whiteboard Art

English class 3/31

Some of my kiddos were just not having a great day today,  but at least one somebody hadn't lost their sense of humor!

welcome, Robin

Thornton W. Burgess, author of children's books loved by Booth kids and grandkids, named the character in his books, Welcome Robin. He surely is this time of year! 

We have robins around all winter, but when he begins to sing his "cheer up, cheerily" rain song, you know spring is truly around the corner!

sometimes she makes up for It

 

When Ma Nature coats the roads with freezing rain, she sometimes decorates the trees to make up for it.

fog and Fire

We have had snow, fog, freezing rain, mist, drizzle, mizzle and assorted other precipitation over the past 48 hours. Our neighbors decided to have a bonfire to burn off tree trimmings and yard debris, it had a surreal kind of effect. It definitely caught your attention looming out of the fog.

the bearded One

Hiz Honor on a foggy, snowy day.

Once again, the turkeys are wading hock deep in the snow with no ladies around to show off for! 

Maybe the April showers (of the liquid variety) will arrive on Friday, we are all mighty tired of this white stuff!

nesting Materials

As the snow has melted, things unseen have started to appear. I am certain this tuft of shed white-tailed deer hair will be part of some small bird's nest a little later in the spring. I hope to see who gathers it to cushion eggs and offspring.

signs of the Equinox

Mountain bluebird gentleman

Welcome, gentle Sister South Wind and Madam Spring

Vernal Equinox 

March 20, 2011 

happy birthday, RAS

Have a wonderful day, MusicMan

march Wind

the perfect day for drying laundry at my neighbor's house.

wearin' of the Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all true Irishmen and those who are temporary Irishmen, just for today!

stripey, spiky One

sunrise colors!

the Bathers

 

The last batch of fluffy light snow caught in the treetops. The local mob of starlings appeared to be "snowbathing" in the top of the elm across the street. They were tossing the snow on their feathers and fluffing and preening just like they had gotten out of a water-filled birdbath. I've never seen them do it before, although my chickadees like to "leafbathe" after a summer shower. 

The best part about it is that when I looked at the picture closely, the tree buds are beginning to swell as spring creeps closer.

exotic Babies

 

My kindly Florida cousin, Bob, gifted us with tree ripened tangerines, lemons and oranges at Christmas time.

The "stand over the sink to eat" variety, dripping with juice. I took some to school for my kids to try, they devoured them in record time. The question came up, would the seeds grow into trees? We decided to find out, the baby tangerine trees are now about a month old, much to our delight!

future Salad

 

Maybe these babies at Jolly Lane will be ready for the Easter Bunny to snack on! Wouldn't "fresh from the garden" carrots taste lovely?

that's Orange!

Trip to the greenhouse, just to check things out, balm for the winter weary soul!

Check out this calceolaria, AKA pocketbook plant. Native to Chile and Peru, this herbaceous perennial is a popular greenhouse plant this time of year.

his Elegance

male wood duck

In his element, among the mallards.

stalagmite or Stalactite?

Derived from the Greek, stalaktos, meaning "dripping", it is only a temporary stalactite.

waiting for things Underground

 

soon there will be squill and daffodils to keep the toadstools company

it's a Nut-thatcher!

Madam Red-breasted Nuthatch

A very earnest young salesperson told me once that the feeder that I was about to purchase would attract chickadees, woodpeckers and "nut-thatchers". This one was very friendly, they are my absolute favorite winter neighbors.

off Duty

Off duty for the moment, but it is March. That always means know where your shovel and your boots are if you live in the Dakotas.

coot Embroidery

A coot embroiders the lake's surface with a silvery couching stitch.

Do these fabulous green feet look like they could create a tapestry on the water?

 (borrowed from the web www.bassimages.com)

in for the Night

Canada geese returning for the night's rest on the lake.

The ducks are already here, wreathed in the "steam" rising into the cold March air from the water's surface.