beyond the zone

In choosing subjects for daily markmaking,

I sometimes deliberately stretch beyond my comfort zone.

By the way...

who knew there would ever be a markmaking comfort zone?

Life is full of surprises!

Anyway.

Last night was my first attempt at a bear.

With thanks to KB for sharing the video this youngster appeared in.

Readers, if you click the link, you'll see the bear climbing the tree
and "posing" for me within the first 10 seconds of the video.
But you'll want to watch the whole two minutes!

~~~~~

cozy soggy sunday

It's raining - a sweet, gentle rain, perfect for the gardens - so here are a few pictures taken in the gardens earlier this week, when it was sunny.

The forecast - constant rain from Saturday night through Monday morning - provided plenty of incentive for me to get more vegetable seeds into the ground on Friday (popcorn!) and Saturday (more cucumbers).

The cucumbers are a variety from India called poona kheera, and the seed is leftover from 2014 when I grew a few plants which struggled to compete and survive. Last night I planted the remaining 36 seeds in a thickly-seeded row to compensate for the anticipated low germination rate, and we'll see what happens. If three plants grow: bonus! If none sprout, there will be plenty of time to plant squash in that spot.

It's a new experience, having enough garden area to plant old seed with a "nothing to lose!" attitude. Partly, this is because a bit more garden space was created this year, but also, I deliberately limited my seed purchases for 2016. Last year there wasn't much blogging about the gardens because, despite working very hard all season, I had sadly little produce to show for my labors. Maybe just a poor gardening year? It happens. But maybe I also spread myself too thin, trying to grow All The Things? So this year I decided to focus: beans, squashes, corn, and greens.

But when my seed order arrived and I added the packets to my "garden box," I was amazed at how many half-empty seed packets have accumulated in the past couple of years! So although most of my effort will go into the beans, squashes, corn and greens, wherever there is time and space, I'll try to germinate some of the older seed.

Nothing to lose :)

~~~

Look who's back!

Not a sharp image...

but at 1/20-second handheld, I'm okay with it.

~~~

Speaking of images...
I refer you to one of my favorite blogs: Romping and Rolling in the Colorado Rockies. KB lives in my old neck of the woods, and often her gorgeous images make me yearn for a return. Often. Yearn hard.

Below are links to a couple of recent posts featuring images and video from some of the trail cams KB maintains and very generously shares with the rest of us.

In my opinion, this is the way to do wildlife photography: non-invasively, and from a distance. When I see vivid images of nesting or nocturnal birds that can only have been taken with a flash - a flash right in the face of a vulnerable creature with incredibly sensitive vision - I want to slap a little awareness into the photographer. Every time I see aerial images of wild horses and foals running ("Look! So wild and free!") I want to shake some consideration into the people responsible...those horses and their easily-exhausted babies are running in terror because they are prey animals being pursued by a freaking aircraft!
(Ahem. Stepping off soapbox now.)

So, I love KB's wildlife photography and videography not just for the quality of the images, but for the informed and respectful approach that goes into getting them. She's using long lenses for images of the critters she sees on her daily mountain-biking adventures with her wonderful companion Shyla, and when it comes to the trail cams, she isn't even there when the image-making happens.

This Spring, KB was exceptionally patient in waiting to retrieve images from one camera in particular, because she was being extra careful to avoid disturbing a den. And just look at the images she has now shared with us:

mamabear and baby bears

And here is a post featuring edited video of a healthy, beautiful, and massive male black bear. I've seen quite a few black bears, but I have never, ever witnessed a bear marking trees. I learn a lot from KB's blog!

By the way, I think the bobcat steals the show :)

bear and bobcat

~~~

Have a lovely Sunday, wherever you are. Maybe I'll see you soon...a rainy Sunday is a good day to catch up on blog-reading :)

~~~~~

in the shade

It was a tad warmish today, even in the shade.

Even in the morning.

Half the herd couldn't be bothered coming up to the barn for their breakfast buckets! There's often one or two who dawdle, hoping for Room Service, but this was unprecedented.

So I fed the "energetic" group their buckets, then split a bale of hay into flakes and distributed it across the Upper West Side. I usually do this in late afternoon, but reasoned that the decision to skip breakfast might be regretted long before then. I didn't want anyone getting hungry. And cranky. And thuggish.

 Speaking of hungry...

 With only a little thistle seed left in the sack, these goldfinches were having a hard time remembering to share. I added more seed, and soon there were three of four finches all eating together.

Here's a newcomer, who was not interested in the feeders

but was very interested in the handfuls of mixed seed I scatter on the ground:

I think this is a dark-eyed junco.

But I'm open to suggestions!

Now, here's one I know!

(Because I looked it up.)

It's a (rather stunning) white-throated sparrow:

In the picture below, the white-throated sparrow is atop the stump, way over on the right side. Can you see it? (Left-click to embiggen.)

But, look again!

On the ground, way in back.

Peeping around the root of the stump.

Can you see it?

It's this little bird: 

 Which is a chipping sparrow.

(Looked that one up also.)

I apologize for the quality of these images; they were taken from 10 - 15 feet away, with two layers of not-very-clean glass midway between the camera and the birds. But I decided to post them anyway, so I'll have a record of which birds are appearing, and when, this year.

These birdfeeders are attracting a lot of high-quality entertainment and I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.

It won't be much longer, because with this warmer weather, will come the black bears. They never seem to forget where they once - and only once! - found a jackpot of sunflower seeds. I think they have a database.

This is the print of a bear who visited years after I stopped keeping a birdfeeder up in summer:

In case you can't make it out, here's the same picture with arrows pointing to the claw marks and a line at the base of the paw pad, in line with my own paw pad:

It wasn't a very big bear. But a bear doesn't have to be very big to get into trouble, and I like bears. I don't want to be part of the problem of bears - or any other wildlife - interacting with humans.

So I'll continue to feed the birds after the feeders come down, but only by scattering seed that will be eaten up quickly. Not so much leisurely snacking for the birds, or leisurely viewing for me.

On the brighter side, it will soon be time to put up the hummingbird feeders! Those stay up til autumn.

Gosh, I'm talking about birds and bears.
Spring. Definitely. Spring.

~~~~~

thankful thursday

My world.

It's filled with things that make me feel thankful.

I tend to notice many of these things, daily.

Maybe it's years of practice.

Maybe I'm just lucky that way.

~~~

With the theme of thanksgiving so prevalent today,

I thought I'd share a few of the things that came to mind.

No strawberries in my garden this year,

but many in my freezer. 

Sweet-smelling reminders of hot summer days.

Today, this little bowl took the edge off a day so cold

the gate latches were all frozen shut.

~~~

And this bird?

It may not realize by what amazing luck

I was able to (somewhat) repair this feeder,

previously dismantled by several bears.

But I'm confident this bird is 

pleased with the outcome.

Which makes me very glad I decided to try.

~~~

And do you remember 

a couple of months ago,

when Lily was suddenly dead lame?

This morning, like most mornings,

when I hung up Lily's feedbucket 

I gave her a pat and told her how glad I am that she healed so quickly and so well.

A happy outcome with any animal, and any injury,

but this was a little special.

Because this was Lily's first year as a mamagoat,

and she is a natural.

With a good, sound attitude.

She has a lot of promise.

So every day that she was on three legs

gave me cause to feel anxious.

Likewise, every day since

has given me cause to feel joyous.

And I do.

~~~

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving Day - today or any other day - has a lovely one! And I hope all your days are filled with things that make you feel thankful.

It's a nice feeling.

~~~~~