10-15-2018 Monday-11:30am

It's Monday again already!

Last Tuesday we had rain... 

...and Wednesday we had snow. 

Ever since the snow fell the sparrows have flocked up and are here off and on all day long chowing down like there's no tomorrow.

You can tell how windy it was with the wet snow packed up the side of the tree trunk the next day.

I had the patio door cracked open the next morning while I was doing my morning journaling at the kitchen table when I hear that familiar clucking!!  As soon as the snow flew "The Girls" remembered my patio as a place for a fast, easy meal. 

Just made my day! 
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With all the construction going on nearby I didn't know if I would ever see them again.  Hadn't seen them since last spring so I was thrilled they returned.  :) :)  
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The flocks of sparrows and a few juncos are pretty much here the majority of the day.  

I went from doling out one cup of seed a day to 3-4 cups.  Time to get the bird feeder out there pretty soon.

Even when Annie is sitting with me she's been keeping and eye out for the grouse.  She seemed as excited as I was to see The Girls again.

And by evening the word had spread.  Instead of four grouse, there were eight of them!

Can you see Annie's ears at the bottom of the photo?

They've been coming every morning and at dusk.  If they stick around this winter, once it gets really cold they will come during the day, too.  Gosh!  I am delighted to see them!
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All the snow melted away in a couple of days.  Not that it has warmed up, by any stretch.  It was 25 degrees when I got up this morning.  Winter is here already.    

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I've been dealing with the head cold all week.  I guess it must be just a cold and not allergies if it didn't let up when the snow flew.  I had to sleep in my recliner three different nights (easier to breathe) and have been extra tired just due to the messed up sleep--but it's more of an annoyance than anything else.  Like I said it is gradually letting up...I think.  As you know, I like to be optimistic.  ;)
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Saturday was Gramma Day.  Before Ian arrived at lunchtime I had been out cutting down all the flowers in the planters.  They had died before the snow came because of freezing temps at night.

I tried to save the big stems from the coleus so the sparrows have some perches this winter.  They use them all the time.  :)  That's about as welcoming as I can keep it this winter. 

I got the cart all set up for Ian and I to take a trip to the dumpster and garage.  Cleaned the water dish for the birds (frozen solid almost every morning now).  Took in the hose and pot I hide it in--added that to the cart.  Had a whole extra trash bag filled with the dead plants, too.
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Meanwhile, I had put water out in a bucket for cleaning Bubble's bowl three days earlier, too.  That was something we wanted to do, too.  (And totally forgot to take pictures again--duh!  I am hopeless.)
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First was lunchtime.  While we were eating we got on the topic of Mama having made some bowls and pen cups for me when she took a pottery class back in 2007. 
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She made this beautiful candy bowl... 

...a gorgeous votive holder with hand carved vine leaves... 

...and the cat dishes that are now handed down to Annie.  :) 

Of course, that led to us to watching a couple youtube videos that showed how pottery is hand made.  One even showed where the man went walking to find the clay dirt chunks to grind himself.  We watched how a potter made and put together all the parts of a teapot.  Fascinating!
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 I was going to show him later some more of the cups and water pots I have in the studio that Leah made--but we forgot.  Next time.  Got all wrapped up in cleaning Bubble's bowl.     

Previously Ian's job was to just keep an eye on Bubbles to watch that he didn't jump out of the bucket.  (Which Bubbles wouldn't do, but it was the same first "job" Dagan had when he was that age.)  This time Ian wanted to help catch Bubbles.  So, we captured him together--pretty easy as Bubbles doesn't move much--LOL!  Ian wanted to put a few plants in the bucket with Bubbles while I cleaned the rest of the plants (silk), bowl, and the gravel.  
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This time he also wanted to put all the plants back in the cleaned bowl.  I scooped water out of the bucket and filled the bowl partway so he could "plant" them all.  He even scooped some of the water in, too.  Then he chased Bubbles into the scoop (measuring cup) for me so I could dump Bubbles into the clean bowl.  Ian helped more than he ever has before.  Nice!  (It turns into a boring task after while...just ask Dagan--LOL!)
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We left the bowl on the counter for when Daddy came to pick him up so Dagan could carry it back in the bedroom for me.  (Otherwise I have to take it in half full and fill it in the bedroom--which I do when alone--but it is easier to just have Dagan carry it in there, of course.)
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And where is Bubbles?  
Above you can hardly see his face peeking out at the bottom right side of the highest leaf there on the left side of the bowl.

He lays somewhere 98 percent of the time. 

Looks suspicious of me taking pictures, but he never moved.
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Anyways, next we made the cold trip to the dumpster and garage.  Dropped off all the things for the garage and then filled up the cart with all the things to bring back to the apartment.  Time for the brown half-circle rug and snow shovel to be ready in their winter spot.

We brought in the bird feeder and some extra bird seed in a bucket for when it's time for that to go out.  We emptied the big bird seed container in the garage so needed to have Dagan go dump a new 40# bag of seed for me.  Ian wanted to take Daddy out to the garage when he came but not tell him what they had to do till they got out there.  He's at the age where he likes surprises and secrets.
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We warmed up after our trip to the garage by cuddling on the recliner and watching Maru and My Self Reliance (the guy building the log cabin in the Canadian woods).  I couldn't remember the name of his channel and have written it down now--but Ian remembered it!  
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Daddy arrived around dinnertime--moved Bubble's bowl and Ian took him out to the garage.  Ian's gloves were all full of bird seed dust when he came back in.  He wouldn't tell me what he did, though.  A surprise for next time I go out to get bird seed, he said.  (I think he buried the big scoop--LOL!)  Ian gathered up his bento boxes (lunch and snack), we had some hugs, and off they went.  Ian blows me kisses at the end of the hallway. 
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I collapsed.  Watched two DVDs this weekend--Billions and Masters of Sex.  If it wasn't that Masters of Sex was based (however loosely) on real lives I don't think I would have watched this far.  But Billions keeps me wondering what is going to happen all the time.  :)  
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During the week while nursing this cold I started watching a series on Netflix streaming that is going to be gone November (7th).  It's a Danish detective series called Dicte.  Since it has subtitles I almost didn't even peek at it--harder with my wonky eye--but it has been good and I am hooked.  Can't do anything else but snuggle under a blanket with Annie when reading a movie.  Which was about my speed this past week...might be this week, too, at the rate I'm going--LOL!  
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It's such a nice way to spend these cold days...waiting for The Girls to visit...with a box of Puffs...hot coffee...lots of water...good shows to watch...with Annie snuggled up next to me purring away.  That did mean I didn't get in to the studio all week, though.  Maybe this week.  :)  More time than money, as they say.  I have learned patience.  ;)
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Annie would say goodbye but she's here next to me...snoring softly with her eye covered at the moment.

Till next time...have a really good week.  :) :)
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"There must be always remaining in every life, some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful."
Howard Thurman