This morning is wet and blustery as I sit at the computer reading email and cleaning out my inbox. Stuck inside I dream of spring and what I want to accomplish when it arrives.
A gust of wind smashes the large bush that grows in front of my window and I suddenly notice the birds that have taken refuge in its branches. Hanging on tightly they are blown this way and that, yet seem unconcerned by the wild ride. Instead, between gusts, they manage to move from branch to branch to consume the red berries there.
Closest to the window is a female cardinal
Do you see her? Can you make out the other visitor in this scene?
The other visitor is more clearly defined here
A bit easier to catch after she moved from behind the wettest part of the screen.
Which gives me two reasons to finally clean this window and remove the screen. I never open this window anyway so why not?
IF YOU NOTICED YOU MIGHT ASK: Why is there white tissue paper hanging in front of this window? Well, I haven’t exactly made the shades planed to be installed under the cornice and valance I made last year. Ergo, the tissue keeps the morning sun from blinding me while I work!
Perhaps instead of dreaming of spring I should use this down time to make those shades? 😉
Life on the Farmlet 
There are always jobs to be done and maybe winter is the time to do that one. Good luck.
Thanks, Tom! I have the fabric and light blocking I just need the hardware.
What you want to do, what you need to do and what you actually do are three completely different things, aren’t they? You could buy or assemble the hardware. That way you’d be a step closer and it might actually be the tipping point! On the other hand, birds are also there to be admired and appreciated. We all need ‘time to stand and stare’. 🙂
True on all counts, Kate! I haven’t bought the hardware because I am not sure exactly how the shade is going to come together. Not yet anyway. I know what I would prefer, but can’t afford that. Truth is, that there is only the smallest bit of time in my day that requires the shade to be there at all. A bit in the morning through this window, and then in the afternoon in the other window. Most of the day it is just awesome to have all that light flooding in. Especially in winter!
How lovely to look out on a Cardinal on a wet and windy day!
Yes, Annie! We never had them in California so seeing them every winter here in Alabama is a real treat. Even through a very wet window and screen. Do you know that the bush was completely ignored the first 5 years after planting? Then suddenly the little birds got interested in the berries which attracted the larger birds and now everyone wants some! They are like children. They didn’t want it until someone else was enjoying it first. 😀
Drats! I meant to send this while online, and now at home I realize that I didn’t!
This transplanted Southerner wonders about that red-berried bush. Nandina? No matter what it is, I was transported to my own childhood years, when the cold of winter (usually February) made me peer out the window with equal wistfulness. Mother’s petite pink double camellias were freeze scorched, except for the one near my window, protected from the winter a bit more than others. If the outside of the window had ice, oh! – I wanted to retreat beneath the covers of my bed and stay there until the benevolent season of springtime arrived!
I think that this wild and wet time of year is a good time for incubation! Enjoy having ‘forced’ time indoors and allowing ideas to move forward when they are ready – or to be replaced with new inspiration!
I grew up in Southern California so all of this cold and rain (and apparently SNOW on Tues) is all new to me. I have been here 10 years and I still can’t really get used to it. I guess the novelty has worn off. 😀 Having said all that, I think I prefer what the seasons bring to the horrible drought, fires and mudslides in California. I remember it and feel for anyone having to deal with that!
The bush is a Viburnum labelled “Cardinal Candy”. I am always going to prune it way down in winter, but then the berries draw the birds and I can’t do it. Guess I will prune it away from the house and the window and leave it at that. 😉
Winter has me dreaming of spring and gardening to be sure, but it also provides me many unlimited hours to sew and quilt. So, I guess I can’t complain too much about being kept inside.