Birthdays and Birding

I’m doing my best to savor winter and I thought I’d share just how it’s going.

It’s always a little sad when we pack away Christmas.  I’ve written before about my difficulties with moving on.  This year I decided to hold on to our Christmas tree a little longer.  I moved it out to the deck, strung cranberries and popcorn, and filled orange peel halves with bird seed.  To say my deck is a bird hot spot is a vast understatement.  Watching the tree, along with the other two feeders has brought me hours of entertainment.  The Juncos and Cardinals are regulars, but I was a bit surprised to see a Finch and a Woodpecker at the window feeder.

During the wee, early hours of Christmas Eve, we had a magical dusting of snow. It didn’t last the day but for those of us still up at the time, it definitely made it feel like Christmas.  The day after I put the tree out we got our first true, measurable snowfall.  A couple of years ago I bought a tiny book and snowman kit.  I think this was the first snowfall we’ve had since I bought it.  I also made another ice lantern, which together with my little snowman and bird tree made it truly nice to look out the window.

Our oldest son’s birthday was this past week, and our oldest daughter’s is next week, so there were gifts to be made.  A gift they both appreciate is homemade cherry jam, so a batch was made over the weekend.  The cherries Paul and I pick and pit each June from our three cherry trees.  I freeze them in four cup bags, the correct amount for pies and jam.  Paul also made some beef jerky to give.  And then a black forest cake for my son, his favorite from when he was a boy.   

We had a brief respite from the freezing temps so we dove out to the lake’s state office to buy our annual camping pass and I was tickled to find free pamphlets.  We took a drive through the campgrounds, which feels like our second home, and were surprised to see the little mounds of snow and ice around the trees in the lake.

I’m starting a reading marathon after my trip to the library yesterday.  I had made a purchase request they buy The Wild Dyer, that along with two nature journals and also a kindle loan of When Breath Becomes Air should keep me reading for a bit. 

Finally, I’ve been watching the third season of Broadchurch, sadly its final season.  It’s such a great show!  You know how, if you watch crime shows, American crime shows will over explain what’s happening with ridiculous dialogue to make sure you don’t miss anything?  Not with British television.  They assume you are paying attention and are smart enough to keep up.  If you’re knitting while watching, as I always am (finished my socks I was working on), keep the remote handy to rewind so you don’t fall behind.  Also, if you haven’t seen the movie, The Finest Hour, it’s a good one. 

Hope you're having an enjoyable, not too dreary January!