My Lumix FZ-300 is back in action. This is an old picture, from January 2023. Juncos are some of my favorite winter visitors. They flock under the feeders and eat everything that the other messy birds drop to the ground. When it snows, they leave pretty tracks as they hop around, feeding voraciously. These birds do not come in out of the cold. They are out there when the biting cold wind whips their feathers and threatens to blow them away.
This quick gesture came together as I shut down my laptop the other day. I tried to reproduce it in my sketchbook, but could not capture the quizzical look. The photo of a robin looking askance at a very hungry, definitely-not-a-robin nestling was captured by a colleague.
Weekday breakfast of paneer bhurji, green tomato chutney and berries. Saturday's potato, pepper, tomato and egg bake with tomato-peanut chutney. Mîche sourdough toast and Chickadee Creek Farm's spicy micro greens accompanied both meals. Sunday's breakfast featured the same bake with gongura tokku and Sugar Street Bakehouse gluten-free savory miso scones. Weekend breakfasts were washed down with aged Early Grey sweetened with honey and perked up with a squeeze of lime and five grains of salt (yes, I went there!) I love the reflection of the faux-Tiffany light fixture in the tea.
I was determined to get a picture of this bumblebee feeding on the rose mallow. It was equally determined to be left alone. It buzzed around my head and hovered near the flower, never entering except to viciously attack another bee who wasn't as camera shy.
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This lovely porch always fascinates me. Coming out of New York Camera of Princeton, my Lumix FZ-300 in hand, I couldn’t help but take a picture.
In the Park Place East parking lot, the window of Taste of Mexico, with all its colors and textures, caught my eye.
This ladybird, who hitched a ride home on my farmers’ market haul, was quite happy to stick around on this pale eggplant until I convinced her to hop off on a pansy leaf. The other unexpected guest from Saturday’s adventures was a tick that made its presence felt at 2 am. It had a shimmering teal back, but I was too disgusted to take pictures. The rest of the night was spent in a fitful state, as I imagined hordes of fellow Ixodidae marching around on my skin.
Upstairs, Downstairs: the continuing saga of the unwelcome cat. Rusty is now allowed the run of the loft upstairs. Here he is, peeking down at us. Maybe one day he will venture downstairs. Meanwhile, each time he plays with his toys, the gendarmes prick up their ears. At least they no longer rush upstairs and yowl at him. Achingly slow progress.
Introducing Rusty contains the prolog of the long-running feline soap opera that is my home.
and all his other posts are a delight. Peek into the wonderful world that he paints with his words, listen and watch with him as he follows goldfinches gathering thistledown for their nests.
’s posts, accompanied by lovely sketches, particularly the delightful Boiled Peanuts, remind me of the years I spent driving on South Carolina’s scenic byways.
Lovely clicks dear Lya. Especially the cat 😻
Junco bird photograph is lovely!!