tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-309396062024-03-27T18:53:33.711-05:00Room Without WallsTaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.comBlogger1405125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-18616587588327811362024-01-30T11:32:00.001-05:002024-01-30T11:32:03.895-05:00Happy InvasionThere was a busyness outside my windows in the early morning. I saw shadows darting.
The sky was filled with fat-breasted red robins. They were chattering with the sound of small clinking chains as they flew from tall tree to tall tree making dark and speedy silhouettes against the winter's gray sky. Too many to count but in the dozens, arriving with noisy fanfare. They Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-31601144810047997052024-01-23T10:38:00.001-05:002024-01-23T10:38:29.272-05:00Sometimes You Get What You Want (for a moment)
We had been under a mild drought for almost two years when suddenly this fall the skies opened up and we were all caught up in less than a month.
We also have not had any real snow for maybe 6 or 7 years. We finally got snow earlier this week. It was about 3/4 of an inch, but we were thrilled. And to the north of us, kids got to go sledding and build snowmen. The Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-55292672328487304132024-01-17T13:24:00.000-05:002024-01-17T13:24:29.410-05:00Mine! Mine! Mine!
If you have had young ones in your life a decade ago, the title above will be recognized from a familiar animated movie. I saw outside my window above the dining room table a dozen or so white flags swooping and diving and gliding. They were our local seagulls.
It is not unusual to see two or three flying about 20 feet or more over the river looking for food, but these numbers were Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-21662184806612779962023-12-18T12:24:00.003-05:002023-12-18T12:24:36.339-05:00Do You Hear What I Hear?
My husband opened the door the other day to what sounded like a tin band. Lots of squeeky sounds and chattering. He explained how noisy it was and I went to the door to see what was happening. The air was filled with rusty sounds. It was a flock of Robins that had flown in just ahead of the big East Coast storm that was coming. Maybe they were staying further inland at the farms and knew Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-65452240821427860472023-11-30T10:55:00.002-05:002023-11-30T15:56:56.570-05:00Some Things Still Hang On
I was reading a comment on a friend's page where she quoted scientists (botanists?) who believe that some trees hang on to their leaves to protect the spring buds that shelter there throughout the winter.
The scientists also theorize that some trees hold on to their leaves to avoid grazing by ruminants that may wander through looking for juicy twigs to aid their diet.
The beech tree in Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-51634110335322330152023-11-21T11:54:00.001-05:002023-11-21T11:54:56.471-05:00Plaudits and Cheers
It is a very bold dance, Like a ballerina with muscled limbs Flinging them out into the air.Gold, lime, red,orange, and brown flakesspinning around and around untilthey reach the groundand form waves or skirtsor places to hide.And then the finale.Round and brown limbsStraight and poisedstand strongly in the sunshinenot having felt it for a year.Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-27697939995848044082023-11-17T10:45:00.001-05:002023-11-17T10:51:18.439-05:00Surprisingly Lengthy
This season keeps on giving and giving and giving. I catch my breath as I look out the window on my way to my second cup of coffee. The sun is having so much fun doing its angled fall dance. The osprey nest is vacant as is the house across the river. All is quiet. No lawnmowers or blowers or dogs.
The big oak in the foreground has these blood-red leaves every autumn. Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-86709364107996703362023-11-11T08:42:00.002-05:002023-11-11T08:42:17.843-05:00Red and Gold and Bronze
We had been told when up in the northern part of our state that fall would not be so glorious, perhaps, due to the drought we have had this year. So I did not get my hopes up when I headed back home. But Nature was not to be ignored and below are a few of the pictures just from the woods in my yard. I did not add color except where I had not brought down the aperture for the bright sun.
Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-44979948221888141732023-11-04T10:19:00.002-05:002023-11-04T10:19:24.992-05:00An Homage to One of My Birds
Cornell Ornithology Lab has asked those of us who participate in their citizen data collection programs to let them know how watching birds makes us feel. Of course, their survey is a line of Emoge faces from shocked or sad to thrilled with some others in between. Yes, this symbolism reflects how watching birds can make one feel, but I think I would like to elaborate with my limited Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-15066557214400021592023-10-31T09:12:00.001-05:002023-10-31T09:12:48.062-05:00Drifting in Autumn
Come take a walk down to the dock and then back to the yard with me. If you have some lovely piano music on, as I do, all the better! Autumn is getting ready to say fairwell, so I wanted to be sure to wish her happiness on her journey as she passes winter. No talking, just walking. (As always, you can click on the photos for bigger views.)
Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-86681377318387258322023-10-19T10:55:00.004-05:002023-10-19T10:55:34.217-05:00Close Your Eyes
Close your eyes and drift outside as the seasons are shifting. I can smell the musty death of the fallen leaves and I can hear the acorns as they kerplunk to earth hitting both the slate stones on the path to the water and the dried leaves on the lawn. They are small and not as abundant this year, perhaps due to the small drought we have had. Their shape is intriguing with the smooth andTaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-14831536039120269392023-10-04T10:54:00.005-05:002023-10-04T10:54:52.314-05:00The Sounds of the Morning
The quiet of fall is deceptive. The leaves fall and do barely whisper as they hit the ground or the calm surface of the water on an early incoming tide. The noises of the blue sky and the red berries are also very quiet. I sigh with pleasure as I sit on the dock, camera in hand.
Then in just a few minutes, the wild chatter of the kingfishers peirces the air as they fly Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-16048305835011571352023-10-01T11:36:00.005-05:002023-10-01T11:36:36.432-05:00In the Beginning
If you are not a gardener or new to gardening you can be forgiven if you do not know the potential of seeds or the power of a single seed. Gardeners harvest their seeds and take care of them because they know that the future health of a plant and the harvest of that plant lie in how well we nurture those seeds. Food for the next year or beauty for next year's table. This isTaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-57369912738756106392023-09-29T09:55:00.002-05:002023-09-29T09:55:42.545-05:00Hinterland and Rain
I do not live in the wilderness and it could be called Hinterland rarely by some, but it is mostly environmental easement woodlands. A place where the deer and fox can hide until dusk and dawn and then they can sneak about to find food. My deer can munch anywhere but must avoid the highways. My fox has a task that is a little more difficult finding moles, voles, wood mice, etc.
The Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-45734624035525218102023-09-25T10:49:00.002-05:002023-09-25T10:49:27.096-05:00Autumnal EquinoxOur autumnal equinox was September 23. I was busy with my grandchildren's visit and the tropical storm and missed it. I should have lifted a cup of tea to its arrival. After all, it starts my favorite season. Rainy and misty and cool and sometimes cold. No wonder I love those British mysteries out in the middle of nowhere. Costumes always include a raincoat or Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-16542664848915887532023-07-27T09:08:00.001-05:002023-07-27T09:08:45.350-05:00A Dance with the Devil
I pause as I cross my bathroom window over the tub and see the devil's walking stick, Auralia spinosa, outside at the edge of the ravine as it dips away into the jungle of summer green. We have been having some good soaking rains between the hot sunshine and Tabor's Woods are loving it! The Aralia is now about eighteen feet high as it reaches eagerly toward the sun. This 'Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-26158266765608178722023-07-24T10:07:00.000-05:002023-07-24T10:07:37.737-05:00It is Buggy Out There
Those of us who are environmentalists have drifted big time into promoting bugs. Every year I attend a festival about bugs. I work with small children and encourage them to see the world as though it was a tapestry with many threads holding things together and insects being a very important group of knots in that tapestry. I emphasize how 99% of bugs are passive and just want to live like Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-16720491147783377422023-07-19T09:54:00.002-05:002023-07-19T09:57:30.756-05:00Sweating Through Summer
Tabor's Yard does not have the awful sweltering heat that other parts of the U.S. seem to be under. We have our normal hot and humid days. Most of July was dry with no rain and tulip trees in their trepidation flung brown and yellow leaves to the ground. Flowering plants bloomed briefly and then wilted feeding our pollinators for just a few days.Finally, as July moved forward, Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-82074659284965671692023-06-23T09:35:00.041-05:002023-06-23T09:35:00.129-05:00Pattern and Camouflage and CodeThere are natural patterns and man-made patterns in our lives. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, "A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design,[1] or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated like a wallpaper Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-49305735511969946442023-06-17T09:11:00.000-05:002023-06-17T09:11:46.108-05:00Fred and Ethel Version 2023
At least one of my faithful readers was holding my promise of a Fred and Ethel post to the deadline. So today I will return to our osprey neighbors. The very first time I posted on this family was in March of 2009. You can go HERE in the way back machine to read it if you are even remotely interested.In May of 2017, I did post on the "first family" that resided on the local Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-6471405751194541752023-06-12T07:26:00.002-05:002023-06-12T07:26:54.913-05:00Going Back to April 10
I was hoping to post this earlier, but life moves too fast for me.
Back in April, I glanced out my dining room window and saw a rather large, shadowy figure in the trees. I wondered if the osprey had moved into my backyard to explore a place to finish a recently caught fish. As I leaned in and looked closer I saw that there were two of them. The morning was still a bit shadowy, so I tookTaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-55073265809420365472023-05-04T15:13:00.003-05:002023-05-04T15:13:42.690-05:00The Saga of Fred and Ethel Part II 2023
The time has passed...almost two months, since my last post. The couple has been rather pornographic over the weeks and with each day the male had brought more and more
sticks for their abode. It seemed to me they were not the original Fred and Ethel that I knew, and I admit I have not taken the time to see if they are banded. But they seemed both awkward and shy in their mating and Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-44394181032157306932023-04-09T07:34:00.000-05:002023-04-09T07:34:12.068-05:00Are You Listening?"At the moment of giving birth, each reef sings its own lullaby to its young. Each night, the reef sings into the sea, guiding its young back home." Spring reflection on the water. The red circle is jellyfish as is the white blob.This text above sounds like a poem. It sounds like the lyrics to a song. It is an actual fact from studying the bioacoustics of Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-39344390622104501502023-03-26T10:06:00.000-05:002023-03-26T10:06:34.643-05:00Spring is Still a Tease
Spring has arrived in the Mid-Atlantic. All the news can talk about is our non-native cherry trees in full bloom and soon-to-be pink confetti all along the roadways and lawns. It does look like the osprey 'may' nest on the newly cleaned platform. I would track my binoculars to the nest that has been built and used for a few years as it sits in a high tree across the water and I saw noTaborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30939606.post-4527279197368918882023-03-16T18:52:00.000-05:002023-03-16T18:52:52.957-05:00Spring Has Arrived But Late Due to a Nasty Wind
These last few days were cold and very windy. Everything that was not attached flew across the yard as it was chased or thrown by the howl of the wind. The windy front behaved like an angry teenager that had been grounded for the week. I have lots of small branches to start my fires and create coals to burn the large logs. I walk around and fill my arms. I never have to Taborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257045780724471840noreply@blogger.com7