Sweethearts

Day 111: At the opposite end of the spectrum from irritating Blackbirds, annoying Starlings and disgusting Band-tailed Pigeons, we have endearing Evening Grosbeaks, personable Chickadees and of course the sweethearts: the Canada (Grey) Jays. Highly intelligent and very sociable, Perisoreus canadensis is well-known to backcountry hikers as the "camp robber" for its penchant for stealing food right off the table or out of the hand, but the term is applied lovingly (for the most part, at least) and visitors often defy Park regulations to have the privilege of a Grey take tidbits from an open palm. Their call is a plaintive mew which plucks at the heartstrings: "I'm starving. Please feed me!" and is hard to deny. Fortunately for me, a family of Greys discovered my feeders a few years ago and have been coming more and more frequently, albeit irregularly, to the yard. They are not yet confident in approaching a human at this altitude, which is probably wise, so with this species, I do not encourge contact as I do with the smaller birds.

Thoroughly Obnoxious

Day 110: There are very few birds I actively dislike. Band-tailed Pigeons probably top the list, but Red-Winged Blackbirds and Starlings (above) are currently running neck-and-neck for second place. Blackbirds can be both persistent and aggressive, and I suppose a more appropriate word for my feelings regarding them would be that of "irritating" or even "infuriating," where Starlings fall into the category of "annoying" and generally obnoxious. The Starlings fly off when I open the door. The Blackbirds stay in the tree even when I'm right under it, clapping my hands and shouting profanities. All three species drive the other birds away purely due to their numbers. They come en masse, descending on the feeders in a cloud, and not even the jays (Canada or Steller's) will stand up to them unless it's one-on-one. That said, of the three, Starlings with their speckles have a certain charm (not enough to soften my sentiments, though). One or two, I can abide, but not a mob.

Woolly-backed Chickadee, Poecile Lana

Day 109: Closely related to the Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Black-capped Chickadees who are regular visitors to my yard, a single Woolly-capped Chickadee (Poecile lana) perched on a mossy fence rail long enough that I was able to make a positive ID. This specimen was slightly narrower in the body than the Chessies, but otherwise, its markings were quite similar and could easily mislead a casual observer. However, Woollies forage for insects in moss by scratching with their coppery-coloured talons in a "jump-back" maneuver reminiscent of the Spotted Towhee. This behaviour distinguishes them from Chessies when it is possible to observe the bird feeding.

Now I'm sure none of you were fooled by my description, but just in case, here's the disclaimer: my latest needle-felting project took the better part of a week to create (the arthritis in my hands prevents me from working very long at felting). I put the finishing touch on yesterday: plastic "pin eyes" which I felt served the purpose better than wool eyes. The legs were formed by wrapping glue-soaked wool around twisted copper wire. Mr. Woolly is free-standing, and is my first felted 3-D bird.

Key

Day 108: Y'know that sickening feeling you get when you've lost your keys? This is the one I'm most afraid of losing, and I am damn close. A friend who works for a county agency in another state just emailed me that many of their programs are being shut down, effective immediately. Among those being axed are HeadStart, adult literacy, licensed daycare centers and domestic violence shelters. Seasonal hiring has been suspended for National Parks, and we were already understaffed due to budget cuts. Retirement benefits are on the line for many of my friends and colleagues. As a volunteer, I am not personally threatened on that score, but with my only source of income being the pittance Social Security doles out, I feel the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I don't like politicizing my posts, but I do not believe I have a single friend who will not be touched adversely in some major way by the actions of the Felon-in-Chief. And you over there, you filthy magat! What are you going to do when the welfare check doesn't arrive and your kid gets sick with measles or polio? Is that what it's going to take to open your eyes?

Spring Hope

Day 107: Where there's life, there's hope. Hope springs eternal. Even though we have another month of cold ahead of us, we've turned the corner of winter and are heading into spring. The species tulips I planted last fall have broken through the ground, along with snowdrops and snowflakes, and the crocuses and alliums can't be too far behind. Soon, the front flower bed which I so laboriously cleaned of grass and weeds in September will be filled with colourful blooms. Ostensibly, the bulbs will be followed by a wanton array of snapdragons, seed harvested and spread from those in the east bed. The east bed needs very little attention these days, having become the home of crowded perennials like hellebore, peonies, daffodils, grape hyacinths and yes, some rather unruly snapdragons of assorted heights and colours, but who doesn't love snaps? They do well here, so I am encouraging them to spread 'round front. There are worse things that could happen to a garden than having snapdragons take it over. They bloom early and long, often persisting well past first frost and even into early snow (which we have not had this winter, I might add). I'm of an age now that I want things to tend themselves in the flower beds with little intervention on my part. But first the bulbs! The upcoming flush of colour will put the roses back in Mother Earth's cheeks, and mine.

Halvdräll 2.0

Day 106: I like to keep a supply of handwoven towels on hand for gifts, so when my first experiment with halvdräll was complete and I had a better understanding about how colour functioned in the different areas of the weave structure, I decided to make another batch. Here is Halvdräll 2.0, using the darkest and lightest colours for the warp and alternating tabby sequences, with the mid-tone as the pattern thread. Notice that the mid-tone shows up well in all variations. In the previous version, I had used the darkest shade as the pattern thread, and it tended to get "lost" where it crossed a lighter shade of the same colour. The structure of a weave can make a significant difference in how colours behave with one another, and while this is not quite as apparent in halvdräll as it is in shadow-weave, for example, it does seem to play a major role in the final effect. I'll be making four towels on this warp.

Birdseed Sourdough

Day 105: The sound you just heard was my palm connecting with my forehead. "Why didn't I think of this a long time ago?" I've been making sourdough bread in my Dutch oven for almost two years now, and it only just occurred to me to substitute a little millet flour to make my delicious "birdseed bread." The recipe calls for 460 grams of white flour. For this first experiment, I used 50 grams of millet and 410 of regular bread flour. The interior of the loaf was more yellow and had a nice, subtle crunch while remainng moist, and I did NOT need to add gluten for a good rise. The flavour isn't quite as nutty as my original birdseed bread, so I will try increasing the amount of millet flour slightly the next time I bake, and I may toss in one or two tablespoons of golden flax seed. Birdseed bread has always been one of my favourite loaves.