The weeks are flying by. Our daffodils have decided that spring is already here, despite cold temperatures. The next couple of days are going to be cold and wet. I haven’t been doing a good job of taking my daily walk, but yesterday I woke up early and snuck out of the house. I walked to a little clearing on the property adjacent ours hoping to catch a glimpse of an “owl” that my kids say they have seen several times there during daylight hours. I walked into the clearing and looked up into the trees. I could see a very large feathered something high in the branches of one of them and I got pretty excited. It started flying from tree to tree and was joined by two other large birds that I hadn’t noticed at first. They were all making the same call, and did not sound like owls. I went home, looked it up, and figured out that it was a group of red shouldered hawks. That clearing must be their hang out. I’m going back today.
I hope you all have a happy Friday and a great weekend! I’m doing some rearranging around the house, and might embark on some furniture painting myself. It’s also time to start thinking about the garden.
Beginning tomorrow I will be hosting regular weekend giveaways again, so be sure to stop in.
p.s. I forgot to mention that thanks to all of you, I did win the Apartment Therapy contest for Best Family & Kids blog. Thank you so much for your support!
Jennifer Miller says
Congratulations on the win for best family blog!
donna says
Did you know that daffodils are sometimes referred to as the Lent Lily? With Lent so early this year – I am not sure if ours will bloom in time for Lent this year! So heartened to see some Lent lilies down your way.
Jeff Wilson says
Our daffodils are just about ready to open, Bracken checks them every day. Very cool about the hawk, we have a special connection with hawks, (hence the use in Bracken Little Hawk’s name…… Love the pics. Bracken has a little blue watering can too that he uses to keep things he thinks need watering watered. Can’t wait till planting time to have him put his first seeds in the ground. I planted my first seeds at 8 years old in Japan, and have had a garden ever since…. hooked me.
Hullabaloo Homestead says
Totally jealous of your daffodils, as we are still buried in snow up here! But, yes, even despite the snow…it is high time to be thinking about planting!!
:)Lisa
Brenda from Dwyer's Farmhouse says
The daffodils are beautiful. It’s snowing here. I know how important those daily walks are…keep it up! Congrats on the blog award…you deserve it!
Lee ann says
we have a red tailed hawk ( or two) that live in our neighborhood. I ‘ve seen him perched on mailboxes watching the cars go down the road, and soaring over our heads at the local park. It is nice to think we can coexist with such noble creatures even in our corner of suburbia. Yes, getting out for walks, and seeing these things is good.
Becky says
Congrats on the Apartment Therapy award! We have that same kitchen and my little one just loves it. Have a wonderful weekend!
June says
We had to stop putting out bird seed because we were just baiting a trap for the red-tailed hawk that hangs around!
Congrats on winning the blog contest.
June
Jo says
Oh my Lordie! Is that a real little Wild Thing doing cooking at the stove! Adorable photo!
And congratulations on the blog contest. You deserve it!
Susanne says
daffodils! i can’t believe it!
Lisa G. says
The picture of Bea with the “outfit” on – I looked at it, thought it was a child, but no – it’s a little stuffed animal there, but no – it has real skin on the arms! Ha! Took me a little while to figure it out! I would expect that if she turned around she’d have a face like the Cowardly Lion in Wizard of Oz. 😀
Beautiful photos.
Taryn Kae Wilson @ Wooly Moss Roots says
Ginny,
Congrats on winning the contest!!
Our daffodils are not yet blooming, it’s so nice to see them in pictures. 🙂
Seeing those hawks sounds really neat.
Love,
Taryn
Arc En ciel says
beautiful pictures!
Anna says
Painting furniture? I have my eyes on milk paint. I had heard of it but didn’t realize how simplistic the process seems to be. I found a local dealer for Miss Mustards milk paint and their shipment just arrived yesterday. I can’t wait to try it out. I have a hope chest that I am going to paint red, my Great Dane has restless leg syndrome so when she ran in her sleep it scuffed up the front. No sanding or priming, just a bonding agent in the first coat, it comes as a powder you mix the amt you need with water! (As you can tell Im pretty excited!) glad to hear about your feathered friends, and great job and keeping with the walks!
karen says
Have a lovely weekend, Ginny! I saw your tweet about the never ending scarf (I’m not on facebook so I only read the tweet)…I bet you are nearly done! We have hawks that linger in our yard since it is surrounded by woods. I’m always afraid they see my mini schnauzer, Frodo, as a delightful snack 😉
Amy Corley says
So happy you won over at Apartment Therapy!! Enjoy your weekend!!
Betsy says
As usual I love the glimpes into your life. Such a happy life for your little ones. The lion costume is obviously a favorite. My hubby was sitting at his desk at work yesterday when a bald eagle swooped right by his window! It was lunchtime and he was talking to me on the phone and you can imagine his excitement. I hope you get to see your owl very soon.
Blessings,
Betsy
Meryl says
Those daffodils look like something out of a Bronte book–beautiful, but a bit melancholy. How neat to find the hawks.
Katie says
Reading your blog makes me want a life like yours. (I know, I know. Blogland dreaming, but still.) Growing up, I honestly thought that I would live in the country in an old house and have a brood of kids. So when I see your photos I get a little bit of heartache for dreams that have long gone away. Imagine my delight when I saw your little lion at the play kitchen. Both my oldest girls have mistaken it for my youngest boy. We have that kitchen and that well-loved lion costume! With the mud pie picture and the Sum Swamp picture I realize that five kids in my suburban California 1960s tract home might just have all the important elements of life, even if I don’t live as far out in the country as I once thought I would. Have a great weekend!
teresa c says
This Spring I will have a lot in my mind. We finally found a house, with a big backyard (well, big to our standarts, of course). The house will need major work (and municipal licenses, as well) so we won’t be able to move for one year, at least. But I’d love to start a small garden this Spring, if only to celebrate this goal. My mind is spinning as I have no real experience in gardening, but it feels very exciting. Thank you for all the inspiration!
underthebigbluesky says
i so love these photos. one set of our daffodils came up early and then wilted under an ice storm, but another still should be coming.
i so related to this post. my youngest kept telling me there was a new black calf across the road in the barn but i hadn’t seen it until this past week when i finally saw it out, she was right after all!
Briana (justamouse) says
Spring is really coming? Those are real daffodils from the ground? Because I thought I was going to be wearing three layers of clothes for the rest of my life.
I need to get the maples tapped, I guess.
And, that costume, Bea is wearing? One of my girls wore a ladybug costume like that for a whole year. I had to slip it off her and wash it while she slept, and woe to me if it wasn’t ready when she woke up.
Heather says
I didn’t know there were red-shouldered hawks. In the southwest, we have red-tailed hawks. Have you read Pale Male with the kids. It was one of the selections from Annie’s Read Aloud book group. We really enjoyed it. Have a wonder filled weekend, Ginny. Take a few minutes to relax and good luck painting.
Tracey says
We have an owl that hangs out here, usually near my laying hens, but I never see him when I have the camera.
I see Bee is wearing a new ‘do’, it looks adorable.
Have fun rearranging!