Life in the Bristolwood

Feeding the birds in the winter is such a delightful hobby….particularly with the feeder we have, which basically mounts on the windowsill outside.  As I watch all the little birds flitting back and forth between the feeder and the trees, I somehow “take ownership” over all the little ones, shooing off the large and feisty blue-jays that seek to eat ALL of the seeds and frighten the small birds away. Honestly, all I need do is raise the window, or tap on it, and the over-sized predators fly off in a huff!

As I was watching a little while ago, I saw my usual diners…titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, and the goldfinches. But then, one of the finches turned a bit, and I realized it was *not* a goldfinch, but a purple finch! Of course, I grabbed the camera, once again poising myself somewhat precariously from the upstairs bedroom window. I was pleased to “catch” this little one…..

I have discovered that taking winter photos of the birds allows for excellent shots! Take a look at this little nuthatch! I think he was “spying” as he caught me leaning out the window.

And, just how cold is it here in the Bristolwood? Well, take a look at this little fluffed-up chickadee!

We have been having the kind of weather that thrills the very soul of the meteorologist. Within the past couple of days, we have seen rain, freezing rain and snow. And, believe me when I say *wet* snow, as in having been “sprinkled” with rain, is *heavy* snow!

Each year, the past several years, I always joined in the fun on some of my Scottie and soap making lists, by joining in Christmas gift exchanges and card exchanges.  This year, I decided to give it a rest, as I felt as though I was sprinting with activity the last quarter of this year!

Last year, I was so discouraged, as I always took a picutre of Scotties in the snow for the Scottie card exchange. Well, this year WOULD have been the year to get a great shot! Ah well….

Yesterday, the trees in the Bristolwood looked as though they were doing the hula.  The weather report called for “gusts of up to 50 miles per hour”; I do believe we were experiencing *sustained* winds near that velocity! The anemometer on the weathervane was spinning so rapidly, Mark was concerned the Scottie sitting atop the contraption was going to launch up and away!

I went down to the mailbox yesterday and when I got back, I told Mark there were branches scattered all over the ground. He tol me there were far more than branches….he had driven the ATV up the road a bit after plowing the driveway. He said that he could see that several trees up in the woods had blown over from the winds. We really hadn’t had any winds like that all this year. This is good news for my firewood cutting venture next year!

This morning, little Murphy awakened me shortly before 4 am.  After grumbling a little, I got out of bed and trudged downstairs to take him and Angus outside.  As I looked out on the front porch, I could see snow on the railings covering the Christmas lights.

Before going to bed last night, I had checked the weather, and we had no alerts or warnings. This morning, however, we have a lake effect snow warning until 5 pm. 

I opened the back door to let the Scottie boys out and they suddenly came to a halt! I had to nearly boot them out the door! I shoveled a narrow path and they scampered down it. Angus, the braveheart, made a path once on the ground, and Murphy merely followed in his brother’s footsteps, quite literally!

Although the snow doesn’t look that deep, it was certainly up past little Scottie shoulders!

I got the fire burning brightly in the woodstove, and now I shall spend the day sipping hot cocoa and reading as the snow falls gently outside my window.  Oh, oops….that scene is from another life…..in reality, I will probably spend much of today shoveling snow off the porch and deck, and making paths to the garage for firewood and so Mark can get to the ATV to plow the driveway!