungry and fussing. Today I went out, and the nest was empty. Sometime in the last 24 hours our nestlings became fledglings.

On a stitching note.... I finished up a sampler I had bought last year at Minute Man National Park. Ok, it was a child's sampler, so it wasn't that hard, but it was cute, that's why I bought it. I also took my practice filet lace and made it into an ornament this afternoon. Pictures soon of the stitching.

Here's a short update. I saw the Rose-breasted Grosbeak stop by tonight. The feeders were empty, so he didn't stay long. I will have to refill the feeders tomorrow.
We have what appear to be two strong baby robins in the nest at our house.

I finished a hardanger stitching piece.
If the weather is too icky to work outside, I might update some web pages this weekend.

Four Nestlings

All About Birds
I checked on my Robins this morning. The four nestlings were sleeping and weren't
roused by my mirror on a stick. We tried to catch them sticking their heads up
for food with the camera last night, but the nest is too high.

Robin's Nest

I was out weeding yesterday, and over on one side of the house, I kept scaring a robin. I didn't think too much of it, until later when I went to show something to my husband over on that side of the house, and what did we see but a nest up against the downspout. I went to get the camera and waited for the momma robin to come back, and she even went to her nest while I was standing there with the camera

Birds!

More birds! I saw the rose-breasted grosbeak again tonight. I got a picture too! It's not the greatest, but it will have to do for now. Also got a picture of a goldfinch!

Song Sparrows and Stitching

Did I see a song sparrow this morning? I think so, but time (and the binoculars) will tell.

Stitched this weekend. Went to Fargo, and didn't go to Nordic Needle. What a break for my wallet. Anyway.... Made good progress on a hardanger thing I bought at NN last time I was there. I finished the blasted blanket stitching around the outside. I just don't like doing that stitch.

I sent an inquiry note to an EGA guild. We'll see what comes from that.

This weekend I saw a male oriole! Hooray! I did some more planting outside. I'll try again to get some basil growing. I realized that old parsley just doesn't cut it for flavor, or good leaves. My old parsley plants are trying to look like trees.
This week weeding is the main project!

Roses

Hey there. My rose bush is doing very well this year. I was daring and chopped it way back this spring. I snipped some flowers this week and brought them inside to enjoy.

In other news, I'm stitching a lot here this week, and last night I saw Mrs. Oriole back for the first time since we left for vacation. She was at the new oriole feeder (an orange dish that hangs from chains) eating some very old orange. Of course, I put fresh oranges out last night, and it looks like the house finches have already been at them.

Weekend Update

I was right... Some of the seedlings didn't make it. It looks like the candy tuft and the rock soapwort were a bust. I bought some red salvia for the deck, pink impatiens for the east side, and red impatiens for around the trees. I tried some cocoa bean mulch - that's good stuff!

I cleaned out the bird feeders and baths, so things are nice ready for enjoying the deck.

Worked on some cards. I have bought some fancy pens and even some stickers. I'm on a card making binge since June is a busy month.

Home again. Yesterday was nice, so I went out and planted all my little seedlings. I filled the bird feeders and got the flower pots on the deck ready to go. It looks nice out there now. I have concerns that some of the seedlings won't make it, so I might have to go and get some replacement flowers next week.

Many of our birds are back already - even after a week away. The goldfinches, cardinal, chipping sparrow and house finches were some of the first visitors. The orioles haven't been spotted yet, but we've only been back a short while.

Blogging from a cyber cafe on vacation! :)

Ok, so I was looking at that second Oriole, and thinking that it didn't match up with the pictures of the female orioles in the bird books. I determined that I had a young male oriole - a different bird than I had seen previously.

This afternoon I saw a female oriole for sure. She looked like the ones in the books - no hood on her head like the males do. The young male was in the tree at the same time. His belly isn't as orange as the first male oriole, and his head and wings aren't as black. So, in just a weeks time I've seen three different orioles. This is very exciting!

A pair of Baltimore Orioles!

I was sitting here reading email tonight when I looked up and saw an oriole at the grape jelly. I thought it didn't look as orange as I remember from the previous days, and when I took a closer look I saw that it was a female oriole. So, we might have a pair of them who visit us. I think that it is possible they have a nest nearby. If so, maybe we will see some young birds this summer as well! Won't that be cool!

I had a wonderful visit with one of my best friends yesterday. I gave away my first stitched card as a gift (not just as a card for an occasion).
She and her daughter got to see the oriole, who has become a regular visitor. She liked the filet lace pillow.
This morning I saw a hairy woodpecker as well as the oriole.

I spoke too soon! I was able to capture my orange friend at the deck. Check this one out!

After we saw the oriole on Saturday, I put out some orange halves for him to eat. I have put oranges out before, and usually only the house finches eat them. This afternoon I saw the male oriole having a snack at the orange. I wasn't able to get a picture since he is camera shy. My husband says I am stalking the birds, and maybe I am. I just want a nice picture. :)

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

We saw our annual Baltimore Oriole last night! It was petty exciting.

Marybeth's Stitching

Marybeth's Stitching
Happy Weekend! Last night I made a pillow cover. Despite the fact that I really don't know what the heck I'm doing when it comes to actual sewing, I did a pretty good job.

I've been updating web pages here today, so check them all out!

Bird activity has been pretty slow after that big day we had last week. It seems that the White crowned sparrows have moved on. The Downey woodpecker is back more frequently.

I've gone on a grackle elimination campaign. I've moved the safflower seed into the feeder on the deck. I'll put some sunflower seed out in the yard. Maybe the cardinal will come up to the deck, the grackles won't spill so much millet seed, and everyone will be happier. We'll see how that plan works.

While working from home this morning, I saw THREE white crowned sparrows.
They are multiplying!

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

birding.com - Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Guess who flew onto my bird feeder this morning! Oh my gosh! I'm really excited about this one.

I thought I was getting obsessed about seeing new birds: I saw a bird that looked a little different on the deck this morning and immediately went to the bird book. As if, seeing two new kinds of birds this week, the return of the gold finches and three cardinals weren't enough! Then what do you know, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak lands on my deck! Woo-hoo!

Since I said the blog was about stitching, I thought I should write a minute about stitching. I'm still doing embroidery on paper. I stitched four cards while I was in Fargo, and then when I got home I made a birthday card. I'm now working on one last card before I pick up my fabric again for a while....
Also, my sister told me that she had bought a binder for some address information, and she was thinking about cutting down one of the cards I'd sent her to slip into the cover. I just made her a custom sized card for the binder. I completed it and need to get it in the mail... Maybe I'll be able to get that out today. Then I can post the picture.

Back to fabric!

It's been a busy birding morning here at my house. I saw two (2) White-crowned sparrows. Maybe they aren't just migrating through.

Also, the Gold finches have returned. They came in March for a while, and then I haven't seen them for weeks. This morning I saw three!

And the best of all! We have had a male cardinal hanging around this spring, and we were thrilled! Today I saw a female cardinal and was just delighted. Then I saw a second male cardinal! Three cardinals in the yard at the same time! Hooray!

We have two new birds visiting us. According to the books, they are migrating through, so I don't expect them to hang around long.
We've seen a White Crowned Sparrow and a Harris's Sparrow.

Pretty cool, eh? This has been a good year for birds.

Fargo

Greetings from Fargo. We are up here visiting with the in-laws. I went to Nordic Needle today and shopped till I dropped. I bought some tools to do the embroidery on paper. I thought that I could just use the pin like I'd been doing, but the tools make it so much easier. Now I'll all set. I have a few books, lots of card stock, and the right tools to punch holes. I'm just ready to go.

I took a class last week on embroidery on paper. It's pretty cool, and I've made a half a dozen cards so far. I went on this streak, we'll see if I can keep it up. ;)

Just came back from the EGA retreat in Sinsinawa. Learned how to do "filet lace". Look for pictures coming soon! to my web page.

I should have updated stitching pictures too. Garden as well.
Started the seeds last week.
They are sprouting away.

Welcome back to me!

It's been a while since I posted here. Things have been busy.
Last week I went to my cousin's wedding in Texas. Nice warm weather!
The day was lovely, and everything turned out beautifully.
We spent a few days with my parents, and then I was off to my
annual stitching weekend. I hope to have some pictures up soon.
I took a class on embroidery on paper this week, and that's cool.
I am going to look up some patterns in the library tonight. I might
even try my hand at one or two of my own! Who knows what I can
make up!

Marybeth's Homepage

Updated with a new background. I have some new stitching scanned. Maybe tonight I'll update that.
I've also got some pictures of us opening christmas presnts... maybe I'll post some of those too.

Matt's got to pick some kendo pictures to post on his page. That could be an afternoon project....

Ever have one of those days? *sigh* This has been one of them. As soon as I got into work I realized that it wasn't going to be good. I met a big deadline yesterday to send some things off. Today I found out those things had to be re-sent since I packaged them incorrectly. There are problems people are finding, and I sent some things off too soon (they'll need updates later). It's one of those days where you feel you just can't do anything right. Not too good for the morale.

I did get the stuff re-sent. Hopefully it was right. Some of the problems that have been found look like they've already been fixed. So, it's not all bad. Just kind of a downer.

I'd go for a walk to get away and cheer up a little, but it's too cold outside, and the building is under construction, so all the good walking paths indoors are blocked.

I'm tempted to pack it in and just go home, but I've got much to do, and I can't just go and hide. Time to tackle the issues and just move on with things.