I guess I am not going to mow anything today, just as well, Mowses is almost out of gas and the big-wheel push mower, Willie, doesn't get any mileage at all. It is raining, not all that unusual for Memorial weekend, but nevertheless a surprise. There was quite a bit of traffic yesterday, fun-seekers heading for camp-grounds and the State-parks, having paid dearly for the fuel to get them there, looking for some relaxation, I feel for them and hope they manage to have fun just the same. It is possible, been there, done that. My bored cats have settled down, Sooty and Taffy choose to hang out on my un-made bed, I planned to change sheets this morning, well, it will have to wait, I am not going to disturb them. Tomato starts are waiting to be planted, Memorial Day is the usual time to do that in this neck of the woods. Last week, in triple digit heat, it felt as though this rule need not apply, but it is a good one. Our Health Food Store's ad in the local Weekly contains some interesting slogans, real groaners. The last one: "Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana" and the current one "A hardboiled egg for breakfast can't be beat"

Great pictures, Kara! Aren't pileated woodpeckers just magnificent? There's something rather primeval about them. We have a pair in our neighborhood, though they are at my friend's house more often than at mine. They seem to have staked out her oaks as their prime real estate. Doesn't it just make your day when you have critters like this guy to share your garden with? Marcia

babka - I used to find the caterpillars and stick them in jars with a twig and a few leaves, usually in a week or less they pupate and then I'd wait for the butterfly or moth to emerge - ain't much better than that when you're a kid. ggnancy & troutwind - I opened the skylight and screen and still had to direct the hummer out. The chippers have gotten into some areas I wish they wouldn't, so don't want to encourage them too much. Besides if it ran up my leg - I wear shorts - yikes - lol. Woodpeckers are fun to observe, especially the Pileateds - as long as your house is metal - lol. Neighbor finally decided to reside after all their woodpecker problems. The Pileated has a jungle like call - so you can tell when they are close. Paul

I’m so glad to read all the conversation about everone’s thoughts and experiences in each of your own neck of the woods. In the several weeks since my last post, I have slowly noticed changes around my feeders. We now have about a dozen bluebirds who are daily visitors. They began coming even before the recent arctic weather we’ve been experiencing here in the NE lately. Same for the woodpeckers - downy, hairy, and red bellied, and cardinals. Before the cold blast, we had more chickadees than we do now. We had less than a handful of goldfinches, but now their numbers are ever so slowly creeping up. Not too many nuthatches or titmice, but a few that frequent daily. A couple of squirrels have returned. Interestingly, my husband has a friend who feeds squirrels exclusively and his friend said the population of those that are regulars at his house nearly all but disappeared! Also, last week we heard about a gentleman in his 90’s in our town who has fed the birds for over 40 years! He experienced the same mass feeding frenzy near summer’s end that I did, then the complete drop off of any birds to be seen at all. He says he’s never experienced this in all his years of bird feeding that he recalls. We were going through nearly 2x’s the amount of seed than normal, to all of a sudden having seed sit out and basically spoil because it was hardly even touched for weeks on end. With the frigid temperatures, I have noticed an increase in the hawks eyeing our feeder birds. They have been unable to find food in the woods and areas they normally frequent due to a tremendous amount of snow and have, unfortunately, captured some of our unsuspecting feathered friends. They are quite bold, and hard to scare off, which is also unusual. And yes, we also have some feeder birds that seem unbothered by my presence at the feeders while filling them, and don’t fly away til I’m nearly on top of them! This year has certainly been a very interesting year in the local bird world!