Winter in Savannah

Last Wednesday, something happened that was a first for us in Savannah. It snowed and the snow didn't melt right away!

Winlsow was in his element. He loved the snow! 

 I got to wear some of my knitted winter accessories! That also doesn't happen very often here... Can you see our cat Tucker in the background? He loves to go on walks with us, but he wasn't so sure about the snow...

Before it snowed, we had freezing rain which left beautiful icicle designs everywhere.  It also left most of the roads with a dangerous layer of ice, which closed down most bridges and some major roads in our area for a couple of days. 

And because everything (flowers in our yard and oranges on our neighbor's tree) was frozen, the Baltimore oriole came to our feeder instead. It stayed for a long time and showed off all it's beautiful color.

It took five days for the snow and ice to melt (this is unheard of for us) and temperatures to return to normal for our area. Now that it's milder again, we put all our more delicate plants outside again. The Christmas cacti in particular are happy and in full bloom!

I hope this was the last of really cold temperatures for us. Much of our yard froze back, but we are hoping everything will come back in the spring.

❧ Silke

Faithful Visitors

Every day for the past many years, a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers comes to our backyard feeders. They are so used to us and our animals that we get to watch them extensively and up close.

And every year they bring their offspring to feed it. This, too, we get to watch up close and today I took some beautiful photos for you!

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful comments on my last blog post when I was wondering about continuing to blog. I've decided to keep it going for now because I still enjoy it, but more than that I find it useful for myself.

I mentioned in my last post that maybe I needed to "talk" less, but it's that talking to myself that I do here that is the most helpful to me. I really write much of this for my own benefit, to write out my thoughts, to figure things out.

This creative journey is still new to me. I am still in the experimental phase working on all kinds of things, with different media in various styles at the same time, something many artists do when they are in school. And writing about it helps me sort it out.

What gets me into trouble is when I try to figure out what might be interesting to you. Because I can't. I need to focus on what's fun and interesting and helpful to me and then if you like to visit, that's great!

Part of my blogging dilemma also stems from the fact that my relationship to my blog has changed. As with everything that takes on a life of it's own, it never stays the same and sometimes I look at it and wonder if I still like what is happening.

For now I do. I'll keep my focus on what is useful and fun for me to blog about.

And I hope you'll continue to visit when you find the time. And that you'll find my offerings interesting as well...

As I wrote this, the red-bellied woodpecker dad and the baby were at the feeder again. They are so beautiful to watch!

Linking to:

Saturday's Critters

I'd Rather be Birding

Happy first day of summer!

❧ Silke

Spring has arrived!

Spring is finally here with sunshine and warm weather and colors in the yard. Of course with the sun the weeds are growing as well, but even this yellow dandelion is beautiful in the spring.

Finally I get to bring cut flowers inside from the yard again to enjoy!

And we get to admire this young osprey pair (Fischadler auf deutsch) that has built a nest in our neighborhood, right by a bigger pond. If you click on the photo, you can see it much bigger. The nice thing is that osprey usually mate for life and use the same nest year after year.

I hear that it is still quite cold in many parts of the US and Europe as well, but I hope that spring is arriving for all of you waiting for it!

❧ Silke

Two Minutes at the Bird Feeder

This morning, while I was adding water to the fountain out front, I saw a bluebird on the fig tree by the feeder. By the time I ran in, put the long lens on the camera and got back outside, the bluebird had vanished and a host of other birds had appeared. So - because it is quite cold this morning - I sat down for only two minutes and snapped a few photos for you.

Wishing you a colorful and sunny Thursday! Stay warm, relax and - most of all - do something fun today!

❧ Silke

A Splash of Color

I love color. Bright color. Intense color. I look at some designs that are all white in white or all brown and beige, and while I appreciate the beauty and elegance of that, I have always been drawn to more vibrant colors.

Like a little splash of sunshine in the house.

Or  a bright cardinal making a statement on one of our bird feeders.

And then in my postcards, where I get to play and be daring with color! These two are ready to be sent out...

I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was busy without much computer time, but time spent reading, being outside, much cooking and visiting with friends.

Now a new week is in full swing - amazing how time flies! I'm headed to my studio now to play a little more with color...

❧ Silke

Back to blogging...

I've been gone from my blog for a little while which is always unusual for me. It always means that life has been too full for me to take the time to write about it. 

And when life gets that way, I have a hard time jumping back in because I feel the need to tell you all that has happened, but it's too much and I don't know where to start. 

Suffice it to say for now that all is very well and I am getting back to my art and my knitting and am enjoying the sunny and milder weather here in Savannah.

Our yard has been busy with many birds and the occasional baby raccoons to keep us entertained.

I've been keeping the closeup camera lens handy so I can snap a few pictures when I see lots of activity in our garden.

I love the splash of color the male cardinals provide in a winter garden!

And here's some sunshine for you! Our daffodils are blooming. Can you believe it?!?

I hope you are all doing well and that I'll get to visit your blogs soon!! I've missed you and am glad to be back to my blogging routine...

❧ Silke

Wildlife News

Life has been less than wild at the Powers household. First Daniel and then I caught summer colds. Not fun! But luckily, they came on fast and were gone just as quickly. Still, the energy level was rather low for a while...

The weather has been glorious though and we spent much time outside. It is unheard of in mid-June for us to be able to turn the air conditioning off and open the windows. But that's exactly what's been happening here this year.

So, here are some beautiful animals that have been visiting our small back yard and our neighborhood. Normally, we don't get to see the green herons. They like to roost way up in the pine trees and usually the view is blocked by the oak tree canopy in our garden. But the one in the photos above posed beautifully for us for a while!

This little blue jay baby came to visit as well. He sat on our porch unafraid.

That was a few days ago. By now, the baby is much bigger and the whole family comes to our bird feeder and entertains us several times a day.

Last night, Daniel spotted this very cute baby raccoon trying to get comfortable on our neighbor's swing set.

I just love their little faces!!

In my next post, I'll have some garden news and after that I'll also have some art to share again. I've been working on a drawing that is taking a good bit of time.

I hope you all had a great weekend and wish you a good start into this summer solstice week!