Snow! Even with our "unseasonably" warm weather, Idaho still pulled off her usual first snowfall before Thanksgiving by dumping on us the night before. This Thanksgiving holiday we spent time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and even a new friend. And with the 2 snowfalls in the past five days, some recreation was spent outdoors sledding, building and snowball fighting. Yesterday saw some of that action. We have a miniature snowman and a "train" tunnel in our backyard now.
Wow! Lots of hassle, but thanks to Orangefrog76 my new look is achieved. Nothing super special, but a nice change. And with all that time spent hassling, I must save my thoughts for another day, another entry. I've got laundry wait'n ya know...
The babies have left the nest. Last weekend we just caught the first jr. robin hopin' outside his tw
iggie confines. When I went out to take some pictures, he watched me curiously for a bit while
his siblings kept low, letting me get close until he took off as best he could; a little flapping, but mostly hopping. A couple days later we saw that the nest was empty and as I came back inside from taking a closer look, I noticed the last little guy perched upon a pot just outside the front door. I thought I was the spy, however, he was doing a much better job. 13 days from hatching, after much nuturing from their parents, they are gone, with occasional appearances for a few more days, leaving their marks upon our porch and furniture. It's a little lonely now. Out of habit we still look out the playroom window to see our feathered friends only to be reminded that they are gone. We still even take care in entering the house on a dark evening, remembering that a squatting parent, trying to go unnoticed, may become spooked and fly around the porch, trapped by the ceiling. I've let the nest remain in my planter, the empty state that it is, looking forward to another occupying family next spring.
So that's what they looked like yesterday. Here's what they look like today.
WE HAVE BABIES! Four to be exact. As my husband was leaving for work yesterday, he took his usual peek into the nest and instead of the four eggs, he saw a mass of soft pink flesh with a few little down feathers here and there. The mama and daddy robins have been busy feeding and keeping them warm. However, with our weather we've been having lately, the daddy has been standing on the side the of nest, panting, keeping watch, rather than sitting in it. By late afternoon our porch is in full sun and the birds are completely exposed to it. I placed a short cake pan of water on the porch to hopefully give them a little relief, but I haven't seen them use it yet. May just be a naive attempt to help on my part. Well, I hope to hear some baby robin chirping soon.
Up to four eggs and the daddy has been hanging around sitting on 'em all the time. It's exciting to watch our new friend hang out right in front of our house... on our house. IJ drums right in the front bedroom, and he isn't gentle, and still Robin hangs around. But as soon as we touch the door knob to step outside, he's gone. If we stay in the front yard too long he starts flyin' overhead, screeching at us. Sometimes I feel like we're prisoners in our own house with a pint sized ward telling us when we can come and go. I actually told my mom to come around to the back door when she came over the other day. I just don't want those little baby birds to die. As soon as they hatch I'll put some pictures up.
As if ducks in our backyard weren't enough, now we've got a robin building a nest for his love-to-be in our planter near our front room window. Although we've seen no lady friend as of yet, we're really rootin' for him. It's quite a grand nest. My son and I watch him come and go throughout the day adding more muddy twigs and easter basket grass, keeping an eye out for us and taking off if we get too close or make too much noise. I guess I won't be planting anything there this spring. But I think watching what grows in it will be more exciting than last year.
Ah, to be a child again. Last weekend it was a beautiful day to celebrate my Mom's, Oma's and Sister-in-law's birthdays. March and April are busy months for our family. Food always makes a great gathering, so we had dinner here. It was a beautiful day and, lucky for the kids, we have a 'wonderful' pond in the backyard of the house behind us.
My brother and I took snaps (as the Indians say) as the cousins frolicked. It's amazing what you see and don't see behind the lens of a camera. Childhood bliss one moment, then..., "Hey! Get out of the water!"
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIN
So my brother was over today (yeah, that's him on the right) and showed me a little bit about this blogging stuff... still don't get it that much, but at least I know how to post my ignorance about it. My parents took us camping when we were 2 years old. The story goes that we jumped out of the truck and were covered in dirt in no time at all. We should take our little guys this summer. Maybe with my brother's kids too...
I'm just here to see what's so great about all this blogging stuff. This site will get more exciting as I figure out what I'm doing and find the time between children and housecleaning. Yeah, I'm a stay-at-home mom!
iggie confines. When I went out to take some pictures, he watched me curiously for a bit while
his siblings kept low, letting me get close until he took off as best he could; a little flapping, but mostly hopping. A couple days later we saw that the nest was empty and as I came back inside from taking a closer look, I noticed the last little guy perched upon a pot just outside the front door. I thought I was the spy, however, he was doing a much better job. 13 days from hatching, after much nuturing from their parents, they are gone, with occasional appearances for a few more days, leaving their marks upon our porch and furniture. It's a little lonely now. Out of habit we still look out the playroom window to see our feathered friends only to be reminded that they are gone. We still even take care in entering the house on a dark evening, remembering that a squatting parent, trying to go unnoticed, may become spooked and fly around the porch, trapped by the ceiling. I've let the nest remain in my planter, the empty state that it is, looking forward to another occupying family next spring.
WE HAVE BABIES! Four to be exact. As my husband was leaving for work yesterday, he took his usual peek into the nest and instead of the four eggs, he saw a mass of soft pink flesh with a few little down feathers here and there. The mama and daddy robins have been busy feeding and keeping them warm. However, with our weather we've been having lately, the daddy has been standing on the side the of nest, panting, keeping watch, rather than sitting in it. By late afternoon our porch is in full sun and the birds are completely exposed to it. I placed a short cake pan of water on the porch to hopefully give them a little relief, but I haven't seen them use it yet. May just be a naive attempt to help on my part. Well, I hope to hear some baby robin chirping soon.
My brother and I took snaps (as the Indians say) as the cousins frolicked. It's amazing what you see and don't see behind the lens of a camera. Childhood bliss one moment, then..., "Hey! Get out of the water!"
