back after a long time away

Not sure exactly why it's been such a long time since I made a blog entry.  Life kinda got in the way.  I taught a gardening class this winter, and it took so many hours of computer work to get ready for each session, that, on top of full-time work, I just didn't have time for anything else.  But I'm going to do my best to get back into it.

A few months ago, I took a picture of one of my pet peeves - winter tomatoes.  They are usually woody and  tasteless, but this is ridiculous - actual slivers of what appears to be wood sticking out of a tomato!

Those splinters would have choked any unsuspecting salad eater!  And it looks so pretty on the outside!  The lesson:  buy the more expensive heritage tomatoes that are becoming more popular in the stores, or just wait until summer.  Who are we to think we can have tomatoes in February anyways?

It has been a great year for bird sitings at the feeder on my deck.  Ravens, grossbeaks, redpolls, mourning doves, finches, sparrows, along with the peanut-loving bluejays and the nasty starlings that just sit and stuff themselves with suet and can go through an entire cake of it in one day.  Didn't see a single downy woodpecker, but a huge northern flicker dropped in once or twice.  Complicating matters this year was our new cat - young, energetic, and determined to make a meal out of as many pretty birds as possible.  He lurks on the chairs pushed under the bird feeding table and pops up at birds just trying to get breakfast, like he already had.  So I have come up with a great idea - I have pushed away all the chairs, so that he no longer has the advantage of surprise.

white-winged grossbeaks

The redpolls are really tame.  They arrive in a flock, and don't seem to be rattled by the approach of the cat or by me.

red poll peeking over the railing

So now I need to get outside and gather some more material for my next post.  And it will be sooner rather than later!