Thursday, June 21, 2018

Saving Little Birds, Take Two!

Well, the grackles are at it again... remember how we saved two grackles that tried to nest in the unusued old brick chimney in spring? They managed to get through the chimney baffle in the basement and we opened windows and let them fly free...

So then they nested in a hollow spot on a big, old silver maple outside the kitchen. Of course the maple tree is in the middle of the dog run area... but also on the perimeter of the invisible fencing, so you'd think all right... this could be okay.

Well we are accustomed to rescuing silly babies from picking REALLY BAD areas to hang out and chirp for Mama. It's like saying "Come get me, I'm silly and can't fly well yet" to the farm cats. And farm cats have excellent hearing!  So when we heard the "Peep! Peep! Peep!" of a fresh-from-the-nest fledgling, we paid attention... There were two! Here is one, huddled in the doorway of the family room:


Oh, silly baby!!!! The dogs would have a field day with this, right?

So we kept the dogs in and shooed babies back toward Mama, who was nervously grackling in the tree...

A few hours later, this is on the other side of the house...

Oh, poor misguided little bird!!! :)

Kitties live here!!!!

Me and bird. Or... bird and me? Either way.

Hunters in training, the last two kittens have gone to homes and there are no reportable kitten events on the farm right now! 


Chrysanthemums come today, ready to be planted in happy pots so by the time this post goes live, there will be 550 baby mums set out on black landscape fabric behind the house... and this means daily watering and guarding from critters.... And irises are just finishing here, a long cold spring delayed them... Isn't this gorgeous and delicate looking?

And this is a family favorite because it matches the farmhouse:

And a cherry pie last weekend, RECIPE HERE.... and we've been making multiple batches of jam to sell at the roadside and people are so happy to find it again.

And we love making people happy!

And in the wee small hours of the night, a writer sneaks down the stairs, finds a quiet corner and writes books... sweet, inspirational books to make readers smile and sigh.... before the crazy of the farm day begins again!

And just re-released for Kindle or paperback, Ruthy's beautiful full-length stories at great prices:

Link to Amazon! 

 AND A WONDERFUL SALE ON WISHING BRIDGE!!!!

 So that's what's happening in my neck of the woods... how about yours?

Multi-published inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne loves God, her family, her country, writing sweet books, laughing with friends, dogs, some cats, donkeys, frogs, toads, coffee and chocolate. She writes in the middle of the night when the house is quiet and lives on a pumpkin farm in Western New York with her husband, in and out kids and grandkids and some great fur babies! Visit her online at ruthloganherne.com or friend her on facebook where she loves to chat with readers and writers!

13 comments:

  1. Ruthy, your adventures on the farm are so fun. Beautiful irises--love the blue one. Day lilies are starting to bloom here along with black eyed susans but the heavy rain is playing havoc on other flowers and garden.

    Keep sneaking in those hour of writing for fans of your fabulous inspirational stories about family, faith in God and love. Blessings!

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    1. Marilyn, hi! How is retirement going, my friend???? And that blue one, that has a story because it appeared out of nowhere.... and it's just so stunningly pretty and fragile looking. I am in love!

      And yes to the sneaky writing hours, Marilyn! I'm so pleased to have three Shepherd's Crossing stories coming out in the next five months, hooray for that! And a Wishing Bridge and a mystery for Guideposts, so I am a happy, happy author! And thank you so much for loving my work, talking about it, and sharing it.

      You are a dream come true.

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  2. You just never know what you'll find at the farm, right Ruthy? I miss my irises from our old house. However, I don't know how well they'd fair down here. I love that yellow and purple one. Very striking.

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    1. Mindy, there's so much stuff going on in the spring and summer and then it all starts to wind down in September.... quieter mornings. Still tons of work but the frogs and birds go quiet (and start to leave us!!!) while the katydids begin squawking through the night. Seasons come... and seasons go. So I'm making the most of this one. And I wonder if they'd do okay on an Eastern exposure with good, loamy ground?

      Enough sun to make them happy but not enough to bake them mid-day?

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  3. A chapter here. A chapter there. Making time in the midst of a very busy schedule for Her Cowboy Reunion. It's such an interesting story! Thanks for your writing skills Now back to the sewing room......

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    1. Reading was always my reward for getting work done! And I love that story, Judy, it was such a delight to write their story and clear up that muddied past.

      Love doesn't always have a straight road, but even a curved road that gets us there eventually should be traveled... with care! So good to see you over here!

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  4. Yesterday and today we got some much much needed rain. Been in the 90's to 100 here for the last 3 to 4 weeks. Finally a cool down with the rain. Will be able to take a walk without my face dripping in sweat.

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    1. Kim, did you ever read Skylark, the sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall? In it (book or movie) there's a line that says "The rain always comes. It's the time before the rain that's so hard."

      Glad you got rain, sweet Kim!

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  5. Love your farm adventures. Those are children's books waiting to be published! (in all your spare time!)

    I've never seen a tree frog so this was educational too. :-)

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    1. Oh, wait -- the tree frog pics are on Facebook, which prompted me to check out Yankeebelle because my mind is strange like that/ Ha! I'm such a ditz.

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    2. Yes, they're on facebook because I just took them and we love that they CHANGE COLOR!!!! How stinkin' cool is that??? And how do birds' feathers change color from breeding hormones? Can you imagine if our hair did that??? TMI!!! :)

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  6. I always enjoy your posts, Ruthy! You have so many adventures, and I'm amazed at all you get done each day! Send me some of your energy! Hugs!!

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    1. I have just bottled it with a diet Mt. Dew. :) Thank you, Winnie!

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