What a magical little place!

Read all about it on the Tiny House Blog, here: http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/cottage-on-the-hill/

Thanksgiving Day

...and I was very happy to see the first juncos (or snowbirds as my mom used to call them) at our feeder!  It's been warm here, but apparently not so where these little birds come from.

We were also delighted by the red-breasted nuthatch--we normally see its less colorful cousin, the white-breasted variant.  I keep a variety of bird books at the shed--my favorite is still Peterson's--and hadn't realized this little guy was as common as he is!

I've been enthralled by John Muir Laws' wonderful book, Laws Guide to Drawing Birds*--among dozens of other inspirations, one pearl of wisdom I especially liked was "if you can't see it, don't draw it."  So I'm trying to remember only to draw those things I actually SEE, and not worry if the bird flies before I can finish.

The basic shape and pose is all you can expect in a field sketch--a touch of color fleshes out the image.  And of course quite often the bird will return so you can capture a bit more!

I have a lot to be thankful for, and one of the most important things to me is the opportunity to see and sketch the creatures around me.

*Please note John's comment below--if you use the link above, you'll be able to get a signed copy of his wonderful book, and it will benefit the artist/author!

Break-ins--human and otherwise!

 

You may have seen this one...raccoons and opossums KEEP reaching under the edge of the shed's storage door to help themselves to bird seed...

Joseph solved THAT problem by getting large buckets for the seed...the bag of peanuts sits inside, too...

Unfortunately, humans tried to get in the main shed as well...marks of a crowbar....

They tried the door to the storage shed, too, and DID succeed in getting it open...

Imagine their disappointment when they found there was just bird seed and plant food, plus a cheap folding chair. So we put an alarm on the door!

The only problem is that it's sensitive to vibration...and Hobbes thinks the door is to play with!

We have to be careful when we get in to get bird seed--the alarm is, well, ALARMING--but it seems to get the job done. 

Sheesh...and of course the shed itself has an alarm system.  Too bad to need it, but it is what it is...