repotting the dombeya was a good idea; it's covered in flower clusters

though there is still plenty of hissing and spitting, snoopy is forging a place for himself amongst the dogs - here he rules the bed

maybe i need to get little bird shovels?

WINTER RED

the cardinal and the witch hazel

NEW GARDEN DESIGN

I'm thinking of replacing the old swing set, which nobody uses, with a formal square vegetable garden:
The light green areas are for the vegetables, in the center would be an obelisk trellis, and the whole thing would be deer fenced, so I could even have tulips! Below is my entire little plot; the proposed vegetable garden would be where the SWINGS are:

I'm open to suggestions, anyone have a better idea?

jasminium nudiflorum blooming in the snowour house and street in friday's snowstorm

FLIGHT

witch hazel diana burns red under the copious snow today. i really love the close up lens i got for christmas! uncommon visitor - a dark eyed junco, slate colored form

i can't resist this little guy - he's like my friend now.

the tufted tit mouse is turning into a ham!

witch hazel "diana" glowing in the afternoon light...

i got home late today, and will post birds tomorrow...

i was surprised this morning to see two tufted titmice on the deck. i was just able to click a few poor shots of this one, then realizing my camera was on the wrong setting! hence the poor quality. i will continue to try to capture this cute little bird in pixels! i just took another picture, which i will post tomorrow.small waterfall in the woods yesterday.

3 MONTHS FROM NOW

a scan i made 5 years ago in may, before i started this blog...

female cardinal on a sunny day last weekastilbe seed head

hammamelis diana against a cold, blue skymaybe you are tired of seeing blue jays on gf, but this one was so fluffed up one cold morning

I"m just an ordinary sparrow, but how cute am I?the poodle loves playgrounds, and is just jumping through the circle while the whippet tries to get out of the way.

today, i heard the the female cardinal before i saw her. i'm lucky if i get one shot, and then she's frightened away by my movements behind the window.yesterday, a hawk shouldered the snow in the tulip tree, keeping most of the birds away from my feeder.

i brought in some branches of witch hazel "Diana" to frame my daughter's dragon painting on the mantel.Diana had especially fluffy flowers this year!

the mallards are enjoying the ice-free pond mallard pair

Luna's Adventure, more

The dogs running today to lookat the pit where luna was trapped on Friday.

The poodle chased white tail deer that splintered off from the same herd that led the whippet to fall into the foundation pit on Friday. The elementary school is in the background. I'll take a picture of the pit today. lichens on blue stone in the garden

Luna's Adventure

Yesterday, while in the woods with the dogs, Luna took off after some deer and did not return. Thinking she ran off, which is not like her, I got the car and searched the periphery of the woods for miles, starting at the dreaded parkway. I didn't find her. I returned to the area I last saw her, near an elementary school, where some little boys heard me calling her. They told me a little white dog was stuck in an abandoned house foundation in the woods. They led me to her, and she was trapped in a 20 foot square, 7 foot deep foundation. I climbed down and got her out; she shivered in the car the whole way home. I will post a picture of the pit, and of the poodle chasing the deer, soon. Meanwhile, the jasminium nudiflorum is blooming on the south side of the house!

the cardinal has been venturing closer to my window, when i shot this he was about 3 feet away (i need a better lens!) seed head in the garden, shot with my good close up lens

outside, the witch hazel burns against a cold winter sky inside, the pale passiflora blooms

we're all ears! please comment! let garden fool know which are your favorite pictures. blue jays are also listening! eh, what was that?

european starlings with non-breeding plumage confront a blue jay european starling pair (in spring they will be black)

outside it is lightly snowing inside, the s. african dombeya is blooming