Groundhogs Day/Brighids Day/ Imbolc

From ancient times to present. The approaching time of our year has many meanings. I believe it was first a festival of the sun and later became a time to celebrate the goddess Brighid. The romans could not eradicate her so they incorparated thier christian beleifs and converted Brighid to a saint. Some how Groundhogs day sprang from some of these ancient beiefs. Perhaps the Scottish saying from the previous post. To most present day americans it's only about the groundhog and his shadow. So much more to the story than a mere groundhog. SXW

Brighids Day/Imbolc /Groundhogs Day

Thig an nathair as an toll

La donn Bride,

Ged robh tri troighean dhen t-sheached

Air leac an lair.


"The serpent will come from the hole

On the brown Day of Bride,

Though there should be three feet of snow

On the flat surface of the ground."

Pixels and Poems by X.

A few days ago I started yet another blog 'Pixels and Poems'. You'll find a button for it on the top right. Must be the cabin fever that brought this on ;) I'll try to post daily on it. Putting up pictures I've taken and some of my poetry and quotes. I'll also include some stuff from some of my favorite people. I still post on my other blog 'Darkside of the Moon' occassionally. Parts of my darker side are there for all to see. SXW

Natures Hotline

As I was fixing my second cup of coffee this morning, I happened to look out the kitchen window and noticed there were no birds at the feeders. Then I saw that they were empty. While I was out filling the feeders I looked around and didn't see any birds in our trees or any of the surrounding trees.
After going back inside I stood at the back door watching, and in less than a minute the birds were flocking back in.
Ok, so do they have thier own facebook page or twitter account where they get on line and tweet. Or do they get on thier teeny-tiny little cell phones and spread the word.
Sometimes nature amazes me. Animals seem to have thier own communication system. A good example is my pear tree and the squirrels. In the summer just before my pears get ripe I am envaded by hoards of squirrels. They seem to know when the pears are just to thier liking. They will chew a hole into the pear and eat only the seeds, wasting the pear. It's like all of a sudden they are there doing thier thing. How do they know this.
I've noticed animals behavior is different if I am out hunting with no intent of taking certain animals. Do they pick up on my thought patterns or what. They seem to know when you are the hunter and they are the prey.
Reba, our blue and gold macaw, knows when Gi Gi is close to being home from work. She will make a noise that alerts the dogs, several minutes before she gets home.
Here's a good one on Reba. Last night she let out one of her blood chilling jungle screams. She does this every once in a while. Just a reminder that she is not that far removed from the wild state. Gi Gi got up to cover her cage as I was spewing out one profanity after another and saying how I was going to be having parrot stew. Reba, quietly said "I love you". I was silenced.  Gi Gi chuckled.  X.

A flurry............

....of snow and birds this morning. Last weeks warm temperatures finally melted away the 2-3 inches of snow we had on the ground just a few days ago. It was 9 degrees this morning at 7:00 a.m. about ten it started to snow. We've had a lot of birds at the feeders this year, not sure why. But enjoy watching them. X.

Show-Me Cathouse !!!

The area we live in this town is over run with stray cats. We have a neighbor who basically has a cat-factory. There is an older mobile home on thier property that they use to shelter and feed thier cats. It seems like there is always a fresh litter in thier front yard. They just spread out in the neighborhood and supply our area with plenty of felines. Because of this we don't let our two cats roam free. This past summer I built them a cathouse on the backside of our house where they could go to get outside. The black and white cat is Mitsy and the other is her mother Claire, they are Minx cats. They both enjoy going out thru a door I built from the utility room to the cathouse. This time of year they keep an eye on the finches that visit our feeders. X.

'Time'

Sam doesn't really mind daylight savings time. Says, "I don't even wear a watch. Figure times old enough to take care of itself." Vol Lindsey

Chicken Tractor Redo For Rue!

This is in answer to Rue's inquiry about my 'Chicken Tractor'. Intended for you-Rue and any one else interested in making a tractor. Just type in Chicken Tractor into your search engine and all kinds of pictures, plans and info will come up. I am town bound with a country boy's heart. Thus my desire to raise chickens helped me to discover the tractor thing. Probably called a tractor because it is mobile. One can move it around like a large wheel barrow. The moving process has two benefits. It gives the chickens fresh grass to eat and they return the favor by fertilizing your yard or garden. In the top picture you can see the nesting and night time living compartment for the chickens. The door I put on the back allows me to clean it and remove the eggs much easier. I have also built in a side door at the bottom to help clean the roosting area. The finished product in the bottom picture shows a tarp I can move from side to side to help provide shade and shelter from rain, when needed. I first started with 6 chickens but reduced it to 4. The 4 chickens provided more than enough eggs for GiGi and I. Would be happy to answer any Questions. And Rue, would be glad to make you one if you only lived a little closer. SXW P.S. A simple light bulb mounted in the peak of thier living quarters should provide enough heat to make them comforable in the winter. Of course you would need to run an elctrical cord to the tractor. Another solution would be some type of solar device to supply heat or power for the light bulb. Most chickens would probably manage the cold as thier body heat would help to warm the inside of thier roosting/nesting area. I also have a closable door where they enter.