Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters ~ 376 ~

A Loon is an elegant waterbird.

With a long, pointed bill held slightly elevated or on an angle.

It dives for fish and swims underwater to catch them,

propelling itself with its feet.

It swallows most of its prey underwater.

The Loon has sharp rearward pointing projections on the roof of its mouth,

that help it keep a firm hold on slippery fish.

Sexes are similar.

They have an eerie call/cry, like a wailing babies cry!

I am sharing this image to see if anyone knows why this Loon looks markedly different.

Spotted about most of the head, instead of the definitive white and gray.

I did a little research and it did not look like the pictures in my book of a juvenile,

or what the book called "1st winter".

I saw these Loons on Wednesday, it was windy and the water was very choppy.

I only see Loons during the winter.

The last time we were at 

Lake of the Lilies

We saw this Killdeer

Boldly marked, long legged, noisy plover...these I see year round.

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Seas The Day

 Wednesday was super warm here at the Jersey Shore, 

~ 55 degrees ~

When I opened the windows at home the air felt awesome, almost summer like.

I really wanted to go to the beach and convinced the hubs to take me.

We cannot get on the beaches in Bay Head where we usually go because of all of the erosion.

Instead we went to Point Pleasant Beach by the inlet and those beaches were open.

The ocean was so blue, and at the shoreline, 

where the waves were breaking, the water was a beautiful shade of turquoise.

It was windy and cold, but still, I was so happy to be here.

There were 2 wind surfers on the other side of the inlet,

it was a great day for it!

Life takes you down many paths, but the best ones lead to the beach!

Did You Know...

 Did you know that you can order single cards on-line at 

The Hallmark Store

It is helpful during the pandemic and for those like me who can't drive.

I shop on-line for the upcoming month and get all the cards I need.

Shipping is free and they come very quickly,

in a large, heavy, cardboard envelope that protects them well.

Did you know that sometimes a cake mix is better than homemade.

I have made so many coffee cakes in my life and have never made one better than this one.

Few ingredients, super quick and easy, the hubs and I love this one.

Did you know that one stem on an 

Amaryllis Plant 

can hold five flowers, I didn't know that!

And if your wonderful husband brings home tulips for you...

and they "droop" in the vase...

did you know that if you stick a pin through the stem,

at the base of the flower, then pull it out, the tulips will stand up straight.

You can watch a video about how to do that here.

And just in case you wondered if it works,

here they are today!

Another day in the books, and that's all I've got!

Scavenger Hunt

Sometimes you find fun...sometimes you have to make it up.

I wanted to visit the lake and I decided a Scavenger Hunt would be fun,

so why not join those two things together.

- let me tell you, this was fun -

I made up the Scavenger Hunt with things I thought we might see...

The rules were pretty simple, each item can only be used once.

We each found 14, so it was a tie.

A Goose and Snow

Mallard

Seagull

Flock of Birds

Boat

We stopped for fresh hot donuts at 

Top That Donuts 

and went to the inlet and enjoyed them there.

Make a Scavenger Hunt and try this out, it really was fun!

My Injured Chickadee

 I get a lot of injured birds at my bird feeders.

This little Chickadee has been visiting every day for about a week now,

it's leg and foot are wounded beyond it's ability to use it.

Poor thing, down to one leg, 

these images demonstrate just how strong a birds legs are and their ability to adapt to being hurt.

It always lands in the same spot of this tree, in the middle, where it probably feels most safe.

It is a beautiful bird, 

it's coloring, feathers and cleanliness, prettier than some of the other Chickadees.

No ruffled feathers by this "impediment" it get's around well.

I hope it continues to come back as we will always have a plate out for you...

you can feel safe here! 

And how about that sunshine, nice, right?!

Wise Words On Sunday

Saturday Critters ~ 375 ~

We received more snow on Thursday, and the birds have been all over the feeders.

We keep the feeders filled with black sunflower oil seeds, all of the birds seem to prefer those.

We use to buy bird seed mix, but the birds never ate the filler,

who knew they had such a fussy palate.

American Goldfinch

Yellow-Rumped Warbler - First Winter

White Throated Sparrow

Titmouse

Male House Finch

Mourning Dove

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

 

Afternoon Sunshine

The afternoon sunshine came before the snow... 

and drenched the new flowers on the Kalanchoe in sunlight.

The Chickadee enjoyed the rare sunshine, as we have had so many cloudy, gray days.

This is a rare capture of the Nuthatch,

I see them all the time in the winter but they are very difficult to photograph.

I was so happy to see and photograph this one.

Then the snow came...

It started on Thursday, large, fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky, it was beautiful.

I made semi-homemade cream of potato soup...

It was so good on a cold, snowy afternoon.

There was a little Racko,

 I love a good game of Racko on a snowy day, especially when I win!

Staying Busy & Being Happy

Is Staying Busy The Key To Happiness...

yes, for me, it is!

Keeping busy is different than being rushed. 

Staying busy with tasks or creative projects you enjoy

means having the right amount of time to do the things you love to do...

not being hurried to do things you don't enjoy.

During this time of being home and being isolated, 

there are things we can all do to keep busy and create our own happiness.

I'm jumping in...

making two lists ~ one "To Do" list ~ and one list of "Blog Ideas"

I want to enjoy cooking and baking more than I have been,

that will have to be a choice I need to make as I have been getting tired of cooking.

I have even grown a little tired of knitting,

my knitting needle broke last night and a lot of stitches came off before I realized it.

The hearts in my Valentines cookies weren't as nice as I had hoped...

all little things 

that are not really important in the grand scheme of things.

32 Days Until Spring

  Continuing from yesterdays post and because...

"I don't have anything much to write about,

we have not taken any day trips or gone on any weekend get-a-ways.

So let's take a look at what our view will be like/should be like in 33 days.

Tulips and Daffodils, green grass and beautiful trees filled with Cherry Blossoms!!

These images were taken in Longwood Gardens ~ April 2018.

Looking at them I remember it was a beautiful day and we had so much fun!"

Here are the purples and pinks...

I sure do miss being able to visit 

Longwood Gardens,

 I have enjoyed visiting through images from the past!