It’s a running joke. The first mention of the slightest possibility of a snow flurry and people raid the grocery store shelves. There won’t be a loaf of bread or a jug of milk within twenty minutes of the prediction.
I am not laughing anymore. This must be our animal intuition.
Early yesterday morning my husband took extra hay and grain to the horses and filled the bird feeder. Snow had been predicted, coming in mid-to-late afternoon. He said one of our horses actually rolled in the grain.
And the squirrels jumped out of the tree limbs and assaulted the fresh supply of seeds.
It wasn’t long before the birds began to flock to it as well.
I watched as they bounced off and on, grabbing a bite before flying off to make room for another to swoop in. Then the snow began. Large flakes blew in sideways. It covered me as I sat with the door open, camera pointed at the feeder. A gorgeous cardinal had been popping on the backside of the feeder and since I couldn’t walk around the house, I had to just wait for him to position himself front and center.
His significant other waited patiently on him in the branches of the crepe myrtle.
Then she took a turn along with others.
I suppose you can tell by the pictures that we love our birds. They are well-fed and my son asked me if they were all pregnant since their bellies looked so big. I’m just glad to serve the role of food supplier to the wild kingdom.
Our doves mostly migrated a mile up the road where my son and husband planted a couple of corn fields. One didn’t produce enough to combine so he left it until recently and bush-hogged the entire field, leaving it for the deer, doves, and turkeys. They were practically following the tractor to get food, which made us feel good about our decision to just let it go and take the loss – (we didn’t have crop insurance, yikes!) There isn’t much in the forest for them to eat this time of year, and with the snow we’ve had – (it’s still snowing!) – I’m happy they’ve had a good source of food for the days building up to this wintery event.
You all know the other critter enjoying the snow – Miss Gretel.
Stay warm and well-fed throughout this blizzard! I’ll post more pictures when it stops snowing. Maybe I can talk hubby into taking the camera to the horse pasture and snapping a few of them running and playing. He’s stranded at the farm right now. Drifts have covered the road and the snow plows haven’t made it up the mountain yet.
So how is it where you are? Getting any snow or is it sunny and seventy?
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This looks so amazing! I actually hate cold and snow, but it sure is gorgeous! I have a lot of bird visitors too and I love them. We have a fish pond in the garden and they fly in for a sushi lunch from time to time. I don’t mind those intruders, but when the raccoons come in to feast, I would prefer they go elsewhere. Bold bandits! Stay home and safe, Renee! Be careful of ice! (That stuff does me in every time.) I’ll be thinking of you during my 67 degree Northern California partly cloudy day!
Ahh…balmy 67! I’m jealous.
I’m happy to say, it is sunny but the temperature is in the minus column. We haven’t got snow yet today. I love the cardinal. All the pictures are gorgeous.
Minus temps – yikes! We’ve been having a lot of unusually cold weather for our area – below freezing temps. And this is our second significant snow storm, one a couple of weeks ago and now this one. It’s a bit of a pain, but lovely.
We’ve had more than our share of snow and ice this year. Even us Canadians like to thaw out once in a while.
Love the pictures. Yeah, we have snow. I’m willing to give it to anybody else who wants some. We got a foot, with more coming …
My very favorite grocery store in the snowstorm story was the first year we lived here in a very tony suburb of DC. The paper said “At the first sign of snow, the Safeway shelves were quickly emptied of milk, bread and hearts of palm.” Yup. Home sweet home!
Sometimes they predict snow for our area and nothing happens, not even wind snow. We laughingly comment the grocery stores must have been overstocked! Stay warm Elyse.
You too!
Snow is much prettier where you are. I’m in NYC and it’s a pain in the next sometimes, unless one goes to Central Park or Forest Park. There it’s beautiful. Enjoy.
It’s beautiful for a nanosecond, then it gets dirty, especially in a city like NYC. I’m not a fan.
What cute little critters. I love squirrels. Always so full of energy. 🙂
We have no shortage of squirrels and they quickly learn how to out-smart any bird feeder regardless of its claims of being squirrel-proof. I think they are smarter than we often give them credit for.
Miss Muddy Paws Molly want to romp in the snow with Gretel! (We sent the pixs the German – who sends a big woof and paw wave – she has fond memories of snow from her younger years)
Past few weeks we’ve dashed out to make sure there was food for critters here – terrible freezing rain, but few flakes. It was considerate of you to donate your corn field.
Love your picture, but know the cold makes life difficult on a farm.
Take heart, warm is bound to be coming – almost 70 and sunny today with a warm week predicted.
I knew you’d have a warm counterpart to this snowy story. Seventy degrees…isn’t that the perfect temp! Gretel likes the snow for a little while and then she’s ready to come back inside. Much warmer by the fireplace…can we say she’s spoiled??
Wow! We’ve been watching the radar for areas west of us. We only had a couple of inches last night, then we had rain and it was all washed away. Stay safe – love the picture of the cardinal at the feeder!
That pop of red of a cardinal really just stands out in the snow, doesn’t it? I think the elevation where we live allows us to get more precipitation. Even the people in town just below us say they only received about six inches of snow.
Amazing photos. Boy you all are getting hammered. It’s wonderful to be able to help feed the wildlife. I do admire they way they survive.
I agree the cardinal in the snow is gorgeous. All your bird photos are lovely.
We got a bit of snow last night but thankfully it all melted off today.
Stay warm and snug and take care.
We’re supposed to get into the forties today with a lot of sun, so ours will likely start melting away. And then the mess…slush, mud, ick…
I loved this post, Renee. Like you, I love my birds. During our recent snow here in Charlotte, the feeder was packed with the Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Tit Mouse, Blue Jays and many new visitors that I’ve never seen. I suppose they were passing through and very hungry. We had around 9 inches of snow between yesterday and today and then ice. The bird action has been great, I love it!
A friend of mine is a flight attendant and got stuck in Charlotte during this snowstorm. She couldn’t get a room until last night and had to sleep in a chair in the crew department of the airport. Love all of your ‘bird’ action. I think you’re just below me…an hour and a half approximately. I’m in Wilkes.
I had no idea we’re neighbors, Renee! I feel for your friend. I hope she makes it home safe and into her own bed.
She’s due home today, just in time to celebrate Valentine’s with her hubby. I’m so glad we figured out our proximity. It doesn’t surprise me though, with our state being the most prolific for writers. Maybe we can meet sometime when you’re coming north or I’m traveling south.
I am so jealous! You have no need of snow. Where are your nice big ski mountains? Here, it is raining. Yuk. Rain is melting away what precious snow we got last week and now threatening low lying areas with flooding. This is a completely bassackwards winter.
Sorry for the hit you took on the lost crop, but at least you appreciate the reward in feeding the wildlife. Too bad that can’t be somehow turned into a least a small financial payback.
The financial reward lies in the food we aren’t buying to feed the rascals. My husband can’t stand to think they’re going hungry, so he feeds them when there’s no other food source available. He’s says he’s just taking care of God’s creatures.
And yes, our weather is all turned around. Pretty soon you’ll be tropical and we’ll be in the frozen tundra. Yikes!
I love your positive spin on human vs people food.
Thanks Linda. It’s the same characteristic, isn’t it? How funny!
It snowed here (Virginia) but it mostly melted the next day. I definitely like that!
Those make the best snowfalls. The lingering ones drag on and on.
What excitement in your very own backyard! So much activity, too. I love the photos, as always.
It was nice to just sit and watch for the next round of visitors. I must have taken fifty pictures.
That snow looks so beautiful….pity it’s so cold outside, and of course all that shoveling! I have never built a snowman. That is on my bucket list! Keep warm😄
Never build a snowman! You absolutely must rectify that and mark one of your bucket list items as ‘done.’ Good gloves are required though.
I was in Indiana for a month-long holiday visit. We were getting such a kick out of watching the birds in the feeders, and 12 squirrels play & eat breakfast every morning.
When the “Polar Vortex” arrived and brought subzero temps for a several days, I was soooo worried about the squirrels & birds! We were so tickled to see them after the winds and subzero temps subsided!
Amazing that those little creatures can survive the brutality of winter!
Meanwhile….the grocery store shelves were BARE and we had to buy milk, eggs & bread at a gas station – YUCK!
Hey, you do what you have to, right? I think it’s cool you had that option.
We’ve had just about every kind of weather the past couple of weeks. I’m sure you’d rather have done something else with the corn, but at least it wasn’t a total loss. Hopefully, there is some satisfaction in providing for the wildlife in this harsh winter.
That is how we’re looking at it. And we normally buy food for them, so this is a savings that we would have spent. Four deer were in the front yard yesterday, nibbling evergreen limbs and whatever few blades of grass they could find. It’s been a hard winter for them.
While we weren’t pounded with snow, the light dusting we did receive down South was beautiful. I too saw a cardinal, she was magnificent — a true ray of light out my window.
A cardinal in the snow is one of the most beautiful sights! I keep a lot of sunflower seeds in my birdseed mix, buying extra so the ratio is high. They really like those.
Renee, these snow shots are excellent! I love the one of the cardinal. What a lovely hue of red! Would you believe we’re having the warmest winter yet? The temperature hasn’t dipped below 37 and so far, nary a snowflake. Call me crazy but I was hoping to see a blanket of white powder at least once this season. We shall see! 🙂