Sparrows

Matthew 10: 29-31

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

                    FOR YOU……..

Birds and Blooms, October, 2021

Our October issue arrived  today. We are approaching “Suet” season. Seeds, Fats, Fruits, Nuts and more. This one article provides 13 ways to serve your birds with Suet. Peanut Butter being one ingredient that the birds Love. And you can create your own “suet” concoctions. The article provides recipes and how to prepare them. We are going to do this as a fall project.

This publication is a beautiful color issue with many bird photographs and the dried flowers and plants they forage for.

 

GREAT HORNED OWL

It reminds us that there is so much beauty outdoors in our woods. And lucky are we to live in Parkfairfax with so many trees, scrubs and wildlife   In fact, if you sit long enough quietly in your yard you will surely discover one new bird you didn’t know lived nearby.

Back Cover

We can lend our copy out if you’d like. Just txt us and we will share it with you.

”Contessa” – 703-548-1882

Sunday Morning – This Is My Father’s World

 

Verse 1
This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

Verse 2
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere. 

AMEN

When It Rains It Pours

Ha….. the mail has been so unpredictable of late. Mail from Richmond VA  taking 12 days. And yet, I mailed a Birthday parcel to my grandson in Colorado and it arrived in three days.  

So……Saturday we received our Birds and Blooms Magazine. Rather magazines. May, June, July and August arrived all the same day. I suggest something is amiss at the Post Office

The good news is we do love this magazine….. so tonight we have an evening of reading. It’s an inexpensive publication but some good information, and the bird and flower pics are quite nice. We honestly recommend it, if you aren’t inundated with too many magazine subscriptions. I’ve learned a good bit of new things, that I did not know, about birds in particular. This is very nice.

 

Birds and Blooms, April/May

Just Arrived…….

This  publication is a useful reference guide to help you identify birds, it provides useful gardening tips, and it’s a one evening read. But what it really does is get you excited about spring, with its wonderful, all color photography.  It’s a great resource for identifying plants and it’s a super bird identifier as well. This particular issue has articles on Mealworms, new plants for 2021, gardening for a greener earth, amphibian I.d., which birds are just beginning to show up in your garden spaces, food/water/shelter for birds, and debunked garden myths.

The Garden Contessa recommends this magazine if you like learning new things about birds and plants  It’s a mini crash course on both topics, and it’s simple but informative.

We love it when it arrives. It means we have an evening ahead of relaxing reading that brings new knowledge, beauty and simplicity into our mind.

Day 29, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

LOOK FOR THE SPIRIT

If we are going to practice a real spiritual life, we can only live it in the  core of our current pains and joys. If we have a feeling of longing for “the spirit” we need to look at the way we think, speak, feel and act. If we have a slight feeling of dissatisfaction and an indefinite desire for “things spiritual,” our lives will continue to stop developing and become stagnant.

First, we need to take a critical look at how we are living our lives. Honesty, courage and trust will lead us, not to despair, but to heaven and a new earth.

Matthew 6:25-27, 32-33

Prayer

My Lord, please chase away my sadness with the gift of your Grace.  Help me to actively pursue your spiritual gifts. Help me in truth, and with an honest heart, to make great efforts to seek only the kingdom of God.

Lenten Action

Today, in honor of my Heavenly Father, I will feed the birds and place some fresh seeds and nuts outside to attract the birds and the squirrels. And with little rain recently, I will put out some fresh water for them to drink in a clean container.

Male Red Cardinal…..Showing Himself Off

….. he knows he is beautiful. But….where is “She?”

Birds and Blooms – February Stories

Our February issue of Birds and Blooms features an article about Mourning Doves, aka, Love Birds. The cover photo is a typical look at their flirting behavior.

Mourning Doves have a soft significant “cooing” sound which is very calming and peaceful. If you are a birder they have a special place in your heart and your ears. Their “coo” is soft, but they “coo” quite a lot.

They are found throughout all of North America, Canada and Mexico but….they are far from common. They have a “mournful coo” and that’s where they get their name. Their plumage is iridescent in a brown and grey muted color. They most often are seen in open spaces rather than deep forests. In open territory they can forage for seeds. They are known to consume 20% of their body weight each day.  Their large round breast is where they store their seeds. During feeding they store the seeds in their esophagus and then they head to a secluded perch for digestion. Favorite morsels are Wild grasses, grains and ragweed. Larger seeds like sunflower and chopped up peanuts are also favorable. They prefer an open flat feeder but will appreciate seeds scattered on the ground. Confinement is not their thing. It is very common to see two mourning doves cuddling with each other. They are very “lovey-dovey”and mating pairs are monogamous. They most often stay together for life. 

 We have seen a couple just this morning. Clearly they were looking for seeds. If you see them in your territory, scatter a few seeds/nuts, especially now during this chilly time of the winter season. If you do they will surely return to you.  

“contessa”

 

 

Tufted Titmouse

Plentiful in nature, the Tufted Titmouse can be seen everywhere. They often gather food from the ground and from tree branches. They eat berries, nuts, insects, small fruit, snails, and seeds. They eat Caterpillars during the summer. The titmouse will often be curious and you can see them perched on your window ledge. They seem to peak into your windows and into your house. They are regular visitors around bird feeders. Usually they “scout” out a feeder. They will come when it’s not occupied, make a grab, and then fly back to their spot to eat. Titmice will store food for later use.

Titmice are tiny, a pretty colorful bird and their song will sound like the song of a whistled peter-peter-peter.  They are a favorite and easy to spy. They move quickly so are very tricky to photograph. 

Birds and Blooms…..a little gardening too

Tags

Tips and Tricks

We have taken a new interest in birds. Today our January 2021 issue of Birds and Blooms arrived. Very few Ads, plenty of colorful photographs of birds, plants, berry bushes and trees with berries. Articles and great descriptions of the birds and their habits. We are very pleased at first glance. Tonight this will be our reading material. Featured on the cover is the Carolina Chickadee. They are tiny, quick, noisy,  but so cute.

We were also out gardening a bit today. Lovely out. We accomplished some bed clean up at one of our clients houses. It felt so good to be out and working. Our fall season was so long this year, our customer wanted to leave their Lantana blooming. We finally dug it up today and added a little bed edging to complete the job. The earth is nice and moist for working it. The Lantana bloomed past Thanksgiving. It is such a resilient flowering plant.  So thrifty too.

We did see a few folks “out and about” and waved “Hi” as we drove by.   We are just arriving back home. It was a really good day…..thankful!!

“Contessa”