Marcia Im sure they will be comming your way soon. There were so many last night it looked as if a cloud was flying around my yard..lol I have 2 hawks roosting in the neighbors tree with a nest .. I can hear babies but cant ee ven with bnoculars! Cora Im with you on the lilacs and especially with out allergies to crape mrytles I wish they grew here. I will try to talk to the robins and give them directions to your house! Maybe tomarrow or later today I can catch a few on camera but I was unprepared yesterday. As for the snow I would love to visit it but gotta say I erally dont miss it much anymore just the family that is still there. Headed back out to do some more work! Donna

Veilchen: I finally bought a field guide to birds, primarily so I could try to identify all (or at least some) of those little brown birds that flood the feeder and the ground under it. I looked up robins (in the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds - Eastern Region) - it says: "Although considered a harbinger of spring, robins often winter in the northern states, where they frequent cedar bogs and swamps and are not usually noticed by a casual observer, except when they gather in large roosts, often containing thousands of birds." It would make sense in my area which is cedar country with a pond/abandoned cranberry bog and stream nearby. Lots of wild winterberries near the pond and along the stream. I can visualize the robins moving to the bogs when the worms in the lawn head farther underground for the winter. The birds could chow down on the cedar berries and winterberry fruits. Or they could come down from Canada too. Whatever. The thought of a roost of thousands of robins is a little scary, though. Claire

I'm in Iowa, and for the past 2 years Robins have stayed here all winter. Not a whole flock, and they weren't here every day, but enough to tell me they are tougher than we think! And this past winter was the 9th coldest on record. Thank you for the suggestion of fruits, Surya55. I'll try to feed them next year.

I would not do the whole kitchen in that color I think all the botton blue and the top white like the shutters would be an awesome change . Please do not feel bad about painting cherry I have dislike cherry kitchens for a long time already . BUT please have them painted by an actul cabinet refinisher it will cost more but be worth every penny.It would be good to show your kitchen though before doing anything and IMO the first step is to address your lighting it needs to be LEDs in 4000K to make sure the colors your choose stay true at night.