Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Big Chill

I feel kind of like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz -- "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."  Wow, what a snowstorm!  It just stopped snowing here about an hour ago, so we had 24 straight hours of snow, at times mixed with sleet.

I can't pretend I didn't enjoy it -- I've been longing for a pretty snow this year.  



I was fortunate not to have to struggle out to work, and I knew that all my loved ones were safe.  But I know this snowstorm was a big aggravation for plenty of people, and we owe a big thank you to all the emergency services people who worked round the clock to help stranded drivers, repair power lines, drive the snow plows, respond to health emergencies, and monitor the weather changes on television, just to name a few.

If you're sick to death of the white stuff this winter, you might want to come back in a few days.  :)  This is the first snow to actually stick on the ground that we've had in three winters, so we had to get some pictures.

    
We live on a cul-de-sac, and this is looking down to the bottom of our street.


...and at the top of our block.


My little bird bath is made of stone; I turn it on its side before the first frost to prevent it filling up with water, then freezing and cracking.



This picture came out blurry, but I love the effect.


This big mess bunch of branches you see here is called Cotoneaster.  We had it planted about ten years ago, and it has flourished gone wild.  I was following a landscaping plan that I found in a regional gardening book.  I would not recommend planting this anywhere near your house.  No explanation needed when you look at these pictures.


You can see it in this picture, too.  This spring I'm going to have to cut it way back, and we may get it removed altogether.  There's a nice holly tree at the lower right corner of the house; you can see it in the previous picture, along with the leafless branches of our David Austin "Gertrude Jekyll" rose.

The other shrubs are Cherry Laurels and 'Helleri' Japanese Hollies.  Our David Austin rose grows against the front of the house.  In the above picture, we're viewing the house through a very old Redbud tree at the top corner of our front yard.  It still blooms every spring, but it's become very misshapen, so it needs to come down too.


The Tulip Magnolia has buds on it.



Our bird feeders out back -- these are the ones we can see from our kitchen and den windows.



We were able to capture some decent birds pictures today.


The Tufted Titmouse...


...and the beloved Blue Bird.



He's adorable, yes?  :-D


Those pictures were taken through the screen porch, so that's why there are so many dots.  But there's also snow mixed in, and the white stuff at the bottom of the pictures is snow.


In yesterday's post, I mentioned that we had seen some Dark-eyed Juncos, and I had to borrow a picture from Wikipedia.  Today, we took some of our own pictures of the Junco in our Tulip Magnolia tree.




...a female cardinal in our Sweetgum tree.


In flight...


Don't those little spiky gumballs look like ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree?  The snow even makes our Sweetgum tree look pretty.  :)


This picture isn't very sharp, but it was the best we could get in a hurry.  This is one of the many little Carolina wrens that live here around our house.  He's so puffed up, he looks like a brown tennis ball with feet and a pointed beak.  :)


These pictures are looking out our living room window at the front of the house.  One of our Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  I think he's so cute -- I call him "The Big Guy."  :)





The birds left some little tracks on our front porch.


I love this garden bunny -- I'm thinking about cleaning him up and putting him on our hearth this spring and summer.


The birds and I thank you for your visit today.  :)  We're always glad for you to stop in.


We'll be partying with:
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Mary for Mosaic Monday
Cindy for Amaze Me Monday
Marty for Inspire Me Tuesday

Denise

18 comments:

  1. You must have put this up while I was reading your last one because it wasn't there... and then there it was. I loved every single shot, and my favorite was the bird prints in the snow. That was something I would love to frame. I would frame the ones with the birds in the sweet gum tree too. Loved that.

    Looks like you fared much better than we did. We don't have a single pretty picture to show for the ice storm here. Just a mess to clean up. UGH.

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  2. Wow, Denise, it looks like you received quite a bit. i enjoyed the pix I could see, not all of them came through, just white boxes. :-(. We have more than enough here, the thrill is long gone for snow, not wanting it in the last 35 years or so. lol. Happy Valentine's Day! xo

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  3. It's nice that you had a fun day enjoying the snow! I love the bird pics, very cute! Magnolias covered in snow... Something we're very familiar with here:@)

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  4. More wonderful snow pictures. And now to thaw out!

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  5. Snow is so lovely when we can sit by the window and just enjoy the beauty. Great bird photos. You have such a great variety of pretty birds. Here we have lots of juncos, house finches, and wood peckers that we see every day. We have had snow on the ground for two weeks, now. It is supposed to get up to 60. Happy Valentine's.

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  6. Nothing more beautiful than a gorgeous bird in the snow....loved your pictures...So happy the sky is blue now and the snow is melting...Have a great weekend!

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  7. Beautiful photos, Denise. It was fun to see how the snow looked from your vantage point.
    I loved all of your birdie photos, most especially the bluebirds. I haven't seen one in our yard for awhile. They are my very favorites.
    Our snowfall sure was pretty. Glad we could capture it in photos as I think before long it will be melted. Hubby just told me it was 55 degrees. Oh well, nice while it lasted :)
    Happy Valentine's Day to you.

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  8. These pictures are great! Those blue bird pictures are so beautiful. Wish I had gotten outside and made some pics. It was just so deep, I didn't venture out. We got ourselves a good one this time. Love, Mom

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  9. You really took your time with the photos! That's great! It's fun to catch wildlife frolicking in the snow. I sometimes think that birds enjoy it most.

    That's a great idea about turning the birdbath over so it doesn't fill up, freeze & crack over winter. I'm going to remember that little trick for several things we keep outdoors year round!

    I'm glad you enjoyed the snow! Happy Valentine's Day, and have a wonderful weekend!

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  10. Your snow pics are beautiful! You did get a lot of snow. I am crazy about all the bird pics. You are so blessed to have so many varieties.

    Yesterday, a large number of robins covered my yard. They were having a ball bathing in my birdbath and fountain. A cedar wax wing sat on the edge of the birdbath trying to intimidate the robin into getting out of his way. It was quite funny.

    I always enjoy seeing your birds. I love love the bluebirds. Your woodpecker is especially pretty too.

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  11. I love your snow pics, especially of your sweet bluebirds. Lovely photos and I'm a new GFC follower!

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  12. It is fun to see you enjoying it..your pictures are wonderful :)

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  13. Your snow looks much more attractive than mine, I think you are a great photographer! I love the snowy gumballs, a very pretty shot. And your porch looks inviting. All your birds are beautiful, I especially love the bluebirds. Have a happy week!

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  14. Coming from the north in Ontario where winters can be harsh with lots of snow, I enjoy reading the posts of bloggers south of us delighting in their snow this winter. It is beautiful if you don't need to be out in it and birds always seem to manage to keep warm and visit the feeders.
    Nice snowy photos, including all the birds shared. My concrete birdbath is so heavy I've never turned it on the side which is likely why it does have a hairline crack. :-)

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  15. Hi Denise,

    Your North Carolina snow is very pretty! Now, I know that half the country is buried in the stuff, but you have captured its dreamy and delightful character, enjoying it for its whimsy and cheer!

    Love the blurry photos, and especially the ones of the bird feeders!

    Have a happy week!

    Poppy

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  16. I absolutely love seeing your snow photos! Love the blurry shot of your porch and all of the birds you captured. I always loved seeing the juncos come just as soon as the snowflakes! They are so pretty in the snow. Enjoy your week my friend! Stay warm inside! Sweet hugs!

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  17. Beautiful images and oh those awesome Bluebirds, just so wonderful. We have been getting Bird KY alerts that our Blue Birds may be in trouble from the frigid conditions. I have Blue Bird nugges in a special feeder, but still no Blue Birds...hoping~

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  18. Hello Denise
    I've really enjoyed your "snow" post!! The city where I live in New Zealand we only get snow every 100 years and I'm still waiting!!!
    Your bird images are amazing - it's wonderful you provide all those wonderful bird feeders in your garden - you're helping these little ones survive the winter!
    Hugs
    Shane

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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