What's outside of your picture window today?

Posted by John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop, Nov 25, 2020

As we get ready for the real winter to show up and COVID-19 still playing a major part in our lives I like to spend moments of my day de-stressing about what's going on in the world today. All I have to do is look out the window and observe some of natures beautiful creatures, how they interact and ponder how small it makes my troubles seem. Sometimes I may even get the opportunity to take a photo or two. How about you? Anything going on outside of your window(s) that you want to share?

For those members that have the ability to size your photos before you upload them to the discussion, may I suggest using the following sizes:
– 500 x 335 pixels (landscape)
– 210 x 210 pixels (square)

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As I type this out, we have some rain showers, some snow showers, and a fairly steady wind. They forecast more snow coming in, with a winter storm warning. Right now the little birds are still flitting around, but I think they will be seeking shelter soon! The deer have gone to ground already. Thankfully, my errands were yesterday. My daffodils are bravely keeping their bright yellow heads lifted, seeming to defy the quarrelsome weather patterns.

A good day for hot tea and indoor musings....
Ginger

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@gingerw
Hello Ginger,
Just curious, do you kids miss the Southern California weather? No picture of your Daffodils? I love them. I planted over 200 one year.
Stay warm⛄❄️☔🥶
Jake

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The Japanese Cherry Trees are already in bloom!

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Here are the Cherry Trees in full bloom. I will be picking some soon to press and dry for my cards.

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@frances007

Here are the Cherry Trees in full bloom. I will be picking some soon to press and dry for my cards.

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They are beautiful @frances007, My daughter is visiting Japan and sent me a picture of the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto a few days ago.

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@jakedduck1

@gingerw
Hello Ginger,
Just curious, do you kids miss the Southern California weather? No picture of your Daffodils? I love them. I planted over 200 one year.
Stay warm⛄❄️☔🥶
Jake

Jump to this post

@jakedduck1
Hi back to you, Leonard!

You're so kind to say "kids" LOL There are both positive and negative weather trade-offs wherever someone is. I love all the green up here, but sometimes it is just too much rain! Likewise I loved the aridness of the part of So Cal where we were, but would have liked more green. Don't miss the earthquakes. But could do without the annual wildfire season here.

Cameras and I generally are not a good mix. All my daffodils and hyacinths are from the last owners' plantings. We have several different cherry trees, and they should start sprouting blooms soon, each one has a different leaf/fruit.
Ginger

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Here, on the central Oregon coast, daffodils bloom 2-3 weeks earlier than in the Willamette Valley just east of us, on the other side of the Coast Range. I have what was once a single cluster but is now three large clusters across the side yard (nearly a half acre of mowed "stuff") that are beginning to tip over, wilt. Even the ones in total shade along the long driveway are now in full bloom. The downside is that many spring flowers are much LATER than they are in the Valley, so there's a long pause before we see rhodies, azaleas, primroses, etc. It's nice that the daffodils bloom so early, as their leaves/stalks have begun to wither by the time it's dry enough to mow "stuff." In the six decades I've cared for this place, I've never planted grass, just mowed whatever comes up, which encourages grass. Still, if you look closely, lots of what I mow isn't grass at all! Right now, as always in winter, our driveway is so flooded that ducks are swimming on it. The pretty little creek, thanks to illegal things done by eight failed developers over the past five decades, is now a huge, ugly marsh. Right now, it's full of water, with reeds, skunk cabbage, and invasive yellow iris just beginning to show. Hopefully, by the end of March I'll be able to order truckloads of gravel and dirt to spread, to replace what has been washed downstream this winter. The sad note is that there's so much silt downstream that frogs can't live there now, so, for the first time since I bought this land 62 years ago, I have no resident great blue heron. I also don't have a frog chorus to listen to every night. Since I'm 81, I'm beginning to fear that nothing will be done to reverse part of this mess during my remaining years. Drat!...or, several much harsher words!

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@joyces
Photos of the 🦆duckies🦆 would be nice!!!
Thank you in advance
Jake

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Here's a photo of a mallard pair, in the big beaver pond. Unfortunately, there's no duckling food, so we haven't had any mallard ducklings for the past two years, nor have we had any other kinds of ducks as we used to. In addition, the pair of Canada geese came, stayed for a month, but never built a nest: nothing for the goslings to eat. The young heron (our third over the past 62 years) was forced to leave the valley last fall, due to lack of food (frogs).

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A white-throated sparrow, pair of cardinals, a brown thrasher and a sparrow who moved too fast to identify.
Gardenia blossoms on the ground, puddles and fence sections waiting to be painted. Daffodils hidden behind the stacked up fence sections. My shop building and the little forest.
It's a bit of a mess, but I love it. It'll be nice when the fence is painted and installed.

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