Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

I have always lived at the edge of country.  Of course, some people are more divorced from it if they are surrounded by concrete but it is always there you just have to look a little harder.

Growing up I watched my mother plant vegetables and flowers and other things.  We had a mulberry and fig and apricot tree and some of the biggest blackberries I have ever seen.

It was a small plot of land but she tilled it well.  We had fresh string beans and tomatoes.  She loved roses.  The garden was a place she could disappear in.  And she often did for hours.

We lived in a bustling little city but that garden we had was an introduction to many things.  I learned to love deep red stemmed roses.

On weekends my father brought us into the country, mountains and shore but most of my life I lived in the edge of country.  I learned to appreciate what came my way.

Today I still love birds.  I have several bird feeders that I can view from our large living room windows and watch a steady parade of chickadees and titmouse and woodpeckers just to name a few.

It all started in Mom’s garden and the weekend trips we took as a family.  I learned to love the mountains and trees and lakes and and so many other things.

Tags: apricot tree, bird feeding, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, blackberries, chickadees, country, edge of country, fig tree, flowers, fruit trees, garden, lakes, Mom's garden, mountains, mulberry tree, my father, my mother, nature, plant vegetables, red roses, roses, shore, string beans, titmouse, tomatoes, trees, woodpeckers
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The red Gerbera Daisy keeps putting out more flowers.  I looked really carefully and noted there was a second one coming up, too.  This is the first one that did not die after I bought it.  Another (???) words, did not put out more flowers.  A small thing but it gives me pleasure.

Tags: beauty, Daisy, flowers, garden, gardening, Gerbera Daisy, nature, red daisy
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I made a few discoveries today.  When I drove to the post office and passed the meadow nearby I spotted two male red winged blackbirds dive bombing each other.  I am not sure what they were doing except they may have been fighting for their own territory.

To see two at one time was a real treat and so close to home.  Then when I was driving to Newport along the Juniata River I saw what appeared to be a blue heron perched on a branch on this side of the river.

Later in the distance at the mouth of a tributary a great egret was wading in the water.  I also used to see a blue heron always in the same pond, same spot.

I realized last winter something was wrong when it was still in the same spot after the pond froze over.  To my chagrin I was looking at a statue of one all along.

Those were a few of my bird discoveries today.  A turkey vulture reluctantly left the road and his prey when I came across it.  I watched it fly away slowly.  I never know what bird I will see and always have my eyes open for the next discovery.

Tags: bird discoveries today, bird statue, bird-watching, birds, blue heron, discoveries, great egret, Juniata River, meadow, nature, Newport, pond, red-winged blackbird, river, territory, tributary, turkey vulture, water, winter
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I resisted the temptation to bolt. It was seventy-seven degrees outside–a touch of summer. I thought I’d go out and drive to the River. I then decided rather to walk around my property to see what I could observe.

The little creek in the back was almost dry. I really do not know where our toads that appear at our front door come from. Where do the polliwogs swim?

I noticed a patch of yellow and white daffodils in the middle of the woods. The white ones were a larger variety. Whatever possessed someone to plant them there.

I turned over an ten by six inch long moss covered log hoping to spot a salamander but no luck. Twice over the years we discovered four inch long orange colored salamanders in the yard.  I know so little about them.

I noted two white hyacinths were blooming and I dropped to the ground to smell them. I had always loved their fragrance.

The raspberry and blackberry bushes were just starting to sprout. It will still be awhile until the white flowers come.  And even longer before I pick the berries.

Then Lynelle will bake scrumptious berry pies that simply got gobbled up almost as fast as they are baked.

I wondered whether the Black eyed Susans which my wife planted along our hundred foot long picket fence will come up.  I thought they would look neat there.  It remain to be seen.

Every thing in its own time.  I returned to our house.  I will go out again but will not travel by car anywhere and see again what I could observe in my own backyard.

Tags: berries, berry pies, black-eyed susan's, blackberry bushes, daffodils, flowers, in my own backyard, little creek, nature, orange salamander, picket fence, polliwogs, raspberry bushes, river, salamander, toads, touch of summer, white hyacinths, woods
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Every time I pass a river or creek I want to look upstream or downstream. I don’t know always know why. On certain bridges, I hope to spot a great egret or a snowy egret, a considerably smaller bird, although both are completely white.

It always has something to do with the unknown. I never know exactly what to expect. Even when the river is parallel to the road I still try to peer between the rapidly passing trees to see what I could see.

Every body of water fascinates me from no matter from what vantage point I view it–car, train, whatever. I have been this way as long as I remember.

I keep my eyes peeled for any ducks or other kind of birds that I pass always wanting to identify them. I was amazed that one of two visiting friends (from NYC) could not identify a bird as common as a male cardinal. I guess you do not see many birds in the middle of the city.

I have always made it my business to name the birds I see. And if I see one I don’t recognize, I try to remember some distinct feature of it so I can consult my bird book and properly identify it.

I always pay attention to the birds around me. I grew up in the city but my Mom had a garden with all kinds of things in it including tomatoes and all kind of flowers, an apricot tree and even a fig tree. And that is, of course, an incomplete list.

On weekends my Dad often took us to the mountains and seashore and lakes. I owe both of my parents a great debt for introducing me to nature. I grew to love birds and took care studying them and loved to identify them–even from a speeding car. I learned to respect nature and the wild.

Tags: apricot tree, bird book, bird-watching, birds, body of water, creek, ducks, fig tree, flowers, garden, great egret, identify birds, introducing me to nature, lakes, male cardinal, mountains, my Dad, my Mom, my parents, nature, NYC, river, seashore, snowy egret, studying birds, tomatoes
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Death and renewal are connected:  the lesson my plants taught me.  I watch my house plants closely.  Right now I am watching my rubber plant.  So many leaves have dried up.

I keep giving it more water–to no avail.  It is in a warm room.  I noticed it has become taller.  It is stretching to capture the sunlight.  Although many leaves have dried up, it is not dead by any mean.

Plants adjust to their environment all the time.  Some leaves dry up.  Sometimes you may not water one enough so some leaves die so other can get enough water.  There is a close relationship between death and renewal.

That is one lesson I can learn watching my plants’ growth.  Those two are always connected.  Sometimes there can’t be renewal until there is death.  We can learn that lesson from observing our houseplants.

Sometimes that means you have to give up a goal and shift your attention elsewhere.  Or someone dear to you may die before you start to grow again.

The same pattern always follows.  In the words of Bob Dylan, and this is a paraphrase from one of his songs:  you have to be busy dying before you can live.

And no one said there would be no pain in the process.  There is just part of it.  From death, comes birth.  It is that simple.  A lesson observing plants (and nature) taught me.

Tags: "be busy dying before you can live", Bob Dylan, death and renewal, from death comes birth, house plants, leaves dried up, lesson from observing plants, my plants, nature, pain in the process, plants adjust to environment, rubber plant, sunlight, warm room, water
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We love the large pine tree outside our living room window, which is the center of attention.  I placed a suet cage right next to its trunk.  There are a steady stream of woodpeckers mostly downy who feed on the suet.  The squirrels also come.

The downy woodpeckers travel up and down its trunk seemingly at attention.  Only one bird is allowed to feed on the suet at one time.  The others make sure of that.  Sometimes there is as much as two or three downy woodpeckers on the trunk of the tree at one time.

Occasionally a red bellied woodpecker makes its entrance.  The sight of it makes me gasp.  It is a bigger woodpecker with an one inch red stripe that goes from the back of the top of its head to its nape of its neck (at least the male looks that way).  I had never seen one before and now they are regular visitors.

The white breasted nuthatch also likes the suet as well as the Carolina wrens who I have fallen in love with.  I did not know wrens could get that big.  Occasionally a cardinal will alight on one of its branches briefly.

We get occasional visits by the brown creeper who has a long curved beak and is a small brown colored bird who appropriately creeps up and down the pine’s trunk.  And these are only the birds we remember seeing.

This year a large branch was brought down by an ice storm which became our Christmas tree when I cut off part of it.  We used the rest of it for our tree.  It was one of the most beautiful trees we ever had lit up by several hundred multicolored lights.  Both of us love this tree and consider it to be our friend.

Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, brown creeper bird, cardinal, Carolina wren, center of attention, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, downy woodpecker, ice storm, living room window, nature, red bellied woodpecker, squirrels, suet, tree trunk, white pine tree, white-breasted nuthatch, winter, woodpecker
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I still love Macintosh apples after all these years.  I was shopping at Aldi’s a week ago and I bought two bags of them.  I usually can tell just by looking at them whether they are going to be crispy.

I once met the apple buyer of a large supermarket chain and he told me how fickle these apples were.  They had to be stored at just the right range of temperature.  Well Aldi’s must have it right.  Their apples were extremely crisp and tart.

I worked as a produce clerk for years and found out there are many varieties of apples and I have sampled each one that came along.  Macintosh is still my favorite.  And I have no explanation why.  It just is.

Tags: Aldi's, apple buyer, apples, crisp and tart apples, crispy apples, Macintosh apple, many varieties of apples, nature, produce clerk, store at right temperature, supermarket chain
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Spring was less than five weeks away.  I started my countdown.  It was close enough to it.  I do this every year.  It is a little game I play.  I am waiting for the warmer weather.  The spring.  The blackberries and raspberries I pick.  My annual camping trip I take in May with my buddy.  The explosion of life.  The first flowers — daffodils.  Everything.  Every year I have a countdown.  The winter that passes me and I endure just makes spring that much sweeter.  Right now there is quite a bit of snow on the ground.  I know in less than six weeks it will be all gone and the daily temperatures will gradually rise.  My countdown is my anticipation of spring and what follows.

Tags: annual countdown to Spring, anticipate Spring, beauty, blackberries, camping trip, daffodils, daily temperatures, explosion of life in spring, flowers, life, May, my buddy, nature, raspberries, seasons, snow, snow on the ground, spring, warm weather, winter
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There were certain birds I never saw before I started feeding them.  A red bellied woodpecker was one.  I never saw a Carolina wren before.  Those are two birds that quickly come to mind.

There are others like a white breasted nuthatch who likes feeding on the suet I put out for the woodpeckers.  I never had a large living room window facing the yard before from where I can watch the birds come to and fro several bird feeders.

Our window faces a large white pine and there are bushes on the edge of the porch.  When the frost is ended I will put out sugar water and watch the daily parade and antics of the ruby throated hummingbirds feeding on them.

I consider myself lucky to have this situation.  I have always loved birds and I get a lot of pleasure of watching the steady stream of them.

Tags: bird feeding, bird-feeders, bird-watching, birds, Carolina wren, hummingbirds, living room window, nature, red bellied woodpecker, ruby-throated hummingbird, spring, suet, sugar water for birds, white pine tree, white-breasted nuthatch, winter, woodpeckers
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I am wondering whether our black-eyed susans are going to come up.  I wanted them along the wooden picket fence bordering the road.  My wife planted seeds last Fall along this border which is over one hundred feet long.  We will see.  I thought they would accent the fence nicely.

I love black-eyes susans.  They keep spreading in our yard.  My wife also helps them along.  The blooms last for many weeks.  I have been helping my wife in the garden more because she physically can’t do the same work there she used to be able.  She has a bad back and pays for everything.

Last year we had several cherry tomato plants in large pots.  I love snacking on them.  Before we know it the winter will be over and it will be spring my favorite season.  Everything comes alive again.  And spring always come after winter which I just endure.  I don’t like cold weather.  And makes anticipating spring that much sweeter.

Tags: anticipate Spring, black-eyed susan, blooms, cherry tomato, cold weather, everything comes alive again in Spring, Fall, flowers, garden, gardening, my favorite season, my wife, nature, picket fence, pot gardening, seasons, spring, time, winter, yard
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There were lots of birds feeding in my yard in this storm.  I sprinkled some birdseed two and an half hours ago on the snow.  I counted about a dozen slate cover juncos feeding on the ground (my friend calls them appropriately snow birds).

I saw as many as three downy woodpeckers on the trunk of my large white pine tree at one time.  They do take turns feeding on the suet.  And of course there were the squirrels.  I did see “stumpy” a squirrel who is missing part of his tail.

A female cardinal made its appearance briefly.  And there was the occasional Carolina wren.  A little later I will toss a little more bird seed on the ground.  I do not want to waste any.

There still is some sunflower seeds on our porch not covered by snow.  The birds keep coming.  And I have my eyes open for any unusual visitors.

Tags: bird feeding, bird seed, bird-watching, birds, cardinal, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, my yard, nature, slate covered junco, snow, snow birds, snow storm, squirrels, stumpy, suet, sunflower seeds, white pine tree
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