This time of year we get a lot of woodpeckers visiting the suet feeders. The female downy woodpecker identical to the hairy woodpecker, except for its size and the length of the bill. The downy has a short stubby beak in comparison to its body size. Males […]
Up Close & Personal … Purple Blaze of Beautyberries
Years ago I took a few horticultural classes at the local community college. Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’, commonly known as beautyberry, was one of the many plants I was introduced to then. The instructor stressed that these plants like to be close to another one of […]
Up Close & Personal … Coyotes howling in the Night
It’s not very often that I see coyotes walk past our garden, but we do hear them howling during the night sometimes. Yesterday evening a group of coyotes congregated in the dark forest behind us, howling, yelping and barking loudly. They sounded almost a little […]
Meditation in Moments … Finches on the Fence
Which side is greener? This flock of fluffy finches can’t seem to decide … Late Friday afternoon I noticed a kinglet foraging for insects in the butterfly bush. After watching it for a while I went inside to get my camera. By the time I […]
Zunday Zen … I spy …
a rodent … no … a hardworking hipster Portlandia squirrel lugging an acorn up the old Douglas fir moving so quickly it’s almost a vertical blur munching, crunching, keeping an eye on the scene all while hungrily enjoying the local forest cuisine From Portlandia to Michigandia greetings […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Come gather inside let there be peace for today at home, in the world. Happy Thanksgiving! Sabine
Up Close & Personal … The Hairy Woodpecker
Lunchtime for this little guy! With the weather getting colder it’s starting to get busy at the feeders. Suet is loved by just about all the birds and even squirrels try to get to it. Hairy and downy woodpeckers are almost impossible to tell […]
Zunday Zen … A Solitary Walk
Solitary walk leaves crunching underfoot … in autumn’s golden glow. Sunshine, lustrous fall colors and silence are what I found on my afternoon hike. I encountered only a handful of humans, one lone mushroom and a view of Mount Hood. It appeared almost close enough […]
Up Close & Personal … Gentle Mourning Doves
This faithful pair of mourning doves has been visiting us for years during spring and summer. They usually fly in, waddle over to where the bird feeders are, in hopes of finding some morsels other birds might have dropped. After that, they always head over […]
Zunday Zen … I Spy …
… raindrops disguised as smiling frogs hiding behind bamboo logs … … a tiny winged creature dangling upside-down sipping dipping flipping going to town … After the rain finally stopped the other day I went outside with my camera in hopes of capturing some nice […]
Happy Friday!
It’s been busy around here! For the past year we’ve been going through all our possessions, sorting them into keep – discard – donate and give away piles. We packed stuff up in boxes, and then started to renovate parts of our house. We’ve spent […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Tales of Gravensteins, the West County and a Political Babe
Sonoma County is a unique place. On the westside, Highway 12 and Occidental Road run parallel to each other between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, with peaceful countryside in between the two roads: grassy pastures dotted with gnarly old oaks and grazing cattle, egrets and herons […]
A Stroll through Old Town Olympia
We’ve visited Olympia several times. The people are friendly, the city easy to navigate, and if you stay in, or near Old Town, everything is within easy walking distance. Some of our favorite things to there are looking at the many incredible murals, grab […]
Think! Before you Drink!
On this rainy stormy all hallow’s night the upcoming election gives me great fright this toxic bubbling witches brew it’s a really nasty hate-filled swampy stew Let’s flush the hate and vitriol down before our cherished democracy completely drowns Simply worded, I’ll say it out […]
Zunday Zen … I spy a …
hummingbird baby, a playful fledgling maybe? ogling me softly. Hummingbirds are some of my favorite backyard birds. What is your favorite backyard bird? Have a Zen Sunday! Sabine
Meditation in Moments … Slip Sliding Away
Last summer sighting scaly serpent slithering lickety split … … gone. This is our resident garter snake. It, or its doppelgänger, has been hanging around the garden since we first moved in 13 years ago. While walking through the dewy grass one morning this summer, I […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Hiking Howarth Park
One morning during my visit to Santa Rosa I met my friend Trish for breakfast at the East West Restaurant across from Howarth Park. I remember when they were located at the corner of Sonoma Avenue and Farmers Lane. The menu hasn’t changed much since […]
California Road Trip 2018 … “Good Grief Charlie Brown”, Part 2
Snoopy’s Home Ice has a bit of an alpine chalet look. The flower boxes remind me of Europe! The area around the entrance. Come on in! Welcome to Santa Rosa! Welcome to Snoopy’s Home Ice! I spent many an afternoon watching our boys learn to […]
