Thursday, February 28, 2019

Betta World.....


The betta fish is one of many fins.  I bought this guy and purchased a small tank for him.  I want to figure out how to take better photographs of him.  He has subtle red colors and other greenish colors that don’t show up in this photo. My tank is actually one of the small plastic ones the could be used in an apartment or for a young person to have a pet fish. This kind of fish hatches out of eggs that are put among floating plants.  My goal is to get real live plants that float and then get a female betta.  The male makes a bubble nest and the female lays eggs in the many bubbles.  I don’t have a doubt that I could fail at this but I would like to try.Getting the just right water conditions available is the next step.


Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Red Bellied Woodpecker........


We were getting ready to leave the house and it always happens,. There sits this guy at my feeder. I grabbed the camera and took a few quick shots. I do remember that they do eat seed like this even though I have a brand new suet cake out there.

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Seed Eater......


I have seen squirrels sit and eat fallen apples so I know they eat more than just sunflower seeds. He is my only squirrel and he seems to pose for me as I take his photo.  I know they are near sighted so he doesn’t really see me. Since he posed so well I share his photo rather than my one cardinal that visits the feeder.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Strong Winds on Sunday......


The blizzard winds blew strong and this little bird has ruffled feathers.  I have seen birds with windblown feathers but I have never seen it looking like this. I guess he wasn’t bothered by it  as he stayed to feed for a long time.


Sunday, February 24, 2019

Snow Plow......


The blizzard like day has us needing our streets to be plowed open for today.  The streets will be open for a while but the 55 mile per hour winds will be blowing it back in with various drifts in the streets.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Branching Out.....


An ornamental tree that blooms in spring.  It is filled with many small branches all over the tree that put out a small fruit after the tree blooms. The tree is from the family of the Bradford pear but it is another variety that puts out the little apples.  I am thinking when the people planted them back in 2003 that they picked out the tree because it had the same white blooms as the Brandford.

Friday, February 22, 2019

Sun’s Splash........



While I was out shooting pictures of the snow, I was treated to this suburbia sunset. The birch tree and street light makes it definitely a city scene. The snow on the sides of the street will not be gone before the next snow storm hits the area.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Sunset in the City....



The predicted snow storm ended up giving us about four inches of snow.  The dry air apparently messed up their prediction and sent everything to northern Iowa and Minnesota. I put on some shoes and no coat and ran out to take this shot. I keep pretending that my houses across the street to be the Rocky Mountains and then I don’t feel so badly about them being in the photo.


I can crop out a lot of the city streetscape but then I lose some nice clouds in the sky. The neighbors clump birch tree will always be in the photo as it is higher up on the hill across the street and is a mature tree.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Icicles.........



We had enough sun in the afternoon that the snow melted and made icicles on the blue spruce.  It was on the south side of the tree only.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Full Moon......




It was cold and I didn’t want to wait around for a good shot.  I did wait though after the third shot and I just stopped taking photos. It is a clear night and I had seen the same full moon a few days ago as a day moon.

Monday, February 18, 2019

The Morning After.....


The morning glow was a welcomed sight as it had snow for almost the fatal day yesterday.  The final count from all the towns around was that we received just over nine inches of snow.


Sunday, February 17, 2019

Heavy Snow......




It has snowed all night and it continues to snow more. There is large piles on our deck, more than I have ever seen before. It is suppose to keep it up for many more hours.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Feeding Frenzy.....


The cold weather brings the birds to the feeders in large numbers.  The house finches were late coming to the feeder this winter but now they seem to be regulars at the feeders.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Hidden Sun......


It is 1 degree this morning and we will warm up 12 more degrees. In the meantime the clouds of the morning sunrise turned into this configuration.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

House Finch.....


The house finch has a rich red color but it is only in small areas.  Some of them have redder chests than others. This kind of bird hasn’t been around very often but when the weather got much colder it started to mix in with the sparrows and juncos.

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

A Short Visit.......



There is a whole pile of black sunflower seeds out there but he comes for one and just leaves. I guess he wants to find the best seed in the neighborhood.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Bird in a Tree.......


Find the junco in the evergreen and you can see a happy bird.  A lot of the junco birds are living in that tree and they keep flying out to be at the feeders then return.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Blast into the Past....


A few years back at this same time of the year we had a good snowstorm.  It left things looking like this with my blue door. We are predicted to get snow again today and it isn’t to end until Tuesday at noon. Those who are new to my blog this is at the old place with my garden gate and fence.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Such a Good Dog.......


Barney enjoyed the new home.  He was in decline when we moved here but he did adapt to his new place quite well.  Our sidewalks were full of people walking their dogs and that was fun for him. Within the first year he lost the ability to walk down the hills to our back yard.  He really didn’t go there that often then and made new places to be in the front yard. The middle of the living room was a favorite place for him but then when he got too warm being on carpet he would head to the hardwood floors. It has been only a day and a half since he has gone and we really are still in distress over his loss. Time will heal lots of things even thought there are vivid images in my mind that I wish would leave immediately.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Barn Dog.......a Nickname.


A neighbor girl called Barnabas, Barn Dog, because that is what she heard or understood.  The little girl is married now living in Texas with two cute young boys. . Banners here is in the new house among packed boxes.   We lost Barney this morning at 8:00.  He has left huge holes in our hearts that will never be repaired. We think he lived to be 15 years old.  He was a rescued dog from the streets from a small-town in Missouri.


He was the tan color of a litter of black and white puppies.  His genetics is true with certain two kinds of parents.


Barney didn’t  like his photo taken and always turned his head when he saw a camera. He was able to enjoy two years in the new house and it did suit him well.  He came for a visit right before we moved and he had a attitude when we visit.  He did grow the like the new place and also the front yard.


We had a rough past week with Barney going into decline starting on the Sunday night.  I did not go to the funeral on Monday as he needed adaptation to his going outside. I had to do them and I was not too successful with that..  His decline in walking ,eating and the general old dog stuff got to be very complicated. I won’t share things immediately but as time goes by my wife and I learned a lot about the last days of a dog, and I want to share them.  I only learned them by the experiences with Barney. They are things that we would have done so much differently.   Hey thanks for stopping by today.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Blustery, Cold, Wintery Day.....



As the snow falls, the wind blows it around, making it look worst than it really is. The ice storm that created pellets yesterday afternoon,  are still on the ground in places more than two inches in accumulation. I shoveled the pellets off of the front steps and stairs as if it were snow. I slide a shovel to the mail box also so I could walk down my driveway.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Archived........


This is a photo from my past blog in 2017.  Everything is sitting on the dining room table with a small Christmas tree. The train was displayed around the tree. This is at the old place and  we didn’t have a thought of moving at that point of time. Five days after that Christmas we did have a bid on a newer home.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Drainage System.......


The morning is cold and it still looks like a spring sky. I didn’t take time to go out on the deck so you get to see what I get to see.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Truly Acting Squirrelly......


There is a tool shed directly below the area that the feeders hang.  The creature eating now has dropped the seed down from the old fashion feeder and now he can eat freely without hanging on the feeder.

Sunday, February 3, 2019

February Thaw......


It is getting too warm for the polar bears in our area. We had a night with the steady temperatures of 42 degrees.  The print is one that we had in our old place and now it hangs in our downstairs bathroom. The wall was a perfect fit for it and it goes with the colors of the room.

Friday, February 1, 2019

Sunset Boulevard.......on Brookeline Drive.


As the temperature changes drastically change the clouds show off the mixtures of the air. The sunset was putting out so many rippled clouds and feathery fluffs.  We were actually 1 degree F. at bedtime, with predicted above freezing temperatures by late Friday evening. Going from -24 degrees to 1 degree is a big change. It even feels warmer in the house when it is just above 0 degrees.

Big and Small...

 The miniature daffodils are so petite compared to the normal sized daffodil. I don't think I have ever brought the small ones inside be...