dantesspirit | Entries tagged with garden

For what it's worth, yes, a tree *does* make noise when it falls & no one is there to see it.

At least, the oak that fell next door that woke me & Mischief up with the cracking noises, did.

2.5 days of rain & high winds yesterday & today did it in.

Nothing was hit. It fell in an area where it was only trees/brush.

The deer will need a new grazing/pass through now though. Can't see the ponds anymore right now either.

Among other things...

Family issues going on. Will update when we know more.

Crossposts: https://wolfsilveroak.insanejournal.com/877041.html

The fun- Talked to my mom yesterday. Told her about the DNA test results. She started laughing and said, 'your dad would have hated that.' Yeah, he definitely would have.

Managed to definitively connect a 1st cousin 2x removed that matched to Mark's test, in the tree. Definitely a cousin on his paternal line. That was fun.

The sad- Mark's dad called Friday. Long and short of it is, his mom is now going into in home hospice care. Not end of life hospice, but one step closer and heading that way. Mark is taking it pretty hard, which is absolutely understandable.

Got the native Elderberry bushes and native Crab Apple Trees I ordered from Virginia Forestry yesterday. Really good root systems and most are budding out already. Hoping to get them in the ground this weekend, with deer proof protection around them. Maybe this year I can snag some native Spice Bushes before they sell out.

Taxes are done. Good amount expected as a refund, plenty to fix and redo the bathroom. Now we wait.

Crossposts: https://wolfsilveroak.insanejournal.com/871837.html

Screenshot_20230109_115238_Merlin Bird ID~2

So yesterday, after filling the feeders before the winter storm came in (lots of rain and sleet over night), I decided to see what hits I'd get from the Bird ID app, as the shrubs and trees were loaded. I could recognise a few by sight, still couldn't tell you which is a Carolina Chickadee and which is a Black Cap, and the difference in Sparrows, but I can distinguish Eastern Towhees by sound now.

any way, a new bird popped up! A 'Palm Warbler'. Huh. Ok. Never seen that before. Maybe it's a misidentified bird. So I looked it up to see what they look like in the event I spot one.

Lo and behold... That is definitely an Immature/NonBreeding Adult Palm Warbler. And a female House Finch. That's a new Lifer on the app for me.

There's at least 2. They appear to be the Western Palm Warbler, Nonbreeding Adult/Immature variety. It seems they may still be migrating, or have decided here is a good place to overwinter, due to an abundance of open shrub land, boreal forest with bogs/ponds and plenty of easy snacky foods.

Pretty cool.