Quiet Day

Today was spent quietly. I assisted with two Ash Wednesday services at my church, one at noon, the other at 6:30.  Before, and in between services, I worked on cutting paper and assembling card parts for the Stamp Camp that's coming up on Saturday.

I had the pleasure of my granddaughter Sweetie's company for a couple of hours in mid-afternoon while her mother was on an errand.  Sweetie was a bit under the weather, "I have allergies, or something, Grandma," and was mostly quiet. We watched a bit of the older Disney movie The Lion King, but it didn't hold her interest (she's probably seen it a dozen or more times) so we moved on to other things.

While working in my craft room, which has windows from which I can see into the back yard, I thought I spied a new visitor to my bird feeder. It was colored exactly like a male Northern Cardinal, but I couldn't see a crest on its head. I watched it for some minutes -- rounded-top head, no crest. I came to the computer to see if I could find any reference to such a thing. No.  When I went back to the windows, I saw it again at one of the feeders. It grabbed a seed and flew into a nearby bush and POP!  Up went the crest!  I didn't know that Cardinals could relax their crest feathers that way.

That's about it. I lead such an exciting life!

Tomorrow is also a day.

Things Past, Things to Come

Reminders of Last Year's Blooms -  Autumn Clematis, Carolina Jessamine, Sedum

 New Growth - Magnolia, Daffodil, Lilac, "Oklahoma" Rose, "Knockout" Rose, Carolina Jessamine

The air was balmy and the sun shining brightly when I took my "lunch break" today, so outside to my back yard with the camera I did go.  A close look revealed evidence of last year's flowers and the promise of flowers to come.

My Carolina Jessamine vine, which covers about 20 feet of the fenceline on the east side of the yard had some dried seed pods on it.  These are pictured bottom-left on the first photo. I don't recall ever before seeing these; I think they're interesting.

The obstreperous squirrels have broken several of the stalks on my King Alfred daffodils as well as a still-supple limb on the Magnolia tree.  The latter, which had several buds on it, was connected to the tree only by a minute bit of bark and a gentle tug on my part severed its connection.  The squirrels can now munch on the emerging blossoms to their hearts' content without having to climb the tree.

I enjoyed another round of "Sweetie-Duty" this morning while Gardening Daughter worked a few hours at the florist.  Sweetie is very fond of using Google to look up things in which she has an interest. I'm teaching her to use the keyboard to enter her own searches. That activity helps teach her to spell, also. Today's searches included "One-Eyed Willie" the pirate, weasels, ferrets and prairie dogs.  She was aghast to learn that ferrets love to dine upon prairie dogs.

Lunch break is over.  Tomorrow is also a day.