Spring in Chicago has been on and off again the last couple of months. We were teased with early warm weather and everything started popping out, but then winter seemed to come back and bring everything to a halt. But now, everything has just exploded in color. Of all the wonderful spring blooms, my favorite … Continue reading Spring Colors Are Everywhere!
Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest?
I've had an ongoing issue with squirrels ravaging my bird feeders. I bought a great Squirrel Stopper pole, but because I wanted to see the birds from my kitchen window, and despite clear instructions not too, I placed it too close to a nearby tree and arborvitaes. So, those very acrobatic squirrels have had fun … Continue reading Who Won The Squirrels vs Feeder Contest?
What Am I Growing-2017
It's always fun to spend time in January and February going through all the seed and garden catalogs to see what I am going to grow this year. It's also during that time, I wish I had bigger gardens and more sun to really plant huge vegetable and flower gardens. But I have what I … Continue reading What Am I Growing-2017
Creeping Thyme Update
A couple of years ago I wrote a post, “Creeping Thyme Problems“, about my patch of creeping thyme that was totally a disaster. This post has also become one of my most popular, so I must not be alone in having ugly creeping thyme! After some scary, severe winter pruning, it came in the next … Continue reading Creeping Thyme Update
Spruce Down :(
Like many across the Midwest and Northeast, we had an extremely windy week last week. On Wednesday at O'Hare airport, they measured gusts of 58 mph which was the highest since 1991, coincidentally the year we moved to Chicago. In my neighborhood, gusts of 62 mph were observed and the average sustained wind speed was … Continue reading Spruce Down 🙁
Up Close With A Pileated Woodpecker
We were out winter hiking in Peninsula State Park, when we thought it'd be fun to take a short cut through the interior on the little used Trail Trampers Delight trail. Someone had fun naming that trail! Just beautiful and so quiet after a fresh overnight snowfall. Yes, there's a trail there 🙂 Lots of … Continue reading Up Close With A Pileated Woodpecker
A Hawk at My Feeders
As I was reading comfortably on the couch one afternoon, out of the corner of my eye something BIG went by the window. Now there's always a gaggle of birds out there because of the feeder I have hung in that area, but they don't usually make me think, "What was that!" Of course I … Continue reading A Hawk at My Feeders
Great Backyard Bird Count 2017
Great Backyard Bird Count February 17-20, 2017 Since 1998, birders of all kinds have come together for a four day bird count in February. Counting birds at the same time every year provides a snapshot into the overall health of bird populations around the world. It can also help scientists learn more about such things … Continue reading Great Backyard Bird Count 2017
Healthy and Tasty Infused Water
I know you're supposed to drink a lot of water throughout the day, but I'm just not a big fan. I'd much rather have iced tea. But, I know I need to drink more water. So what to do?? I finally found that creating a seemingly endless combination of fruit, herbs and vegetable infused water … Continue reading Healthy and Tasty Infused Water
Grill Roasted Potatoes
Now that I've planted and grown all those potatoes last year, what was my favorite way to eat them? Roasting on the grill! This is a great simple recipe that can be adapted for the grill or the oven. Pick your favorite potatoes. I mainly used thin skinned Yukon Gold or an assortment of the … Continue reading Grill Roasted Potatoes