Spiritual Saturday - Shabbat

I Finally Finished It!!

I finally finished my stained glass panel. It only needs to have the zinc frame patinaed with black and the whole piece polished. This will hang in our foyer!



So you can see the size of this piece (95 pieces) here is another photo!



And here is another shot!

Now to choose another stained glass pattern to work on.

It's Definitely Fall!

Yup, it's is. It was cold this weekend, just as it was everywhere else in the north east. It is much to soon for me. I want the warmth of the sun to wash over me. But there are advantages to the cooler weather, such as no need for a/c, no sweating at night, less bugs and of course, birds!

This is a rose breasted grosbeak female, the male is with her and is a first winter male. He looks just like the female except a little darker. A rose breasted came through last spring and then I never saw it again. Now there are two of them. I wonder how long they will stay


Here is a shot of both of them and as you can see, one is slightly darker than the other. Now if they would only turn around!

So far, we have the usual gang: chickadees, tufted titmouse, nuthatch, downy woodpecker, cardinals, and lots of doves that eat up all the food!.

I will keep posting pics of birds that visit my feeders!

Today is Full of Water

The creek is rising all right.  I went out an took some pics of it today. Had to watch where it the bank was undercut.  There is a really deep undercut right underneath one of the hemlock trees which is now leaning a bit.  It will fall towards the land, not across the creek.

This is the trout pool where I feed the fish!  Now today it looks like this:

 

The creek is really full and starting to climb into the yard just a little.  But it is still raining.

So I hope that the creek stays away from the house and pool.  And it is supposed to get very cold tonight, so I took all my houseplants and orchids into the house.

Added more lights to the iguanas' cages for more heat.  They hate cloudy days and do not eat well on those days.  Hopefully the additional light and heat will help.

We went dancing in Asheville on Thursday night.  It was a fantastic dance!  I wore my new skirt that I bought on ETSY.  It twirled beautifully.  The band, Wild Asparagus with George Marshall (whom I had a crush on years and years ago) calling.  They recognized me after not seeing them for 17 years.  Then ran into an old dance friend, Bruce Henderson, that I also have not seen for that long!  What a night!

 
George Marshall
Wild Asparagus
Me and my skirt!
Stev!

We left about 11 pm or later and got home about 1 am.  I am still recovering from the dance!  But it was a wonderful night.

Sterling silver handmade hooks

Sterling silver handmade hooks
Originally uploaded by hemlockhollow

Just made these for the necklace.

End of Summer

Here it is September already and I am not ready for it yet!  I didn't swim enough in the pool, I didn't take enough photographs and on and on.  But now the leaves will change and soon will come winter, when I will cozy up to the wood stove.

I did open up a new shop for vintage stuff!  Frog Pond Vintage.  I've been collecting stuff all my life.  It is time to clear some stuff out!  Ribbit!
 http://www.frogpondvintage.etsy.com

We have had lots of rabbits around the house, baby cardinals just learning to eat seeds, a family of crows.  But the turkey has not been back.  I think she is hiding for hunting season coming up!  

I Can't Believe It!

Yup, we went to Vancouver for the wedding of my stepson, Joshua.  We were gone for eight days.  In that time, my car stayed here and Stev's near the airport in Knoxville.

I hadn't driven the car until the other day.  I noticed a very strong stink! I opened the windows and it seemed to abate.  I figured that the neighborhood dogs had used the tires for their urinating.  Boy, did it stink!

Then I noticed some little black things on the dashboard, not moving.  Figured that maybe some black ants had made their way in and died on the dashboard.  Boy, was I wrong!

I drove my little car to stained glass class yesterday and started noticing all these little black oval hard things - not ants.  

Slowly I opened the glove compartment.  OH NO!  A mouse nest! A big white fluffly nest in my glove compartment!  And oh did it stink!

I now realized that a family of mice had somehow found their way into the car (probably from below) and had taken up housekeeping and such.  There were little turds everywhere! In the back, on the floor, in my cupholder! the nerve of them!

It is now all cleaned out and disinfected.  And I hope they never return!  

Ah, the life of a country gal!

And, IT DOES NOT STINK!

Turkey Trot

 

I looked out the office/workshop window and there was this turkey!! First time I have had one in the yard.  I have been putting down scratch to attract wildlife, not really expecting a turkey!  These pics were taken through a screen window. Came out pretty good.

 

And this is a nest full of phoebes!  there are four birds in this nest!  Momma was on the tree nearby watching me.

I love old houses full of memories. And old buildings in general. This schoolhouse is in Greystone, TN. The house is on Rte 107 in NE TN.

It was a rainy grey day when I shot the house - appropriate.

Spring is Here!

Spring has come to Hemlock Hollow.  Took a few walks with my camera and here they are! From the top: Dutchman's britches, wild ginseng, white violet and violet. 

Soon to be more! I saw bloodroot starting to flower today.

Another Wordless Wednesday!

Snowy Monday

It's a lovely winter day, snowing, all the trees are covered and the birds are crowding the feeders looking for seeds and nuts. Today's birds are pine siskins(see above picture), goldfinches, juncos, chipping sparrow, cardinal, doves, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmouse.

I've been Tagged!

I have been tagged! By Fused Glass at http://fusedglass.blogspot.com/ so I must post the rules in my blog. Here they are:

* Link to the person who tagged you


* Post the Rules in your Blog

* Write 7 Random things about yourself

* Tag 7 people at the end of your post and link to them

* Let each Person know they've been tagged

Hmmm.. 7 random things about myself
1. I wear contact lenses
2. I helped to start the Yippies!
3. worked as a landscape laborer for Montgomery County, Md. I was the first female.
4. owned a 1956 schoolbus
5.was in VISTA, until kicked out for being too political
6. I am 5' tall
7. met dh online in 1992

Now I have to tag 7 people

l. http://handmadejewelrybysolange.blogspot.com/
2. http://mysticsilks.blogspot.com/
3. http://beadbug00.blogspot.com/
4. http://behindthebarrels.blogspot.com/
5. http://clingingimages.blogspot.com/
6. http://joonbeam.blogspot.com/
7. http://blueheronkate.blogspot.com/

Birds

Birds all over the place!  These are goldfinches and pine siskins waiting for me to finish with filling the feeders!  They actually flew right over my head to get to the seed.  Lots of pine siskins this year - highly unusual.  They arrive in a flock at the feeder and wipe it out every day around 12 noon.
Other birds at the feeder:  Cardinals, nuthatches, chickadees, juncos, carolina wrens, titmouses, mourning doves.