The Messy Gardener

That's me - the messy gardener.  My three gardens are mostly all filled with native plants and in the fall I let everything go to seed.  Some of the seeds will start new flowers next year; far more will feed (and provide shelter for) various wildlife through the fall and early winter.  I have developed several nice patches of native goldenrod around the garden and it's been such fun watching the little birds hang from the stalks and pick the tiny seeds off.  This little chickadee was doing the typical acrobatic routine and flitting from stalk to stalk - which made photos - shall we say - challenging.  However, I really like this shot as you can see the tiny fluff of seed in his beak as well as the detail of the goldenrod stalk.

Three other shots that I particularly liked can be seen on Flickr, starting HERE

It's very cold today so the feeders have been busy as have both heated water sources.  I spent some time huddled in the hide, enjoying watching all the activity.  It is almost meditative for me in that it takes my mind completely off all the distressing things going on in the world right now.  And, after some quality zen time in the hide, it's nice to sit by the fire with a warm cup of tea.  

Hubs is leaving tomorrow for the first and last race of the season (assuming the car performs).  He and his partners have been building this car for the better part of 3 years - it's a Miata body with a Ford Mustang engine, which means it has the capability of some very fast speeds.  I am hopeful that they've finally resolved the various glitches with the car and that they will be able to race Saturday.  Tomorrow will be set up; Friday a test and qualification day; and Saturday a 12-hour endurance race.  Fingers crossed.  And happily, the weather is just warm enough to take the RV so he'll be staying in comfort right at the track (and also avoiding restaurants and any other indoor places where Covid may be lurking).

Temperatures headed down to 20 F tonight so we'll be stoking the fireplace in the morning.  After tomorrow, the temps warm up a bit through the weekend which will mean I can get out for a walk or two.

Over 1700 Americans died yesterday of Covid.  I don't even know how to express my anger and sadness about this.  And January 20 cannot come soon enough to suit me.

Stay safe, please - no unnecessary risks.  

xo
Debbi