Happy Easter With A Bit Of This & That

 Happy Easter  to you all , Hope your all having a nice weekend so far .

Our weekend has been wonderful all though cut short . Our son David and  his  fiancé Cindee came down again for a visit and for David to help Papa put in a new   alternator in to our van , they arrived Thursday evening and had to leave yesterday evening as they had other family to go see for the Easter weekend . The good thing is now they are only an hour and 20 min drive from us and we will be seeing them a lot more WOOHOO !

 It didn't take long for Papa and David to do and all is working nicely also they did a oil change on the van . We had a nice day and visit with them  and a Yummy supper and then they had to go home  . But they will be visiting more often now  and come the summer we will have lots  of campfires in the evenings and lots of barbecues  and patio porch sitting with them here . 😁

Spring is coming along nicely here  all our snow has been gone for quite some time now and the spring flowers are coming up more and more each day . I have mentioned in my past posts that I hadn't heard or seen our Song Sparrow as of yet  but yesterday as Miggs and I were out for our walk I heard and saw him in the marsh by the river he arrived later then normal but he has arrived so I am pleased about that,  so now all our spring birds are back .
We have lots of Robins about this year again and there seems to be 4 couples making nests in our cedar hedges and they just love to feast and forage in our yard and gardens .

                                             The Robin is my favorite song bird .

When you see two Robins fluttering together at each other and you think they are in a fight well they are not, that is part of their mating ritual or dance as it is called . Robins stay with the same mate for life  and the female starts the nest and then when Mrs Robin is expecting which usually is before the nest is complete then Mr Robin takes over and finishes it up .  Just a bit of interesting bird info lol !

This evening we are going to my in-laws  for that families side for supper for Easter so looking forward to that , I make a desert to take as I do every year as mom in-law does  the lovely main course , then we all pitch in clean up do the dishes then sit have coffee and tea and dessert and  nice visit with the family .

We have all day Sunday to putter and relax before the work week for Papa starts again , I have been a bit under the weather and have been waking with a bout of vertigo inner ear is a bit wonky from a cold .  Miggs and I do our daily walks   and the fresh air makes me feel better . Talking about Miggs , she is doing very well and had her day at the spa last Monday and she did very well there as she always does , we were a little concerned as she still has a bit of trouble balancing on the one leg and being on a table to get shaved and what not may be an issue for her now but our groomer Ashley is  awesome  and she did it all on the floor  for Miggs and we stayed and gave her a bit of help although she didn't really need us there at all  but the company was nice for us all and we learned how she does the grooming which was fun and Miggs just loved all the attention  .  Ashley is amazing with our Miggs and they both just adore one another to so that helps , Ashley always tells us that Miggs is her best  and calmest customer  , no fuss no muss from Miggs at all  and we were able to see that . Good girl Miggs

                           Well that's it for me , almost time to go to my in-laws for supper .
                          Until next time .  Hope you all have a nice rest of the weekend and a

                                                                 
                                                                         Country Gal

A Nice Weekend With A Surprise Visit & This and That .

We had a nice weekend as we always do except this one was extra special for me  , for one  it was my Birthday and two our oldest son David and his fiancée Cindee showed up on Friday evening . They like to do goofy pics for their FB page lol . David is photogenic  , Cindee  is to but well she  doesn't really like her photo taken  ,  much like me she prefers to be on the other side of the lens lol !

  Our son David  is a  welder / mechanic  and his  fiancée  Cindee works in a physio therapy clinic .
  I had know idea they were coming down and I was totally surprised  when they showed up and of course happy to see them . Papa , David and Cindee  had it all planned  a week ago, cheeky buggers 😀 lol  . It was great having them here for the weekend . Whats even better is they moved from where they were which was quite a distance and now only live  an hour and 20 min away so we can see them a lot more now , so I am soo happy about that to . 

   I had a nice cake done for me  from my fave bakery in town  called Spicer's . YUMMY !
We didn't put candles on it cause I didn't have 52 of them lol and didn't want to melt the cake ha ha !
I got lots of lovely gifts for me  and for my gardens , one of them for the garden is this pretty wind chime  to add to my others  it sounds soo nice . 

It was a great weekend and Birthday . I had lots of lovely messages from friends on FB  and family that lived farther away as well as a call from our younger son James who still lives quite a distance away but couldn't make it down this year  and  from my brother . The weather was sunny but a bit chilly but all in all  a wonderful weekend indeed . Thank you all .😀

The other evening as the sun was setting I looked out my kitchen window as I was doing up some dishes and saw these two Morning Doves sitting on the wire across the road, preening and enjoying the light of the sun set and the view from up so high , I said to Papa awe look Mr & Mrs Dovey on a date lol ! 

                                                Then I saw the moon faintly in the sky . 

 The sun is shining again today and the temps are warming up to and to my surprise I was able to get a photo or two of this little guy . 

 Yup that's our chipmunk Theodore  , finally he is out of his hidey hole and frolicking about the yard . So nice to see him about again .

Spring is coming along here wonderfully  and we will be getting lots of rain as of tomorrow Tuesday through Wednesday and the temps will rise to 14C or 57F . Then sunshine for the rest of the week . 

    Miggs is doing good , the damp weather and chilly air does a number on her leg we have noticed  and she gets stiff and sore and has a bit of a tougher time walking but she is still coming along well, we think it will just take longer then we had hoped . She is going in to get groomed later today and we hoping she can handle it cause she needs a bath and her nails and fur clipped , we may have to stay this time and help out  our groomer with her  this time just for Miggs safety and peace of mind for us  to  .

 Well that's about it for me for now , oh yeah  David and Cindee are coming down again this coming weekend which is a  long weekend our Easter weekend 😀 David and Papa are replacing the alternator in our van and us girls will get up to .. well .. girl stuff lol !


                                               Until next time . 
                      
                                                      Country Gal    

Miggs With This & That

 Miggs and I have been enjoying all the sunshine  we have been having  and the fact that it is officially spring now .  Still the odd chilly wind but it is slowly warming up , the sunshine has warmed up a lot and feels good on the face lol !

Miggs is doing very well and went to the vet for her 2nd check up . Our vet is very pleased again with her progress . We recently had the stairs carpeted with a runner  same type and colour as our up stairs and living room area piece which is  called vintage rose it is a bit darker then the pic shows and less purple taken with my  smartphone ,  quicky pic  lol !

  They were just all pine wood and they were slippery for her  since her leg operation  but now all cozy slip free and she doesn't need her harness any more to go up them she takes the stairs well again and comes down well to . Making Good progress she is . 😊

Miggs is also able to walk farther on our walks each week with ease and  also is able to be off leash in the yard more now to and she is loving it .

Our snow has gone for the most part just the odd small patch in the shaded areas here and there , we have some green grass about but mostly brown it is for now it will green up soon I imagine  but I will take it over snow on the ground any day .

                  Miggs waiting for her treat after our walk . Those eyes talk don't they ?!

               Pic below  Harley who really isn't that big on having her photo taken   has been enjoying her sun puddles every day to .

Yesterday evening Miggs and I were outside after supper with Papa whilst he was busy with  our van  and  I saw lots of Robins come from all directions and land in our big old maple tree as they sat preened and chirped and sang  and then  I  realized they all sleep in our cedar hedge that wraps around our yard there must of been at least 30 or more  and a few Red Wing black birds and Cardinals and lots of other birdies to who I knew slept in it as well , it was wonderful I was in AWE of them all .
  I briefly saw  one of our Chipmunks Theodore yesterday pop out very fast gathered some seed from  under the feeders and dashed back into his hidey hole , to fast to get a photo but I am glad he made it through the winter and will be looking out for him  more now  that he has woken up from his slumber I wonder if we will see the other two soon to  we had about, hope so .

Well things are slowly sprouting from my gardens  and I am planning who and what will be going where in the gardens again this year .  But until then we will just enjoy what the spring  season will bring for us for now .
      
                                                        Until next time .

                                                               Country Gal 🌼

It's Finally Here !

                                                  Spring 😊    

All though it is windy and chilly out  the sun is shining and Spring has officially arrived oh how I have been waiting so patiently for you , ok now?  yup now ...  WOOHOO !   



                                                          This mornings sun rise .

                                      What a pretty first day of Spring sunrise to . 

     It may take a while for the temps and weather to catch up some but now that it is Spring I am a happy camper even more so just something about the season changing officially for me  and all the sunshine and more day light , the gardens slowly coming to life , spring birds all about , buds on the trees and bushes  ,  yes and even rain and thunderstorms  that all comes with Spring   really perks me up !


                                     So Happy Spring every one !
                   
                                                       Until next time .
                            
                                                            Country Gal  🌼
 











           

Sunshine , Indoor Blooms, Spring Is Around The Corner & A Miggs Update !

I am soo happy Spring is only 2 days away WOOHOO !  We had sunshine yesterday and are having lots of sunshine today not a cloud in the perfect  clear blue sky and all this week for us  the sun will be shining as well .  The sun is so nice and warm now and it has a UV reading now to so ya know its getting warmer and it rises earlier and farther up the east as well as sets farther up in the west and later each evening I love it !

Blooms, not quite outside yet but inside soo nice to have  . I have my Cacti and African Violets some of which were my Mums and are very old but still bloom wonderfully. This little stand I have them on is actually a step ladder Papa made for me a few years ago and it has an inlay of a purple butterfly in the top  but I love using it for displaying my plants on .

Papa bought me a  new cute little blooming plant the other day which was nice I love its tiny cluster of blooms .

     This  new little plant is called Kalanchoe Double flower and comes in many different colours. 
 The story to how I got this new plant is we were invited to our neighbour/friends house Mr & Mrs H for supper with a few other neighbour/friends on Friday and she said just bring ourselves well Papa and I didn't feel right about showing up empty handed and  when  he was up in town  he saw a pink plant and this orange one to  and thought hey  Country Gal and Mrs H  both love plants and we wont show up to the supper empty handed  , good one Papa  , well I loved mine and Mrs H loved hers so all went well and our supper was delish  and  the evening was a hit and we all had a nice time .

 One of my flowering Cacti which I have had for many years and is quite a big plant and blooms three times a year  .

This is my other Cacti and it is a younger plant and a bit smaller and also blooms about three times a year maybe even more as it is a younger plant . Both are soo pretty  when in bloom !

 Sun shining  , temps warming up, birdies singing, birds nesting and chasing each other about  , blooms in doors and Spring just literately around the corner . I am looking forward to Spring and its blooms outside  and getting my hands dirty in my gardens .

   Yesterday we did a bit of garden clean up of sticks and twigs from  winds we have had over the past week or two that fell from our trees and had a small Chiminea fire  and used my special camp fire starter for the first time that Papa got for me a while ago  , it was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air and warmth of sunshine and to only have the odd little patch of snow here and there in the shaded areas with the smell of the fire as always was wonderful .  Update on Miggs whilst I am on a roll here lol , She is doing very well , we have been taking longer walks now and going farther and she has been off leash every now and then in the back yard to get her back into the norm a bit more but she still wants to tear off and chase or at least run hard but we have to keep her a bit at bay till her leg is 100% some times she listens and well some times she doesn't but all is going well .     Ok that's enough babbling from me lol .  

                                                           Until next time .
                                         
                                                          Country Gal 
           
                                                             

                                                                                                                        

It's The Luck Of The Irish Day !

                                            We wish  you all a

 

                                                
                                                      Have a great day and weekend !😊
                                    
                                           From  : Country Gal , Papa , Miggs & Harley

Some Of This & That Or Just Rambling On !

Spring is getting closer  happy dance  here 💃, as of next Wednesday it will officially be here ! WOOHOO ! I hope the weather gets better to , today it  is some what of an overcast with the sun peeking out every now and then  from a break in the clouds  with a dusting of snow on the ground that we got last night . It is cold and windy and the bit of snow is so light it is blowing about , oh please Spring push old man winter out the door for good next week  lol .

                        Looking forward to these gardens being filled with blooms again .
.

                                       Early this morning I spotted this bunny in the yard .

  I said oh look Miggs the Easter bunny is early lol thinking to myself , why is it the  bunny that we all associate Easter with bringing us eggs when in fact it should be the Chicken should it not ?! Oh I see the chicken lays them all and the Bunny’s job is to deliver them  that makes sense , does it though ? who knows who or what one was thinking when they decided all this eh?! lol ! don't mind me I think of crazy things like this all the time lol !

Any who yesterday evening just as the sun  was setting  Miggs and I were out in the yard and was enjoying the  sky over and around us in the valley  and watching all the beautiful clouds with their silver linings floating by in the blueness of the sky  as the setting suns light reflected on them and  I was listening and watching  all the birdies coming to roost for the night in our trees and hedges . I saw 1 Robin , then 2 then 3 then  OH MY GOSH ! a flock of them landed in our big old maple tree I must of counted about 30 or more, it was awesome  . They all sat there and chatted and preened themselves , kind of  looked like they were getting ready to turn in for the night  lol ,  no I did not have my camera with me, I know DUH ! but I did get a photo of this Robin in the smaller tree all on his own singing his pretty wonderful song  a bit later  .

          My favorite song bird of all time , they really make my day to see and hear them .

Soon it will be time to put up our birdie houses as  Spring approaches for they will soon start to fill the houses up with twigs and what not . We clean out and take some of the houses down as they are for certain birds at certain times of the season to nest in . Each house has a different sized entrance hole for certain birds so that other birds cant get in , mainly the Sparrows , Grackles and Starlings and Papa resizes the entrance hole with clear plexiglass so that other birds cant peck away at it . Did you know that other birds will peck , spit and some what lick with their tongues  on the wood of the entrance hole to soften the wood so it is easier to break away and make it big enough for them to fit in  ?!  . Huh who knew ! cant do that to plexiglass .

 Miggs and I are enjoying our walks again every day now as she is doing so well with her leg , but she is a pooped pooch by the time we get home even though we don't go as far as we used to ,
 yet !

 Well that's some of my This & That Or Rambling on bit for today . Hope you all have a good day and for the bloggers in the east coast hope the nor-easter didn't dump to much snow on you all and that your all safe and cozy  .

                                                                   Until next time .
                                       
                                                     Country Gal
                                                                      

Some Of This & That

Well we have now changed our clocks an hour ahead here in Ontario for day light savings which means we will have more hours of day light and the sun rises early in the mornings and sets later  in the evenings  . Some people don't like the  time change forward but for me I don't mind it as I enjoy the amount of day light we get and being retired I can still get that extra hour in of sleep if I want to lol !  As we say here Spring the clocks an hour ahead !

Talking about Spring not long now only 10 days till Spring  WOOHOO !  I cant wait 😍    

This morning when I got up I noticed the reflection of the sun shining in the kitchen window from the east  and strange yet pretty its light looked then I saw out the window the amazing sky over our valley and just had to pop out in my jammies as the kettle was boiling for our tea and take a few pics .

       This sun beam or pillar  was soo pretty as it shot straight up into the sky . 

 These are two different photos even though to some they may not look like it but the clouds are situated differently between the two .

 Light Pillars

Generally seen in cold, arctic regions but it wasn't that cold here at all . Light pillars are an optical phenomenon where columns of light can be seen emanating from below or above a light source. Light pillars occur when natural or artificial light reflects off flat ice crystals in the air close to the Earth’s surface.
Light pillars caused by the Sun are called Solar or Sun pillars, while those caused by the Moon’s light are called Lunar or Moon pillars. When the light source is the Sun, light pillars are usually seen when the Sun is near the horizon. While Sun and Moon pillars are more common, light pillars can also occur due to the presence of artificial lights.
Because the ice crystals in the atmosphere reflect the source light, light pillars tend to take on the color of the light source. Cool eh? !

 We had sun for the morning and Miggs and I went for our walk all though the air is still chilly it is nice that almost all our snow has gone and from the looks of the Robins pecking at the ground it has thawed a bit more as I saw one Robin pulling a worm like a piece of spaghetti  from the ground , but now it has clouded over and staying to an overcast  afternoon , hope the sun comes out again for the evening, I do like a nice sun set and it will set  at 7:30pm and eventually set later and later . 

Taking about Miggs she continues to do well strong as an Ox she is and we are slowly letting her off leash in the back yard , just have to keep a close eye on her so she doesn't take off after any critters for now still as it is the take off in to running that is hard on her knee and leg still , she will be able to that more in another week or so but all in all she is doing wonderfully .

  Papa and I were busy all day yesterday rewiring our internal wiring for our stationary electronic devises to and from our computer room  we did upgrading things making it all easier to deal with if need be and all labeled as to what goes where and hiding it all so there isn't tons of wires all over the place as well as  new wiring with good connections and  having it all run from a main patch panel and switch to everything that we use .  The wires travel from our TV's ,  PC computers and other stationary electronic  devises  under the floor up into the wall and to this Patch panel and hub  neat and tidy and easy to deal with if any problems should arise .  Papa is very good at doing this kind of stuff to and I like to do it all with him and learn . 

                                             All works well and looks neater to . 

Any who enough of my boring chatter lol I just like learning this stuff as the future seems to be all electronic now . 

                   

                                                    Until next time . 

        

                                                           Country Gal 🌼

      

                                                    

Birdies

My 💗 of birds has been since I was a kid and I have been a birder for many years, I am excited when our Spring birds return and all though I am not a big fan of winter sad to see some of our winter birds leave  also to have our summer birds return in May is wonderful  .

Through out the year we have roughly 40 breeds or more  of birds occupy and visit our yard and feeders . I   am always looking and listening out for them , watching them and hoping to spot a new bird in the yard or our valley each year . We have had a few newbies to the area over the years but they don't seem to stay about very long  thankfully I have been able to get photos of them to  keep in my Bird ID  photo journal . We are lucky to be on the migration path of both birds and butterfly's which is another love of mine .

Earlier today with my smart phone I took a video all though a shaky one of some of the birds we have at the feeders . They love out big old tree that's there and the Cedar hedges all make for a cozy sit and rest area and good camouflage for them to . The video didn't show up as I wanted it to here something would not load properly .

It can get quite noisy and busy in our yard at the feeders . Some days there are so many birds at the feeders and on the ground that when they take off for what ever reason I can hear the WOOSH ! of all the wings , they come and go in waves . I can sit and watch them for hours and study their antics and characters as well as take many photos of them to lol ! Guess one can say  I have gone to the birds  lol !

   The snow is falling again here today but mainly melts as it hits the ground I hope we don't get any more snow especially snow that stays  .  At least our birdies will be fed sheltered and happy and that makes me happy .😊

 
                                                                 Until next time .
     
                                                                      Country Gal





                                        

       

Springing Forward

Yes this means more day light WOOHOO !

                         Earlier sunrises and later sun sets  . Next on the list is the official return of Spring .
     
                                                   Oh how I have been waiting  😍  !


                                                                  Until next time .    

                                                                   Country Gal 🌼                      

Early Morning Sky With A Bit Of This & That

The sky in the east over our valley was lovely early this morning as the sun was rising and the Robins and other birdies were signing and chatting away as it all  echos through out the valley and the sound of the Canadian Geese along our river bank and  as they fly over head .

 The temps and winds today are chilly and the sun is popping in and out of openings of clouds that fill the sky .  The feeders are busy as is our yard and valley with birds flying about and gathering nesting material as well as chasing each other around .

 

   Miggs and I went for a nice walk earlier , she is doing wonderfully , strong as ever  now  and is able to walk farther each day , soon we will be able to go on our regular length walks and she will soon be wondering the yard leash free again WOOHOO ! 

Our snow is slower at melting on the land this time  as the air and ground are cold again  but the areas that the sun has been shining has all melted for the sun is warmer and stronger now  and the grass that is showing is nice and green  .  We may be getting some rain later in the week and knowing  the month of March as it is a trickster of a month with the weather , possibly some snow but I am in  hopes that it doesn't stick around .

  This coming Sunday March 11th we Spring our clocks ahead one hour and will have more day light each day which I am soo looking forward to and in 14 days Spring arrives on March 20th at 12:15 P.M. EDT. 😍 I am soo looking forward to this  it has been a long winter for both Miggs and I . 

 As the days get brighter, sunnier , longer and the temps start to get warmer and the land slowly changes and my gardens grow,  Miggs and I will be out and about more enjoying as much as we can .

                                                        

                                                            Until next time .

           

                                                                          Country Gal 🌼

It's Been An Eventful Week !

Weather wise that is .
We  had a bad storm of  rain to start then more snow and freezing rain  dumped on us Thursday night into Friday early morning  a typical hello from the month of  March as it usually does especially after the tease of mild sunny Spring like weather , then old man winter knocks ya back to reality 😞.

I will say I was disappointed with the storm and snow on the ground again after having it all green but I will say it was very pretty when all was said and done .

All though I don't think the Spring birds that have arrived already  under false pretenses due to the warming trend and Spring like conditions were very happy with this snow storm as the feeders were covered early the next morning .

         Not one bird was at the feeders . It was strangely quiet  as they all stayed snugged in their beds , cant blame them there I say lol ! I went out and cleaned off the feeders then they all came back to feast , I thinking to myself after ,( now that's better !) .

           The trees and land were very quiet and pretty in the wee hours of the morning at dusk when I took these photos !

As the morning moved along after the sun rise , Miggs and I went out for a little walk after the snow plow had just finished clearing our road and the sun was shining on  everything as the icy snow glistened in the sun across the field that's beside our little house .

                  To the right of this pic you can see our little house Woods Country Cove .

So that was our storm after all was said and done . Now the sun has been shining and it has some melting power to it that's for sure cause all this icy snow is almost gone .

Last nights moon was pretty over our valley in the east . I just had to pop out and take a pic or two after supper .

The sky was full of stars and planets in this shot . I have never been able to get them in any of my moon photos before .  This full moon is also known as the full Worm Moon or Frost Moon or Sugar Moon or Crust Moon … All of these names suggest the arrival of springtime!

So far this weekend weather has been sunny and is to be for next few days  but the air has been a bit on the chilly side but at least the snow is meting fast as the land and sun shine are warmer and the winds help to .

Miggs is doing better and better each day and getting stronger , We are able to just go that extra bit father on our walks every day now and it wont be long till she can be off leash in the yard and romp around on her own .

 This is after our walks , she gets pooped out a bit easier now lol ! and has a late morning nap then she is raring to go again after lol !

Well all our Spring birds have returned but one , the Song Sparrow . We now have Robins , Grackles, Starlings, Red Winged Black birds , Morning Doves , Eastern Blue birds, Turkey Vultures who have a face only a mother could love lol and  the little Kill Deer who like to play possum when near their nests .  The Canadian Geese are on their Spring flight path looking to nest along our river banks  and the Tundra Swans In early spring they come by the thousands to feed and rest on the Thedford Bog the swans migrate  to the  north in late  Spring to the Canadian Arctic and return South to Delaware, USA in the fall. They will travel over 6000 km or 3728 miles per year on this round trip journey they have been traveling over head to and from their feeding at the conservation area fueling up to continue their trip .



So this has been an eventful week  with the coming of March that is still a welcomed month to me for it holds the hour ahead change of the clocks means more day light , the return of Spring birds and
Spring flowers and of course the return of no other then SPRING its self !! ! WOOHOO !   HAPPY DANCE ! 💃

                                                                   Until next time .
    
                                                                       Country Gal