Happy Living in My Skin
This time of year I suffer with dry, chapped, itchy skin. Life in the country means I?m outdoors a lot. Hiking, snowshoeing, tending to critters for hours and cutting wood leave me exposed to the elements. The wind and cold paired with my penchant...
The Retiring Boreal Chickadee
The Boreal Chickadee is not as gregarious as it's cousin, the black-capped chickadee, which we see here daily. The Boreal Chickadee seems shy in comparison and doesn't seem to enjoy being caught on camera. Right click here and click "save target...
Winter Barrens
The red, white, and blue of this expanse of snow driven blueberry barren caught my eye this afternoon. I didn't have my camera with me, but then I remembered my iPhone so I made a u-turn in the middle of the road to go back and snap these pictures....
The Gregarious Evening Grosbeak
If you live anywhere in the northeast, you should probably be home, safe and sound out of the weather today. So what to do with an unexpected snow day? This evening grosbeak is the perfect project. They are year-round residents in Maine, but you're...
Winter Ducks
Not long ago, Janet emailed and asked how the ducks were fairing this winter - that I hadn't mentioned them lately. Well, Janet, winter is definitely not their favorite season, but our eight duckies are doing well. We got the ducks for eggs...
The Gentle Northern Flicker
When readers suggested that I create a northern flicker, I didn't know where to begin. Although they're native to this neck of the woods, I've never seen one. With this pattern, you can make a yellow-shafted flicker, found in the east, or a...
Natural Curiosity
I wonder what she was thinking of me as I stood 30 feet away snapping pictures. She seemed as curious of me as I was of her. This went on for a minute or so before she became bored with me and quietly wandered off into the woods.
Misplaced Grackle Finds a Friend
After watching our Misplaced Grackle for weeks, recently another Grackle arrived on the scene. He/she is shy, retreating to the safety of the fir tree when I appear to take pictures. I'm happy to know my grackle is not alone! Funny how I project...
Downeast Thunder Farm Owl Pillow Project
For some time I've been searching for fabric to make sofa pillows. Finding a pattern I like that has the right colors? - robin egg blue, brown, green and a touch of red has been challenging. At least one that fits my budget - which is next to...
Icicles
This winter has been defined by ice. The cycle of snow, sun and frigid temps has left us with icicles everywhere. There's more to icicles than meets the eye. They hold reflections of the world around us.
January Sunset
Sunset on a bitter cold January evening. Only 56 days 'till spring.
The Gaudy Ring-neck Pheasant
One of the most requested birds at Downeast Thunder Farm is, surprisingly not a feeder bird, but a pheasant. After spying one strutting about the edge of our drive the other day, I decided to take a stab at designing it. Their color pattern is...
Being Chicken
Did you ever wonder how the term "chicken" came to mean scared? I am convinced it has to do with chickens and snow. Our chickens hate snow. When there is snow in the ground, the refuse to come out of the coop. And, if the outdoor roost is clear,...
The Toaster and The Ornery Beast
It's been a few years now that we've been a one car family. Our 8-year-old Prius has been a workhorse, but is becoming less reliable. Only recently have we felt we could swing adding a second car. After two months of research and test driving we...
The Lonely Sock Club
Do you have lonely socks? I have lots of lonely socks. Before I had a cat, I blamed lonely socks on the dryer. These days I blame Purfessor Snape, aka Boo. Boo has a sock fetish. He'll steal matched sets out of the sock drawer if you leave it open...
The Pretty Purple Finch
Not long ago a visitor pointed out that what I thought was a house finch was really a purple finch. So, of course I had to make a felt purple finch. This is the only one I've seen on the farm lately! Right click on this link and select "Save target...
Yankee Ingenuity: Studded Muck Boots
The weather has been a challenging lately - even for Maine. Snow, rain, ice, and more of the same. Forget the pond - we could ice skate on the driveway. We've got ice grips that go on our shoes, but they never stay put - no matter the brand. And...
A Misplaced Grackle
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology web site allaboutbirds.org is my go to place when trying to figure out who is visiting my yard. Just yesterday, they released Merlin, a bird identification app for smart phones. Since I receive an iPhone for Christmas...
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Mother nature often surprises me. Following a day of torrential rain, the ice we've been plagued with since before Christmas melted overnight. This is the view of the duck pond from the porch today. This was the view just a few days ago, my birches...
Sprightly Tree Sparrow
I've so enjoyed the tree sparrows who are wintering in our yard. Sprightly with an endearing musical twitter, they have been frequent visitors to the feeders and provide much entertainment. Right click here and select "Save target as" (on a PC) to...
Suspended in Ice
Knocking down spider webs from the ceiling of the front stoop is really one of that after-thought kind of thing. I don't put it on my "to do" list. It's not like I spend any time there - I just pass through, usually in a hurry. The snowy, icy,...
A Good News, Bad News Sort of Day
The bad news? We had another storm last night with bitter temps and high winds. The good news? We didn’t lose power! The bad news? When I sipped my first cup of coffee this morning the temp was -11 degrees. The good news? Despite some issues with...
The Precious Pygmy Owl
I ventured into this work of creating bird patterns three years ago with my Downeast Thunder Farm owl family of ornaments. So, it seems appropriate that my first pattern of 2014 be another owl. Although no self respecting pygmy owl would be found...
A Busy Finish to 2013
After having a week off and then working yesterday, I opted to play hookey today. It was extremely cold, the roads were icy, and frankly, I just wasn't ready to get back into the swing of things just yet. On this last day of 2013 I puttered both...
Snowshoe Up Pigeon Hill
After lunch, Hannah and I packed up our snowshoes and drove over to Pigeon Hill. Our first winter excursion on these trails, I don't know what possessed us to think that snowshoeing up Pigeon Hill wouldn't be any tougher than hiking it. The view,...
