A Longfellow Morning

Back in November, when I took some family vacation time, Baloo and I walked out on a couple of foggy, frosty mornings.

I found myself intoning lines from Longfellow's "Evangeline" with the very feel of the forest primeval all around us, indistinct in the twilight.

The trees and even the weeds were standing like the Druids of eld, though the voices sad and prophetic primarily belonged to the cows, since there wasn't much wind.

Even the bright berries had hoary beards.  

I knew that I had memorized great sections of "The Song of Hiawatha" as a child, but it was a surprise to tease "Evangeline" out of my memory as we walked along.  I didn't recall having memorized any of it!!

World Chicken Day

Today, we commemorate the day back in 2008 when my brother rescued a poor chicken from a snowbank where she was stuck and half frozen.  He tucked her under his coat and brought her home where he and his wife nursed her back to health and adopted her as part of the family.  That lucky chicken lived happily until last winter, when she trotted across the rainbow bridge to join Kizzie, the cocker spaniel she kept firmly in her place in the pecking order.  

  

She loved hugs and kisses.  And lap-sitting.  She enjoyed hanging around with her human (and, dominated the canine) flock.  

So, today we remember the sweet lucky chicken and celebrate her delightful little personality. 

We love our critters, don't we?  They take up residence in our hearts and give us a lot of joy.  

Dove Notes

While walking with Baloo in his favorite field, I saw these mourning doves sitting on the telephone lines.  

They reminded me of musical notes on a staff (even though we're missing a couple lines).  

Then one of them decided it wanted to be a lower note....  

The final dove note for the day is this little cutie sitting on Peg's porch swing style feeder looking like it would love to have a sweetheart come so they could woo and coo together.  And snack, of course.   

Pizza Party!

Yes, we still love to eat!  

Here's a Greek pizza with olives, peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, pesto, capers and feta cheese.  This was an experiment that worked out deliciously. 

Chevre, pheasant, morel mushrooms, caramelized onions, and Parmesan cheese, topped with fresh basil and chives adorn this family favorite.  It's a regular on pizza party menus.   

The sun decided to shine through the dining room window, putting pizza and salad (lettuce, celery, apples, walnuts and blue cheese with a champagne vinaigrette) in a natural spotlight.  

Chillier Weather

Freezing rain coated these apples.  They look so glossy and maybe just a little sinister with the dripping ice.  They're not poisoned, though.  Baloo thinks they taste just fine. 

Ice pellets falling from the sky aren't our favorite, but we walk in all kinds of weather!

This handsome fellow was a bright spot of color on a grayish day.  

These snow dusted trees are in my back yard.  There's something magical about evergreens covered in snow.

Red Belly

I got to enjoy the antics of a red-bellied woodpecker one afternoon and thought I would share the fun. 

He's a cutie, isn't he? 

Fuzzy Faces

This chubby fox squirrel is a natural acrobat.  

This one is a happy snacker.  

And then there's the little chipmunk cheek packer.