Category: All Creatures Great and Small

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Birds and blueberries are growing

Baby Cardinals in their nestThe baby cardinals are getting bigger…and louder. They are developing some feathers now, and their eyes are open. It’s getting harder for all four to fit in the nest.

Baby Cardinals in their nestThey’re all in there, but it’s hard to see them all at once. They have to sit or climb on each other. The only time I’ve seen all their heads at once is when their mom and dad arrive with food. Then all their beaks pop straight up in the air.

Blueberries formingMy blueberry bushes are forming blueberries! I never knew that the blueberries develop from the cup parts that held the flowers, and the little outermost points of the cup curl in to become the centers of the blueberries.

Mexican PrimrosesThe Mexican primroses are back too. We accidentally pulled them out one year, before they bloomed, thinking they were weeds. So, we planted new ones last year. They’re blooming in profusion now.

Mexican PrimrosesI’ve been working on our Ruffing’s blog. I wish all my work were more noticeable, because that would feel more rewarding, but I’m trying to take care of as much as possible before I put it up on our web site. I’m redoing lots of older doll photos, and I’m fixing up the old blog posts. I’ve got my working draft temporarily over on Blogger at a Blogspot address. I’ll import it to our site once it’s better organized, and then I’ll just redirect everything. It’s going to be a big job, but I’m working on it.

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Newly-hatched cardinals and a mini shop update

Cardinal fledglings in nestThere were a lot of cheep-cheep-cheep noises coming out of  the the bushes next to the porch last night. We kept seeing a male and female cardinal, hopping along the railing, and flying in and out of one of the bushes. I followed the noise and found four baby cardinals, with their eyes still closed, in a nest, waiting for their mom and dad to bring them some dinner.

Cardinal fledglings in nestIt doesn’t seem like the best place for a nest, but birds make some odd choices sometimes. We’ve watched birds building nests in the hanging plants before too. I tried to give these cardinals some extra privacy by attaching a board to the porch railing, to block the view, at least from the porch. I took these photos first.

Cardinal fledglings in nestAs you can see, when their mama arrives, all their mouths open at once. You can see her tail feathers through the branches. I tried to get a picture of her feeding them, but the light was fading and she wasn’t still for more than a second at a time. Their dad has been just as busy feeding them.

I hope they’ll be safe in there.

Bright light yellow-green Hug Me SlugsI just put some “Hug Me! Slugs” up in my Etsy shop and updated our Soft Dolls and Art Toys page, for a quick overview of what’s available. As I mentioned, I’m switching out the custom-order listings with ready-made dolls and creatures. I’ll continue doing that so I can get caught up on everything around here.

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Happy Spring!

Spring is here, and it feels more like the beginning of a new year for us than New Year’s Day did.

It’s so nice to hear the birds singing and see the daffodil, narcissus, and crocus flowers all opening.

The kitties are asking to go outside to explore,

and to take baths in the sunshine.

The ducks have come back up the hill, after spending the winter on the pond.

And I…I am at the Apple Store, almost every day, taking classes!

I even beat the Easter Bunny there on Saturday.

You know you’re up early when you beat the Easter Bunny to work.

One more day, hopefully, and we will start our new adventure, with a new computer, new software, and soon, a new blogging platform. I’ve held off on switching to WordPress until we switch to the Mac. Pretty exciting.

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Slugging away

I’ve been having a little rush on “Hug Me! Slugs” this week. These are just some of the ones I am working on. There are others, in boxes, on the ironing board, on the extra table. They’re taking over my workroom right now. Poor little Sarah, my older sewing machine, is having to stand in for my Platinum, which is in the shop for repair. The man who does the repairs thought the feed dogs might have gotten accidentally tugged out of place, a minor repair, hopefully. I think Sarah will have to go in to be serviced next, with all the fuzzy stuff collecting inside of her.

Fall finally feels like it has arrived. The leaves are turning color, and it’s slightly chilly…sometimes. It seems warm compared to NY state. It feels just right to me.

Even though Mr. Duck’s leg has healed, the ducks still come asking for cracked corn treats. We give them a little bit, just to encourage them to forage on this side of the pond and not wander toward the roads in the other direction. It’s not as nutritious for them as what they can find on their own, and you have to make sure none is left on the ground, because mold is dangerous for ducks. But they get very excited about it. I can’t believe the duckling is so big now. That’s him (or her) in front, on the left. Mama duck is watching me. She’s got her baby quacking at me now too. They are a funny bunch.

We cleaned out our flower bed out front, and this little anole has been enjoying the warmth of our solar lamps, which are now exposed more to the sun. He was sitting there sunning himself for a long time. I think I will follow his example, and sit out on the porch with some hand sewing.