Something to Crow About

The big, black crows have to be some of the noisier visitors to the garden. They usually frequent the trees in the back field, but from time to time to venture into the garden to see what food is available.

Crows are the largest members of the order Passeriformes. There are three species of crows native to Canada and it is the common crow that lives in my area. On wintery days the crows will swoop over the garden, perhaps looking for a tasty treat at the bird feeder. I've seen them land a couple of times on the flat feeder but I'm not quick enough to snap a photo of them.


My digital camera is my constant companion while I'm working in the garden, walking by the water, out and about on my travels or set up by the door on a wintery day.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

Labels: camera critters ; birds; Through My Lens

The Garden Sleeps

Mother Nature has dumped more snow on us in the past few days. The snowbanks at the sides of the driveway are getting higher and higher as the snowblower gets a work out day after day.

The remains of various plants poke through the snow. I know that under the ground these plants are contemplating waking up and beginning to grow in a few months time.

The little blue spruce stands tall and straight, even with the snow on its branches.

The wheelbarrow and bbq planters are topped with white hats.

This wheelbarrow planter reminds me that it is still there by poking the handles out of the snow.

The trees up behind the garden stand tall and bare, branches reaching upward to catch the snow as it falls.

It's the end of January and the garden sleeps.

The SnowFolks

Today seems a very fitting day to show off my collection of snowfolks.
We are in the midst of a winter storm that could dump up to 20 cm. of snow on my part of Ontario.
So instead of being out in the storm making snowfolk I'm inside in the warmth taking photos of them.


These are two of my favourite ones. The one with the green scarf is made from a wooden bowling pin shape and has a wooden flower pot for his hat and the one with the red scarf is just a simple shaped piece of wood.



The above two photos are favourites as well as their clothes just make them into real people doing real things.


These two whimiscal snowfolks will bob around with the slightest touch.



This trio of snowfolk are hanging on a shelf by the door. They can watch out the window and feel right at home.


The pairs of hugging snowfolk will bring a smile to everyone's face.

I put my snowfolk collection out during the month of January. After packing away all the Christmas decorations it is nice to have something seasonal on the shelves, tables and mantles. I'll probably pack them away at the end of the month when I've had enough of winter and thoughts turn towards spring.

Spring is coming ...

... but only in my mailbox right now.

What a lovely treat on a freezing cold winter's day to walk over to the mailbox and be greeted with images of garden blooms.

The seed catalogues are arriving, along with a copy of the latest Canadian Gardening magazine.

So for this Green Thumb Sunday I will be sitting down with a cup of tea, my notebook and these publications and making up my wish list for when spring does actually arrive. My green thumb is getting excited.

Just seeing the photos of all those blooms makes my heart sing.

This means the gardening budget could be spend in one afternoon.

How about you, have you overspent your gardening budget already?




It's Green Thumb Sunday.
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday.
Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Labels: Green Thumb Sunday

Bald Headed Eagle

While we were on vacation in British Columbia last summer this eagle was captured by my daughter on her digital camera.

We saw eagles flying around over a few of the places they took us to hike. This one was seen at Goldstream Park.


How majestic they are with their wings stretched out as they soar above the ground looking for prey.
Thank goodness for the zoom lens, else we would not of got these photos.

For more eagle photos, pop over to bloomingwriter, Jodi's blog, and see some fantastic shots of the eagle watching weekend in Nova Scotia. The eagles in flight photos are amazing.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

GardenJoy4Me: Quickie Post on VERY Impressive Gadget

GardenJoy4Me: Quickie Post on VERY Impressive Gadget

Thanks to GardenJoy4Me I discovered a little Google gadget that will translate my page into various languages. I know that I get a lot of visitors from other countries where English isn't their first language, so hopefully now they will be able to translate my posts.
Why don't you scroll down the right hand side and try it out. You might even want to get it for your blog.
Thanks Joy.

Digging for Seeds

The female cardinal is a frequent visitor to our garden

Today she had to dig a little in the snow to find the seeds.

Labels: cardinals, birds

Bag Holder

In an effort to reduce the use of plastic bags most stores now offer the option of buying one of their reusable bags. This certainly helps cut down on waste but there are still times that we accumulate plastic bags in various sizes.

This is a holder I made a long time ago for all those plastic grocery bags. It certainly doesn't get as full now as it used to as I have a lot of reusable bags.

I also save the bread bags and other bags as I can stuff all sorts of plastic inside of them and put them out in my blue recycling boxes each week.

You need a piece of fabric about 16 inches wide by 22 inches long, and 2 pieces of thin elastic. Match the sides of the fabric (length wise) and sew the side seam.

At each end sew a hem with enough space to thread a piece of elastic through. Stitch the ends of the elastic together. The top end becomes the opening to stuff the bags into and the bottom opening is the end to pull them out of. Add a handle to the top end of the bag holder and you can hang it on a door knob, or on a hook in a cupboard.

You now have a handy bag holder. If you happen to pull out a size of plastic bag you don't want right now, you just pop it back into the top for use at a later time.

Labels: bag holder, sewing,

Soothing Warmth

Over these extremely cold days we have been experiencing it is nice to cozy up with a shawl or an afghan and a little added warmth.

I've been making these rice bags or stress bags for a few years now.
Once made you just heat them up in the microwave. They are wonderful around your neck to relieve aches, pains and stress. Or pop them in your bed to warm your chilly feet.

All you need are some pieces of material, some rice and a few minutes at the sewing machine.

To make the bottom bag you need a piece of fabric about 35 cm. long (about 14 inches) and about 15 cm. wide (6 inches). The best types of fabric are cotton or towelling. Fold material in half (right sides together) and stitch around the edges leaving the end open. Turn inside out. Fold the top edges in about 1 cm. (half inch) in and stitch down the middle of the bag. This will give you two long tunnels. Fill each tunnel with rice (not the quick cook type). Stitch the end closed.

Warm by placing in microwave for 1 or 2 minutes. Check as temperature depends on your microwave.

The top rice bag fits around the neck and rests on the shoulders. The pattern is like a large letter C. It measures about 37 cm. long (15 inches ) but has the extra ends that will sit on your shoulders. At the widest part it is about 20 cm. in width ( 8 inches). Put right sides of fabric together and stitch around the edge, leaving a small opening to enable you to turn the bag right side out. Fill with rice and add any scented items you want. Stitch the opening shut once filled. Follow directions above for warming.

These bags can be heated over and over again. Eventually the rice will need replacing and all you need to do is open up one of the ends, pour out the old rice and add it to the composter and refill with fresh rice.

The shape and size of the bag is only limited by your own imagination. I've been thinking of making some smaller ones to tuck inside mittens, but wonder (as someone commented, how long they would stay warm). Or how about a fun shape, like a fish or a bear, to make one for a young child to take to bed.

Cozy in the Winter

Winter weather is upon us whether we want it or not. We have to bundle up when we go outside in many extra layers and I also love to bundle up inside at the end of a busy day and get all cozy and warm.

Awhile ago I knitted myself a shawl from a pattern that I put created myself. I never really thought of myself as a shawl person but they are so lovely and warm I just can't resist wearing it.

And do you know the best thing about shawls? They can be lapghans too, so if you like the pattern but think you won't ever wear it as a shawl, make it and tuck it around your legs while you are reading and you will be so warm and cozy.

It is a simple pattern and the inspiration came from the knitted dishcloth pattern. But instead of just one row of holes I wanted several. And of course it isn't a square like a dishcloth, but a triangle shape. I started this pattern on two 6.5 mm needles and worsted weight yarn, but as the stitches increased I switched over to a 6.5 mm circular needle.

You can adjust this pattern by using smaller or larger knitting needles, a lighter or heavier yarn, and determining the number of stitches at the top edge that are needed for a good fit. I also added a fringe around the triangular sides to finish it off.

Cast on 4 stitches.
k1, yo, k to end
repeat until there are 12 stitches
k1, yo, k3, k2tog, yo, k to end
repeat until there are 24 stitches
k1, yo, k3 (k2tog, yo) twice, k to end
repeat until there are 36 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 3 times, k to end
repeat until there are 48 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 4 times, k to end
repeat until there are 60 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 5 times, k to end
repeat until there are 72 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 6 times, k to end
repeat until there are 84 stitches,
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 7 times, k to end
repeat until there are 96 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 8 times, k to end
repeat until there are 108 stitches
k1, yo, (k3, k2tog, yo) 9 times, k to end
repeat until there are 120 stitches

By now you have figured out the pattern. So if you want a longer shawl, just continue the pattern to get to the length you want. Mine measures 115 cm. from the center back to the point.

I do not claim this pattern to be absolutely perfect, but those that knit on a regular basis will be able to figure it out and adjust where necessary. I'm better at knitting than writing down a pattern. You may use this pattern for yourself, but please do not claim it as yours, try to sell it or post it on another website. If you do want to share the pattern, please post a link to my blog.

Labels: knitting, shawls

It's FRIGID

It is absolutely cold, cold, cold outside. Did I mention it was cold?

I don't have any recent photos of the outdoors to share as my fingers would freeze off trying to push the buttons on the camera. We've had temperatures of -24 Celsius and then windchill on top of that. But on the plus side the sun has been shining.

I do have this photo taken of the moon last weekend. And I thought it was cold when I went out to take these photos. Little did I know it would get even colder.

I know that it is GBBD but I don't have any photos to show you. I'm so cold I don't even want to take photos of the houseplants. How miserable is that??? I just want to curl up under my afghans and dream of warmer weather. Did I mention I want a heating pad too?

It's so cold I don't want to walk down the driveway, across the road and reach into the cold, metal mailbox to see if there might be a seed catalogue in there to cheer me up a little.

I haven't even seen that many birds at the feeders. They must all be hiding in the bushes and in the trees. The sparrow in the birdhouse does poke her nose out from time to time, but I haven't seen her leave her house.

The photo isn't the greatest as it is taken through the front window and there is reflection in the glass.

Where is the January thaw? This is the January freeze!

I just got this in my email ... quite appropriate for today.

It's winter in Canada
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Canada
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Canada
I'm frozen to the frigid ground!
unknown author

2sDay's answer to Monday

Today's 2sDay photo is of two poppies just about to open. This is the answer to the Monday Mystery photo posted yesterday. It seems most of you that guessed were thinking winter things. But I was thinking spring, especially spring in the garden.

These lovely blooms brighten up the flower beds towards the end of May. The outer casing of the poppy just begs you to touch it with the hairy coating. As it opens it reveals a beautiful red bloom.



Labels: Monday mystery,

Name the Monday Mystery

It isn't much of the whole picture, but I'm sure you know what it is.

I made the image larger but it is a little blurry.

Name the Monday mystery.

Labels: Monday Mystery

Through My Lens on a Sunny Sunday

My digital camera is my constant companion while I'm working in the garden, walking by the water, out and about on my travels or set up by the door on a wintery day.

It is a beautiful sunny Sunday. We had some snowfall overnight, so the first thing this morning my job was to clear off the flat feeder and add some seed.

Within a little while the feathered visitors were coming to the feeder. There were lots of juncos, chickadees, sparrows, finches and best of all a female cardinal.


The cardinals usually feed under the feeders hanging from the tree towards the back of the garden, but today we were in for a treat.


She hopped around on the deck looking for seeds that had been scattered when the snow was cleared off the feeder.

The camera was set up on the tripod by the back door and I merrily snapped away and got lots and lots of photos.

I hope she goes and tells the male cardinal to try out the feeder.

Check out other bloggers that carry cameras all the time and snap photos of Camera Critters.

Labels: camera critters ; cardinals; birds;

A Stitch in Time ...

Have you heard the old saying "A stitch in time, saves nine?"
It means a little preparation will save a lot of time later on.

Stitch markers help you save time later in your knitting or crochet as they mark the place where you need to increase, decrease, change the pattern etc. It eliminates the need to continually count stitches as you progress across the row, just knit to the marker, slip it over to the other needle and do the necessary change and continue.

I've been making some more stitch markers as I find I use them more and more in my work.

They are made quite easily and quickly using jump rings, wire, beads and/or charms.
I had to do a set of the butterfly and dragonfly ones for the nature side of me. The green beads were left over from some bracelets I made.

I also made some stitch markers for crochet. I had seen crochet stitch markers made using the shepherd hook (used for ear rings) but I didn't like the way they wiggled easily out of the crochet project. Using lobster clasps means the marker fastens easily to your project and won't slip off when you turn the work or put the project down while you take a break.

Stitch markers are like jewelry for your knitting. Why don't you make some for yourself?

Labels: accessories, stitch markers, Thursday Thoughts

Friendship Tea

Don't let the world of computers and the internet take away the pleasure of receiving a hand written note or card. Don't get me wrong, virtual cards are lovely and always arrive in our inboxes on time. But don't you just love getting a card, whether hand made or purchased, in your mailbox.

If you are sending off a card for a birthday, a special holiday, a get well note, or just a note to say hi, why not include a little craft-tea project inside ... a cup of friendship tea.

Make up these cups/mugs, tuck a tea bag inside, and enclose it with a card. There are some poems that you can tie to the handle of the cup/mug. Just print them off, trim and tie with a piece of ribbon to the handle.

Cut 2 mug shapes from 7 count plastic canvas. Stitch with any colour and design you want to. These are great little projects to use up odd bits of pc and yarn from your stash.

Join both pieces together around all sides except the top. Stitch each top separately. this will leave an opening to tuck the tea bag or a single serving package of coffee or hot chocolate inside.

You could even tuck a gift certificate from a tea shop inside. Or how about adding an invitation to tea at your house or the local tea shop in town.

What a lovely surprise the recipient of the card will get when they open the envelope and receive your message.

A little cup of friendship
With a bag of tea
When you drink this
Think of love from me.
source unknown

I wish we could sit down together
And have a cup of tea
But since we can’t
When you have this one
I hope you’ll think of me.
source unknown

A cup of tea to say thank you
For all the things you've done,
And wishes that the day will bring
You happiness and fun.
Happy Mother's Day
source unknown

Labels: craf-tea, friendship tea, plastic canvas, quick and easy gifts

A Message from the Sky

Is the sky sending us a message this morning?

For a few minutes at sunrise the sky was red this morning. That old saying "Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning." could be true for today.

Later today ice rain and ice pellets are supposedly moving into our area.

The photo captured a plane going across the sky this morning.

It left behind a gorgeous red streak of the vapour trail. Perhaps the people on that plane are escaping the bad weather that is heading our way.

Edit at 6:35 pm - the ice rain/pellets started just under an hour ago, hoping it will just be a light coating and be cleared away by the morning

Labels: sky; weather