Oh My! Jan...another 'Bird Whisperer' in your family. Just to let you know, I tried. I had a fist full of sunflower hearts, offered them in out streatched hand to a group of Chickadees and...nada...nothing...they just looked at me, tapping their little toes...waiting for me to leave. You and Mike (AKA Snow White & Prince Charming) have the magic touch... I like your pictures and yes, the Flicker is a very beautiful bird. I like to see them fly into the yard. With the sun behind them, their wings take on a bright golden/mustard tone as they fly. I love the distinct markings on their backs and that touch of red on the back of their head is remarkable. I feel the same way about the Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Both have the power to stop me in my track when I see them. Today is a PFW count day for me but before I could get started I needed to top off two feeders and replenish the suet. As soon as I got back in the house from doing so, I was rewarded with the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, back for some suet. I am also seeing more House Finch and, they look healthy. Just like all of you, I am also getting an increase in bird song...I love it! I'm also noticing that birds are starting to show up in pairs. I noticed it first in the Woodpeckers...another good sign. sooey

I was curious when I saw this post as to how long I've been hanging around - my page says November, 2001, but I think it's actually longer than that. I know at one point I paid for at least a year's membership. I found this board via the craft forum, although I hardly ever go there anymore. I live in Lompoc, CA which is smack dab in the middle of the Central Coast - halfway between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. We moved here about three years ago due to a job change for my DH, after having lived in Sonoma County in Northern California for most of our lives. It was quite a change, and there's been some adjusting to make, but overall it was a good move for us. And I guess I can't complain about moving from one wine country area to another :-) Between us we have five children, ranging in age from 13-26, although thankfully they're all on their own now except for our 13yo son. No empty nest problem here LOL. Both of my stepdaughters got married last summer, so I suppose it's only a matter of time before we get our first grandbabies :-) My passions are cooking and quilting - I love to try new recipes, and I've gotten lots of good ones from here. At one point I thought I might have a second career in the Culinary Arts (my first was in Mortgage Banking for over 20 years), but I quickly came to the conclusion that nobody should have to work that hard, and I wanted cooking to be fun, not a job. But I did end up with great knife skills LOL. My other passion is quilting - I finally have the time to pursue that interest, and I love it! I'm involved with my local Guild, and spend a fair amount of time making quilts to be donated to local cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments. I had a breast cancer scare myself last year, so I'm thankful that I'm able to give something to people who are in need of some comfort. This got quite a bit longer than I intended - it's surprising how much you can find to say when you really intended to keep it brief :-) Becky

Since I have the fabric for it, you can still expect a block from me! Are you still looking for red, white and blue ones as well, or just the pink cancer ones? ~ Kit

Thank you Lynn for letting me know it arrived! I can't wait to see how it turns out and I hope it brings much needed money for the cause. I forgot to include in my note that if a label is made, I would like to add that it was made in memory of Debbie Troutt, a dear friend of mine who lost her battle with breast cancer two years ago. She had beaten breast cancer two previous times and then the third time around finally took her. Rebecca