BRRRRR, ANOTHER COLD DAY

Shadows of an old tree in the water of French Creek.
Sunny again, not that I'm complaining, but oh so cool today. Temp at 8:30 pm is 34º. No new flowers blooming right now..
Now "they" are saying rain for the next 4 days on and off..

I like this neat old silo..

A beautiful day but cold. It never got above 49º, and the wind made it seem so much worse. A freeze is in store for tonight. My poor lilacs. I'll probably have to cover them.
Not much time for picture taking today. Too much running around, but this White Crowned sparrow is still hanging around, and is worth more photos.

RAINING AND COLD

We stopped by Arby's at noon today for lunch, and there was a wooded pond by the parking lot. Gary spied this Mallard sleeping on a partially submerged log. I saved some of the bread from my sandwich, and when I got out of the van this guy came to life and swam right over to me for a treat. Apparently he's been given handouts before.

I can't find this little critter anywhere in my Sibley Guide To Birds ! LOL
It's raining this morning, and cold ! Temperature is only 39º Brrrrr. Then can you believe the weather folks are predicting flurries for tonight !

SUNDAY AFTERNOON WALK

This little White Crowned sparrow spent some time this morning on the feeder. We usually only see this one during the winter.

White Violet

Purple Violet

The 2nd picking of asparagus. We had this for lunch today..

Oregano growing in my back yard everywhere..

The day began with some much needed rain. It only lasted a short while and the rest of the time clouds and sun. Temperatures in the 70's. Right now at 10:20 pm it's 45º A cold front is sneaking in on us. There might be SNOW flurries by Wednesday.
Aren't these American Goldfinches just the cutest ?
A busy day weeding some of my flower bed, and time spent running around looking for parts for my vacuum sweeper.
Have a good night.

We went out for ice cream tonight and decided to watch trains for a while. We spotted this really long train transporting all military vehicles. It was awesome, and I wonder where they were going...Coming from Buffalo, New York and heading toward Fostoria, Ohio and points West.

We had a nice walk this afternoon on our nature trails. There are new plants and flowers appearing every day. This is one of our favorites. Marsh Marigold or Cowslip. Before it flowers the leaves are good when steamed and then eaten with butter and a splash of vinegar, similar to spinach.

This old tree is slowly falling into the Creek, but for some reason, maybe strong roots continues to hang on.

I don't know this tiny 1/4" flower. I looked it up in my Wildflower Field Guide, and the only one I can find that is close is a Speedwell, but I'm not sure which one. It looks like a miniature pansy, and trails along the ground. Any suggestions ?

Another pretty Skunk Cabbage

ERIE BAYFRONT CONVENTION CENTER

We took a ride this morning to Erie, Pa to the Bayfront Convention Center. You can't get very close to it because GE is having a meeting of the shareholders from all around the world. What we went to see are 3 brand new diesel locomotives that were manufactured at the Erie plant of General Electric..

I THINK SUMMER IS HERE. LOL

I think these flowers are Bloodroot. If someone knows, please let me know. I've never seen them before

A couple pictures taken on the way home from town on a back dirt road. We got gas at $ 3.47 a gal. This was with a gas card that gives us $.10 off per gallon. It's another warm day. I really don't know what we all did to deserve this great weather. It's 4:22pm, and it's 77º. It's usually not this warm for this long in April. Many of the farmers in the area are plowing early, because once it starts raining it might not quit for a while.

The clouds are spectacular today, and I'm going to try some shots later, and post them in Becky's Pictures.

MORE SPRING SURPRISES

A storm cloud that passed us by. No rain yet .
I did see a Pileated Woodpecker in flight on my walk today, but just couldn't get a picture. He actually flew right over us, but I wasn't fast enough to capture it.

Pair of Mallard Ducks on French Creek

Adder's Tongue/ Trout Lilly and wild onions.

Leeks

SURPRISE !

I found this little honey in the asparagus row this morning. It is the first of the season, and if we should get some rain, the rest of them will pop up.
I got my drain fixed today . We had to install all new parts. It works wonderful, but now the faucet leaks, so that will be the next project.

We took a ride to the Allegheny National Forest to Hearts Content. This 120-acre area was begun by a 20-acre old-growth donation to the Forest Service by the lumber company that owned in the early 1920s. The remainder was purchased in small lots to add to the original parcel. Hearts Content is a National Natural Landmark. An excellent nature trail leads you through a stand of towering white pines about 400 years old and hemlock some 50 years younger. There are gnarly old beech snags amid a carpet of ferns. The ferns themselves are an indicator of a major problem in this forest. We didn't see any ferns yet but I did spot a huge burl on this tree. A burl (British bur) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. Burls are the product of a cambium. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be environmental or introduced by humans. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burls sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Almost all burl wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition. This particular burl appeared to be at least 3' in diameter.

NEW ARRIVALS

The male Tree Swallows have arrived. They are such wonderful flyer's, and they glide through our back yard in great numbers. The males arrive earlier than the females, and check out the nest boxes. They are very tired from their long flight leaving the wintering grounds in Mexico, and South America. The females will arrive later, but in the meantime the males are very territorial, and will fight each other for nesting sites. I have found in my bluebird houses 3-4 dead Tree Swallows that have all tried to claim the same box and died from exhaustion.

After a hot day here we are waiting for rain, but so far at 9:27pm nothing yet. It got up to 83º here and that is really way too hot for me. That is not a good temperature for this area in April. We tried to work outside in the flower beds, but only stayed out there for about an hour.
Tonight our kitchen drain came apart and water is all over the floor. I was trying to rinse dishes, and didn't know right away the water was leaking. Now the rug is all wet. Oh well, tomorrow is another day, and we'll get everything back together.
Have a good evening all, and I'll be back later on Sunday and let you know how we made out.

FANTASTIC FRIDAY

It was another gorgeous day, and we spent some time this afternoon at my sister's home in Warren, Pa which is about 45 miles from here. Gary helped her cut down a dead tree in her front yard. She treated us to a delicious dinner, and we had a nice visit. She has this beautiful Forsythia beside her driveway.

This is my sister's cat Sadie. As with all cats, she is curious, and apparently she has found something interesting in my purse.

PICTURE PERFECT DAY

One of my favorites. This Black Capped Chickadee was eating peanut butter.

What a beautiful day ! The girls came to spend the day, and after it warmed up we went out to rake leaves, and pick up sticks in the front yard. I was dumping some leaves on the compost and spied these daffodils. What a welcome sight. Spring is here for sure.

I saw this out behind the barn this afternoon. What a weird place for a daffodil to grow.

This is Becca and Jalyn. They decided they were too tired to rake any more, and wanted to rest on the front steps...

After raking leaves for about 15 minutes this was the end result..

73ºTODAY ! SUNNY

Grackles. They are such gluttons, and they eat everything in sight, but you have to admit, they are beautiful with they're iridescent colors. They won't stay around too long when nesting begins, and I'll be free of them till next winter.
Another beautiful day. Temps in the 70's.
I have to watch our two granddaughters all day tomorrow, so I don't know if I will get a chance to take any pictures, but then again, maybe they will be my subjects. We're going to do yard work.
Have a good evening.

EARLY SIGNS OF SPRING

Dried Burdock, actually left over from winter. Wild Onions

Skunk Cabbage

Purple Swamp Iris

French Creek is beginning to clear up.

SUNNY BUT COLD

It was a beautiful day, but the temperature never got above 43º

We took a trip to the Peninsula at Erie, Pa this morning, and I took many pictures. It's about a 45 minute drive. We drove the 10 miles around the Peninsula, walked the beach, and had a "picnic lunch" although we didn't get out of the van. We saw this big freighter unloading gravel, saw lots of house boats, and plenty of Seagulls.

You can view all of the pictures to the right. Just click on Becky's Photos. I was hoping to see lots of ducks, but not so.

Take care and I'll see you tomorrow.