NEW KID on the BLOCK

What a surprise to see this woodpecker at the feeder today – the very first time I’ve seen this type! I understand this is a female red-bellied woodpecker. (Another shot of her shows a very slight reddish tint to her belly. The male's head is totally red from the beak to the back of the neck.) I was lucky she came along since there was no spare time to go scouting for today’s blip.

Today was another cookie day and my mother came over to help frost and decorate them for her church bazaar. She’s 104 (105 in December!), and is still as capable as ever. We had a wonderful time working together and reminiscing about the cookies and desserts we used to have over the years.