A birds day

Yesterday was a very nice peaceful winter day. We had so many birds in the garden that I grabbed my camera and started to shoot, first through the window and then went outside to through some seeds and pour some fresh water in the hummingbird feeder. A little hummingbird was not alone in a couple of minutes, the woodpecker hungrily joined the sweet feast.

A very cute mockingbird sat on a branch and was watching me while I was watering plants. I threw some pomegranate seeds for it to enjoy so a bird was just waiting for me to get out of way and did not mind my camera at all.

I couple of mourning doves, sparrows, a funny jumping Abert's Townhees and quails were also here to get some seeds fallen from the trees. Then the wind started, it brought a rain and everyone disappeared to their hiding places. Well, I am glad they had al least some of food to fill their tummies before the cold night.

Winter is such a hard time for the wild life. The day before we parked on the hospital's parking lot to take mom for her surgery and we heard a chorus of hungry coyotes right outside where we were. Canadian geese are staying around the lakes to stay warm during cold times up North. We've seen some rabbits and smelt a skunk. As long as we live here, I am always surprised how the wildlife found the way to co-exist in such a huge megalopolis as Phoenix. And I am always grateful for a chance to see them free and that close.

In a mood for rustic

You can tell, I am in a mood for rustic this year.I am picking natural colors for our knit items, decorating our house with vintage clay pottery and browsing through hundreds of rustic style pictures on Pinterest for inspiration.

I am in a mood for simple but sophisticated in it's simplicity.

So  we made several items this Fall which were inspired by the yarn itself. 

 We knit some socks, some gloves and mittens and I am still trying to make some Christmas stockings but it seems that there is not enough time. We are already working on some custom orders.

Fall is the most enjoyable time of year for me. Our garden is coming back to life after the hot summer and we are harvesting a generous amount of Armenian cucumbers. 

 We planted them in curiosity last spring and we are really enjoining this great produce. I am trying to can them but it seems that they are producing faster then we can pickle them :)

Some new birds appeared in our garden. They are blue and gray and seems to be interested in the sweet water from our hummingbird feeder. Another day they went through my dried fruits and collection of natural things we have picked up, and left them in a mess all over the patio. It's pretty interesting to see how wildlife is getting comfortable around people. 

 The only thing we are missing here right now is some colorful leaves. A day long trip up north might be a great idea to contribute to the Autumn mood.

But for now I am just making some yellow & brown leaves from paper to add some autumn charm to our Fall decor.