Bye Bye Birdie...

Look! There was just one little bird remaining in the nest...but as always, there is a story behind the picture.....

The other evening after I was finished feeding the goats/sheep, I thought I ought to take a peek at the nest to see how the babies were growing and I could see the four little birds crowded in the nest. I gently reached down to pull away some of the reeds to get a better look and suddenly two of the babies fluttered their wings and flew out of the nest and into some of the nearby cattails! I was quite surprised at first and then felt a little guilty that I had disturbed them. I wondered if they'd ever come back to the nest and if Momma Bird was keeping track of where they went.
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This morning when I went out with my camera, there was just one lonely little baby occupying the nest. As I began to look around, I spied another baby bird perched on a cat tail so I moved around to get a better picture. To my amazement, the baby flew off over the pond...but only got about half way across and ran out of "wing-power." Poor baby landed in the water! Then I witnessed an amazing thing...the baby began to flap its wings up and down and it "swam" (sort of like doing a breast stroke) across the surface of the pond until it reached the other side and the safety of more cat tails and reeds!!! Momma Bird dutifully swooped down to check out her young one. Hurray!
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Tonight when I checked the nest, I was expecting to see just one baby bird again. But to my surprise, there were three babies crammed into that small little nest. So I guess they DO come back to the nest at some point. Momma Bird was waiting nearby with a big fat bug. Reminds me of a teenage boy...he is big enough to be off on his own but he always returns home so Mom can feed him!!! Ha!

Growing Baby Birds!

Here's a couple of photos of the baby birds this morning. I finally captured a picture of one of them with its little mouth open. As soon as I walked away, Momma Bird swooped down to feed them a couple of tasty bugs.

They are really crowded in the nest now. Scroll down to compare past photos and you can really see how much they've grown in the past 5 days. (Click on the photos to see them really close up).

"Hey, lady! Whadda ya lookin' at???

Baby Bird update

Here is a Baby Bird update: they are getting more feathers and I saw that some of them have their eyes open now. You can definitely see four beaks, which makes me happy to know that all the eggs hatched. They are just so sweet!

I tried to get a picture with their little mouths open but as soon as I got too close, they hunkered down in the nest and got real quiet. I'm sure they can hear Mama and Daddy squawking away at me and that is their cue to be still during "stranger danger." This morning Daddy Bird was hovering so close that I was in great peril of being pecked on the head!

Hooked Rugs

I thought I'd share pictures of some really lovely rugs hooked by Rebecca Erb. Both patterns are available at Spruce Ridge Studios.

This is Checkered Jardiniere. Everything is simply terrific about this rug. I love the nice soft brown background.

This is Black Cat Society, a pattern adapted from the folk art of Lori Brechlin/Notforgotten Farm. I love how Rebecca hooked subtle stars into the background above the middle cat.
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The braided edges are amazing and add extra interest to the whole rug. Rebecca did not do the braiding herself but had someone braid it for her. Beautiful!

Baby Birds

I checked Mama Bird's nest this morning and found a mass of beaks and limbs and soft little feathers! They must be newly hatched because their eyes are not open yet...I couldn't spend too much time peeping at the newborns because Mama and Daddy Bird were hovering around my head, just about ready to dive-bomb me!

I'll definitely share more pictures as the babies grow!
~~ Have a great week-end!~~

Second Annual Spruce Ridge Open House and Tent Sale

Mark your calendar! The Second Annual Spruce Ridge Studios Open House and Tent Sale is coming soon. It takes place Saturday, June 6, 2009 and starts at 10 am sharp (please, no early birds/early sales! We will still be setting up in the morning). There will be clearance-priced wool and rug hooking patterns, along with lots of other fun items at reduced prices. There could be some other terrific bargains, depending on what I find in my craft closet!
All sale items will be located under the tent. For your regular shopping needs, my studio will be open all day. Sale ends at 4 pm.
Visa and Mastercard will be accepted for all sales. All tent sale items are final sales.
Last year was loads of fun and full of surprises...I hope to see you this year!

Happy Mother's Day

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers ~ Jewish Proverb

A beautiful first rug

This is a "first rug" hooked by Glenda Latchaw, affectionately known as "G" to her friends. Glenda began her rug hooking journey here at one of my studio classes, starting the last week of February. I knew from the first loops she pulled up that she'd do a great job. It is not a beginner-sized rug either! I was thinking that it was going to take her a long time to get this done....wrong! She stopped over last Wednesday to show me her finished masterpiece and to pick up some more linen. She's already got a new project brewing in her mind...a rug for her granddaughter.

Glenda has many reasons to celebrate her first rug hooking accomplishment...it is beautiful! She is full of enthusiasm and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of her lovely rugs in the near future.
Congratulations to "G"!!!! I am so proud of you!!!

Bonus!

Well, what do you know! I looked at the nest this morning and now there are FOUR eggs!
I'll give poor mommy bird a break and I won't bother her for a few days. Then we'll see if there are any new baby birds to take a peep at! (ha...pardon the "cheep" pun!)

A Sweet Little Discovery

Here's a lovely little discovery while walking by the pond today....a red-winged blackbird's nest! It was cleverly disguised and I'll bet I've walked by it dozens of times and never knew it was there. Look at those sweet little blue eggs.It's incredibly amazing how perfectly it is woven and formed.

The outside layer of the nest is created from dead cat tail reeds and woven like a basket around the live, green reeds. It's suspended over the shallow shoreline and built so sturdily that I'll bet even the strongest wind couldn't topple it.

Momma bird was keeping a very close eye on me!

The (Unimpressed) Audience

This spring, I've started my own little exercise program. I take a brisk one-half hour walk every single day, unless the rain is pouring down. It makes me feel good and I sleep better too. When I started considering my options, I decided not to walk in the subdivision across the street. It would have been easier to walk on the pavement, but I didn't want to deal with cars driving by, kids playing in the street, and possibly a dog or two chasing after me. So I decided to walk in my own backyard, between the house and the barn, and around the animal pens. I walk at a brisk pace, swinging my arms, singing out loud to my i-pod music, and generally looking like a real corn-ball (yup, just another good reason not to walk in the subdivision). The only audience I have is this....And this.....

And this guy, who looks a little startled...maybe it was my singing?

And occasionally, this guy is my audience too......

No one looks terribly impressed....