What's outside of your picture window today?

@sueinmn, @johnbishop and all...Yes, that/s what it is! Painted bunting. I've admired them online and in books, they are absolutely lovely. Never had one visit before, so I'm honored. I hope it stays around my feeders. I just added safflower and lots of birds are now enjoying that-not the squirrels, Ha, Ha. I think finches like nyger seeds, right? maybe should add some at some time.
Love my birds.
Remember i had a threesome in mourning doves? Not so happy threesome. Well, I now have 5, 2 young ones arrived with the 3 large ones. Wonder who's the mom and dad? I'm nosey and having thoughts of messing around doves...bad me! Fun...Blessings on all my friends and birds, elizabeth

I don't bother with thistle. My finches in MN & TX eat song bird mix like everyone else! If it is wet or humid, thistle seed gets moldy and or rancid very quickly.
Sue

@sueinmn and others. Thanks for the info, Sue. It's pretty humid and wet in tropical Florida, so this is good to know. I think I've added all the varieties I will. May not do any mealy worms again. Something weird about that...Squirrels love the woodpecker blocks of seed in the wire feeders. They jump on the side or top and settle in for a long chow-time.
I keep fruit, hut, and seed combo, safflower seed, sunflower...may switch to hulled to make clean-up easier, but it's good for them to have the whole seed, think. And, peanut suet ball, whole hulled peanuts.
pretty good feast, I'd say?
Oh, have baby rats now, too. Nobody has eaten the rat poison I put outside my fence. I'll get more and plant it where I see the rats.. brazen horrible things, they are. add bushy tails and you have your tree rats, maybe add more hair too. They are having a ball in my attic and ceilings, between floors. It's awful...hearing them scurrying, tiny little claws make a special sound. My Samantha, the good cat that she is, was disturbed at first, but now makes her cks around the condo several times at night and keeps them at bay.
I have 'critter gitters' coming next week. These awful things are costing me anxiety and almost $300 to get them gone.
that's my happy info from Jax. I'm happy enjoying my birds. Love seeing the new ones so much.
Stay warm and enjoy your evening. elizabeth

Reading all the comments about snow blowers means that I should be pleased that I only needed to wear knee boots today to drag the garbage bin all the way down the driveway, across where it's flooded, and back up to the street. Still, thinking about another three months of carrying or wheeling (in my big contractor's wheelbarrow) supplies up to the house makes me wish we'd have a dry spell! The $400 temporary repair on the shed roof over part of the bath worked for the rest of the day it was done (no rain), but failed the next day. Not even a bid yet on the total reroofing of that area. Good news is that recent storms haven't brought more water into the garage and pantry: the three surface ditches I dug across the upper driveway are doing their job! No worries about how they have torn up the driveway surface, as I won't be using the driveway any time soon!

@ess77. Hi Elizabeth. Thankyou for your concern! And yes, we're still in the midst of our Vancouver Island winter weather, but much worse this year. The wind is howling out there again today, with "sideways " rain. Yesterday, it snowed, but melted overnight leaving the roads slushy, greasy and dangerous, according to the report I just got from my mobile lab tech, who comes to me on a weekly basis. I've been forbidden to walk outdoors now, forever, because of my propensity for blacking out. I can't even go out with a staff escort. It's such a painful situation for me. I'm sure you all recall my love for beating my own distance record with my beloved pedometer! My seniors' residence worries about their potential for liability Anyway, gang, it is what it is. Life goes on. I'm still happy to be alive..lol.

Our elementary school is on a two-hour delay this morning due to forecast incoming snow storm, which just hit us. Big flakes, sticking, after rain all night. So glad today is not the day I need to go north one hour to dr appt [that is tomorrow, forecast to be rain only with some clearing]. We so dearly need the wet stuff in any form, having been in drought situation for a few years.

@joyces On the coast like you are, I hope your weather woes and hiking the distance to access your car will be safe for you.
Ginger

To Ginger and all others, this morning it's trying hard to snow here on the Oregon coast, managing to leave a bit of white on the coldest areas, like the top of my black car sitting out next to the road and our deck. Very slushy white stuff, just more water that we don't need--but really, really needed during the five-month summer drought. Looking out my office window toward the ocean, I see slushy white stuff falling, visible against the spruce trees. When it drops below 40 here, everyone feels it, as our houses are definitely not well-insulated against cold. We're most concerned with keeping water out, instead of staying warm when it's really cold outside. And, yes, I know that many of you will crack up reading that below 40 is "cold." We're used to moderate temperatures throughout the year and are just as shocked any time it gets beyond the mid-70s during summers. We like to have things pretty much even all year. Grass grows even during winters, but it's often too rainy to mow, so we have ragged patches. It has been lovely to drive through the Willamette Valley the past month because the abnormally brown fields are all a lovely green carpet now. In all my life, I've never seen so much dry grass as there was this past summer. Rivers were so low and warm that fishing was forbidden all summer, except very early each day; most of us decided that if fish would be stressed by people fishing for them midday, we shouldn't pester them at all, so my 2021 license is still virgin. I had hoped to get in some fall salmon fishing, but the rains arrived early and most coastal rivers have been high--too high for fishing, definitely too much fresh water in the bays for crabbing.

Wow, what a spectacular sunset over the Gulf of Mexico taken just a few minutes ago. Enjoy!

Stunning and so relaxing!

@lovely. such piece and harmony. thanks, Lori