Well, it’s still pretty quiet here , especially on Mondays, when the only restaurant in town is closed and also the Unique Boutique. The only business open during the week is the Briar Patch, which has a great collection of cards, jewelry, scarves, handbags and, of course, fresh flowers.
I drove to Patten the other day and went in to visit with Gertrude Webb and Margaret Duffy at Mountain Heights. Both were down in the rec room playing cards with fellow members, but were happy to see me so left the cards behind and we all had a good visit. Margaret likes to hear about my wildlife and enjoys reading about it in the Pioneer Times, and Gertie enjoys just talking about everything.
I am still mixing up the peanut butter and lard mixture for the squirrels and birds, and during the real bad cold weather we had recently it didn’t last long on the tree limbs.
I watched a little red squirrel the other day as he tried desperately to jump into the open-ended bird feeder I have. The first two attempts ended up with him on the ground, but he was determined and the last time I checked on him he was happily inside the feeder and chomping away on the sunflower seeds there. That means that I had to dash out and refill the feeder as soon as he left, as the small birds like to fly in and out to get their seeds.
I watched the female cardinal the other day — they are very cautious about getting to the feeders, especially when the bigger birds are there. I still have many, many finch, juncos, chickadees and swallows. Right now there is a bit of ice under some of the feeders so am careful when I fill them all.
I still have around five to 10 deer that come out to graze on the bare ground around the cedar and fir trees. Since the heavy rain they seem to be staying close to the woods, as there may be more bare ground there. Lately I have seen them during midmorning, chomping away at some of the growth near the edge of the woods. I still throw out the old bread and cut-up apples about 5 p.m., and come morning it is all gone.
