Alrightnowyoutellme 4

A photo from a trip through Oklahoma

Alrightnowyoutellme. This is a bug that we saw in Oklahoma. We have them here in Wisconsin but this one was quite large and very noisy. I remember hearing them when I was a kid walking to the swimming pool, and for some reason I thought it was the buzz of the power lines. What can you tell me about this little fella? I can tell you that he spends up to 17 years underground before he sees the light of day.

A photo taken in our front yard

I AM NOT A LOSER!

So I just watched the ending of "The Kid" for the 50th time, I never get tired of it. The premise of the movie is that a very successful image consultant is having a 40th birthday, this guy has everything that he could want but he has no one to share it with. Very successful yes, but a lonely none the less. A younger version of himself comes from the past, (1968) to help him out, but neither one knows what to do. At the end of the movie a future version of himself comes from the future to help them both see that the troubles and emptiness is not forever, things do get better. At the end of the movie Bruce Willis screams, "I am not a loser."

The movie sounds and is a little far fetched at first, but it was recommended by someone I trust as a reliable judge of safe entertainment; my daughter. She kept telling me that I would like the movie, and that "The Kid" sort of reminded her of me. Well now I gotta see myself in movies, so I watched. What a great movie, good family entertainment.

This may be personal, but I can look back and remember what it was like to be an innocent kid with lots of flaws and not a lot of friends. I can also see where I am now and desire more in my life, but being cognizant of mistakes and shortcomings in my past, get a little stuck, not knowing if I should move ahead or stay put. Take a risk or play it safe. I can name a few times where I really thought "this" was what I was going to do, and not have it pan out. So I could very easily be "gun shy" about life.

What I would like is for me to come back from the future, and tell me (in the present) that everything turns out great. Or that staying put, is a big mistake and as a matter of fact actually shortened my life. Yeah what I need are some guarantees that my life will turn out great. Yes, some guarantees. The problem is, and herein lies the rub; there are no guarantees. But I do have assurances. The Word of God.

The Bible tells us to, Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your own understanding, in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. The Lord knows my shortcomings and my flaws and still has a place for me in His service. If I trust Him, He will lead me. I do not mean to sound pretentious but if you would trust the Lord with your life, you will have a life that is full. Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly.

I have read the same book numerous times; "The Tale Of Three Kings". It caused me to soul search, and at the same time help me understand the Lord a little better. I was talking to a friend who had read the same book but did not like it because it did not give enough of the answers that he would have liked, to which I reply, that is what walking by faith is. We do not have all of the answers God does not always tell us what He is thinking or doing. I do not get to have an old me from the future come to assure me everything is going to be alright, you and I must walk by faith and trust the Lord with each and every day of our lives. He will take care of us.

If we do, we will be able to say, "I do not understand everything", but we will most assuredly be able to say," I AM NOT A LOSER!"

Not Loving Me Back

Here it is the day after Thanksgiving the day I love best (pretty much), but it is not loving me back...ugh. Honest, I did not go crazy, just a little stupid. I woke up in the night, and popped some Tums and drank some aloe juice and went back to bed; Thanksgiving was not loving me back. But I did totally enjoy "Turkey Whatchmacallit" for lunch...yum. I am grateful and thankful for feeling better...yes, yes I am.

I Am Thankful For Everything

Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year, yes maybe even better than Christmas. Don't get me wrong Christmas is a wonderful day and the holiday season is really all about Jesus. But we have twisted and turned and made Christmas about us, so things get a little tense sometimes. Thanksgiving is most certainly about Jesus as well, I am truly thankful to God for everything that he has allowed into my life. My relationship with Him, my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. My mom, (is special, I have always been thankful for both of my parents), and the influence that my dad has had on my life, (I miss him now that he is gone, even though I see traces of him when I look at myself in the mirror), my brother and sisters and there families, I am thankful for a good church, and wonderful friends. Too many things to mention.

I think too often I have not always been thankful for the hard times, the times when I have felt most alone or a time of deepest need. If I trust God, and am thankful for the good times can I somehow separate Him from the difficult times? I do not consider myself old, I am middle aged I guess, but I wish that I would have known how to be thankful in hard times back when I was younger. Every difficult period of my life has afforded me a very special opportunity; to draw closer to the Lord. I did not know that difficult times were so precious and rare. I am drawn into a private place with Jesus and He shuts the door and helps me understand things. Things about myself and things about others that I need to understand and ways that I need to change. Sometimes our visits together take weeks and months, sometimes years. In the end, always precious and humbling.

Black Friday (tomorrow) is the day that some shoppers wait for all season to get the best deals, some will stand in line in cold weather just to be the first in the door. I am not one of those, although I do love a good deal. No one stands in line for a chance at difficulty or trial; things like loneliness, or betrayal, poverty or unemployment, but the benefits and rewards are eternal. But we must be willing for the Lord to change us and be willing to change. If I am not moving forward, after awhile I will be moving backward.

The Bible tells says; Don't think it is strange when a trial comes your way. In another place we are told that all of this difficulty works patience in us, patience works experience, and experience gives us hope. Hope is what I am truly thankful for. I am glad for every trial, and every experience that I have had in my walk with God, but I am very very thankful for the hope they have worked in me. I have a hope of eternity with Jesus. You know being a Christian is not about being blessed here because of Jesus. Being a Christian is about waking up, to the hope of eternity with the Lord. Blessings here are wonderful, but eternity will be much, much, much, better than that.

I say with John in Revelation, Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.

Erethizon Dorsatum...The Misunderstood Rodant

I know we have seen pictures or heard stories about the dogs that have taken on the porcupine and lost, the poor animal has a muzzle full of quills and will no doubt be yelping until the quills are extracted. Many times the porcupine is branded as a cruel monster, but in reality they are pretty quiet and mind there own business.


Anyone who takes on the porcupine in a tussle loses, from bears to berry bushes everyone comes up a loser, except one; the fisher (no it is not a man with tackle box). A fisher is a fairly large weasel who is able to attack the nose and face of the porcupine and inflict fatal damage. If a porcupine ever finds himself needing to defend himself, he will remain still and turn his back and tail toward the danger the enemy poses. He will raise up his bristles and his quill studded tail to protect himself and his tender belly and underside with up to 30,000 barbed quills. Now that is a lot of pain; poor puppy...(i'll bet you never do that again). One morning my dad and I were bird hunting near Sugar Bush Hill in Forest County and came across a porcupine, and he did exactly what I described; we ran up to him and the quills began to spread and raise. My dad then touched his tail and back with the gun barrel and you could really see how the blanket of quills on his back would rise and fall in each area that the gun barrel touched as he was trying to defend himself. Truly a wonder of creation. 


This photo was taken in Forest County just west of Crandon. This porcupine was foraging for food in the fall and did not seem to be alarmed or threatened by me taking his picture. Porcupines like most other rodents are vegetarian so they eat bark, bushes, needles and buds They are sloppy eaters so if you are ever walking in the woods and see chips and shavings under a tree it could be that a porcupine was upstairs having lunch. 


With winter upon us the places that they live in are easy to find. Porcupines live in small caves and hollow trees and logs, they always travel the same trail, so there will be a path in the snow, and the scat will smell like concentrated urine. 


Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for porcupines, and the fact that I have I have never had a face full of quills.

Alrightnowyoutellme (3 reveal)

It is now time for the reveal. The snake was a Fox snake. I know that my hint might have been a little lame but I mean really, aren't all snakes a little sneaky and sly? They do not have a lot going for them otherwise, it's not like they are going to get up and chase down a rabbit on two legs, so they slither and slink silently until they strike.

Thank you to everyone who responded back about "Frankie the Fox Snake". You know he is the one who doesn't have a lot going for him he just slinks around and...writes his blog... oh Good grief.

Pages from my 40 year old, "Reptiles and Amphibians" Golden Nature Guide

Honkey Man (revisited)

Last night after I had fallen to sleep I heard this soft but slowly swelling sound interrupting my sleep; it was after midnight. The car horn! I jumped up ran out to the garage and gave the steering wheel a jerk and the sound stopped. So I went back to bed and really hoped that it would not happen again, after all I have been driving the car for days and not one beep. I was awakened again by my wife telling me it was happening again, but even before she spoke I could hear the droning of the car horn slowly building to a scream as I was being dragged from a restless sleep by the sound; for crying out loud it is after 3 AM.

So with a little encouragement I took matters into my own hands and fixed my car today. It was cold so I used my heater to warm up the garage. I unplugged the SRS airbag fuse, no deployment, so waited to work up more courage. I took a star tipped screwdriver and loosened the screws (there was quite a bit of horn honking while I did this) and removed the airbag unit. The quarter was lodged all right but I got it out. No more warm fuzzy nostalgia for me. I put everything back together and it all turned out fine, so I replaced the fuse and turned on the ignition and the airbag light went off. Now the car is fixed. Mary is happy, which makes my life a little more manageable, and I wont need to give the mechanic $130.00 after all, so I am happy as well.

A B-eagle

The joke goes like this.
Q. What do you call a sick bird?
A. An illegal (an ill-eagle). You know something that is unlawful...get it? I know it is a bad joke.

So
Q. What do you call a big bird?
A. A Beagle (a big-eagle). You know a big......oh forget it. Hope you like the picture.

This eagle was found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, along Hwy 45.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

My plate my cookies...yumm

I was over at my mom's house today, helping her however I could. It is pretty hard to watch your one of your parents or both of your parents get old. I remember one day, well before my dad passed away, looking at him and realizing that he got old at one point and I did not see it coming. Just yesterday it seemed he was helping me move and working around the house. But one day I looked across the table and saw an old man looking back; sort of like when I look in the mirror. My dad passed away a little over two years ago, it was very difficult to let him go.

My mom lives in the same house that I grew up in; I mean really I lived in the same house all of my childhood. One night, when I was spending the night at mom and dads house after they had both gone to sleep. I was still awake listening for someone to wake up or get something if they needed it. While sitting in the semi-darkness of the living room, I heard the same sounds that I had grown up with. The train down the street and cars going down the avenue right outside the  front door, it was sort of strange.

Well anyway I was at mom's today and getting sort of restless just waiting around to do something so I decided that I would make some homemade bread and some fresh cookies. So I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Now, I am not a big fan of peanut butter cookies, but they are soft enough for my mom to eat. She had about 3 bags of chocolate chips in the cupboard so I made PBCC cookies.

My mom loved them and they were pretty simple so here goes, and I am all about simplicity in cooking and baking.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1     Cup     Soft Butter
1     Cup     P.Butter (crunchy if you like)
1     Cup     Sugar
1     Cup     Brown Sugar

2    Eggs
1     tsp       Vanilla

2 1/2   Cups     Flour
1 1/2    tsp        Soda
3/4      tsp        Salt

1      bag      Chocolate chips

Mix well the butters and sugars, then add the eggs and beat until it starts to get sort of fluffy looking. Add the vanilla and mix. Last add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Scrape the bowl and make sure that there is no gooey unmixed stuff on the bottom of the bowl. Scoop out any size cookie dough ball that you like. I press my cookies down with a fork and criss-cross the cookie top, just like my mom and grandma did. There are a few variables to consider when baking, like the type of cookie sheet and the oven's personality; but you know your oven and your cookie sheets so have at it. I baked mine at 370 for 10 mins, (give or take).

enjoy

Alrightnowyoutellme (3)

I know it is another snake, I do not mind snakes that much, as long as they are on the road and I can run if I feel threatened. I took this photo in Wisconsin. It seems to have a smaller head than what you might expect I am guessing that this snake was well over two feet long. The photo was taken a couple of years ago but I am sure that they are still around. Here is a clue to help you name the snake; "he seems rather sly".

 Alrightnowyoutellme a couple of things that you have found out about this sssssnake.

Maybe you can find some info here...or not.
http://goofysmartkids.com/index.html

Joseph Campbell

We had the great pleasure and blessing of having Joseph Campbell live with us for a couple of years while he went to school in St. Point for music. Joe is a very talented musician, and a very easy to get along with sort of guy, he has a lovely fiance' and comes for a large family. Joe grew up in southern Wisconsin just outside the city of Milwaukee.

Joseph had his senior recital last Sunday afternoon. Wonderful singing and music. Way to go Joe.

Joseph

 Bethany

Pileated Woodpecker

We had a Pileated Woodpecker on our deck this last week; awesome! We get this type of bird every year and it is always a treat to see him, especially so close to the house. He is a very large bird so you can't miss him. As you can see he likes suet. Suet is a very important supplement for birds in the winter because they rely on the fat in the suet to maintain their bodies heat in the colder weather.

Go down the store and pick up a block of suet and a wire holder and see what happens.

Honkey Man

The craziest thing happened to me yesterday. I was sitting in my car while I was waiting for Mary to go inside the school to get our grand-daughter from pre-school. I get sort of restless waiting in situations like that so I decided that I was going to sort through the change that I keep in my cup holder; a little boring maybe but safe, or so I thought.

First I started looking for wheat pennies, and found none. Then I started checking for the dates on nickels, dimes and quarters, and really found nothing very interesting except for a 1978 quarter. I got a little nostalgic as I recalled a few of the things that happened that year; 1978 was the year that I got married to my first (and current) wife, Mary. So I slid the quarter into the crack between the steering wheel and the part of the steering wheel that actually honks the horn; a perfect fit...NOT. The quarter slipped down in inside the steering wheel and it makes noise when I drive: no big deal right...NOT.

I went to Wal-Mart after we picked up Olivia but on the way we stopped at a stop light and you guessed, the horn started to honk; loud and long. I could not get it to stop until I turned the wheel to make the turn. So I got on the interstate and was headed to Wal-Mart, at least the horn stopped blowing. As I was pulling into the parking lot there was a little confusion (there always is at Wal-Mart) as to who was turning where and who had the right of way, but no big deal, until my horn went off again. Loud and extra long.

I am slapping the steering wheel trying to get the horn to stop, while motioning to other drivers that something was wrong with my car, and hoping at the same time that I would not activate the air bag and ruin my otherwise handsome face with a broken nose. I parked the car, the horn shut off and went into the store. All the way home it honked whenever it felt like honking; Help me Jesus!

It still is not fixed and the horn still goes off at times when you turn the wheel, and the dealership said it would only cost about $130.00 to fix; all because I wanted to save a quarter.

I am glad that summer is done, I would not want to be stopped at a stop sign behind a motorcycle gang, and have the horn go off.

Assinins, MI and the Indian Cemetary

This 1881 orphanage complex, now in ruins, once housed 900 orphans and other children whose parents could not support them. Only about half were Indians.

A photo we took at the cemetary

Assinins was the last mission Father Frederic Baraga, the "snowshoe priest" from Slovenia, established before becoming bishop of the Upper Peninsula. He came here in 1843 and used the mission he built as a base for missionary work elsewhere on the Keweenaw Peninsula, often reached by snowshoeing.

Father Baraga came to the area at the request of Chief Assinins, who was the first to be baptized here. The little school here was built under Father Baraga's direction; the nails used seem to be the ones he arranged to get from Europe. The partly rebuilt school was one element of what The school was the first element of what became an extensive mission center. Its biggest building was an orphanage, more benign and not so destructive to Indian children's sense of themselves and their culture as some, to hear local people talk about it. Many orphanage children were non-Indians, too. If one parent died, the other might have to leave the children at an orphanage for extended periods of time while the parent worked elsewhere.

Today Assinins consists of some homes and the cemetery along the high road that parallels U.S. 41, the mission school, the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church, and a former convent that serves as its parish hall. Mass is at 6 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. A crucifix and white statues of Father Baraga and an Ojibwa man and girl can be seen from the highway.

Orphanage photo and story are from "Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula".      http://hunts-upguide.com/assinins.html

The Black Capped Chickadee State Birds (week 9)

Wow I can hardly believe it is Friday already. I have not posted the state bird for this week so I better get it done now. The Black Capped Chickadee (or Titmouse) is my favorite bird; at least that is what I am thinking today. The Chickadee is a friendly little flyer that swoops into the feeders, grabs some seeds, and heads off to his branch where he cracks the shell or simply eats his seed and does it all over again.


The Chicadee is the hero of the woods; there are courage and good nature enough in that compact little body, which you may hide in your fist, to supply a whole groveful of May songsters. He has the Spartan virtue of an eagle, the cheerfulness of a thrush, the nimbleness of Cock Sparrow, the endurance of the seabirds condensed into his tiny frame, and there have been added a pertness and ingenuity all his own. His curiosity is immense, and his audacity equal to it; I have even had one alight upon the barrel of the gun over my shoulder as I sat quietly under his tree.- ERNEST INGERSOLL.


The Chickadee is the state bird for two states, both of which are on the east coast; Massachusetts, and Maine. The Chickadee is a pudgy little bird with a black cap, black bib and white cheeks. The males, females, and the juveniles all look the same, the only exception is that the males are a little larger. Their primary food sources are insects and seeds. The will gladly eat from feeders that you have set out and are around all winter.


Black Capped Chickadees are cavity nesters, which means that they will live in the cavities  of rotted trees or even in the holes that woodpeckers chip out. They will also nest in Bluebird houses, but will not sit on top of the house and let all of the other birds know that this is his property. If a Chickadee chips away at a crevice to make a home he will carry the wood chips away so his dwelling is not obvious to other birds. Have you ever seen a tree that a woodpecker has chipped at? There are wood chips all over the ground underneath the cavity, the Chickadee will clean up his mess.


Chickadees live year round in the northern half of the U.S., most all of Canada, and into parts of Alaska. They are very sturdy little birds that are able to withstand the cold by lowering their body temperature at night to conserve energy. In what seems like the cold silence of winter this cheerful little bird has a very welcomed song; "chick-a-dee-dee-dee". When Spring is approaching they will sing their Spring song; "fee-bee, feeee-beee".


I love this bird, it makes me happy.


Check this out:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/id

The Glacial Plain "Nessie"

Here is a photo that I took on the Wisconsin River in Portage County, just west of the interstate. I was at a boat landing under the new Hwy. 10 overpass when I saw what I thought was a piece of shredded rubber from a tire. But it just didn't look right so I started walking over to get a better look, the closer I got the funnier it looked. I was not in my "stealthy, sneak up on something" mode so I was just walking normally, when what I thought was rubber began to move.

It all happened very fast, it moved slightly at first and then bolted toward the water. My camera was in my hand so I started snapping pictures. I am guessing that the snake was about 3 ft maybe. At that moment I was not sure what it was. After I got home and cropped the picture It was plain to see that It was a snake. I am still not certain what kind of snake it is. Perhaps the Wisconsin River has it's own "Nessie".

Alrightnowyoutellme 2 (Reveal)

Yes it is an Argiope Aurantia, otherwise known as a Black and Yellow Garden Spider. The females will get up to three times larger than a male. The Black and Yellow Garden Spider is harmless to humans, which is a good thing because if you ever see one it can be a very...AGHHH (that is my scream like a little girl word)...experience. The spider is found all over the country; the picture posted here was taken in Texas. Spiders give me the "creeps", but there is something interesting about them at the same time.

This spider will place its eggs in a sack and they will hatch in the fall, the babies will live in that sack through the winter. In the spring the little ones will make a web string and let the wind carry it off to distant places. Each egg sack that the mother makes will hold up to 1000 baby spiders, the female may make more than one egg sack.

That is a lot of spiders.

For more info check out:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_and_yellow_argiope.htm

A New Church

Pastor Ron Schuenke is on the far left.

Ron is a very good friend, and a man with a very strong love for the Lord and his family. Ron is the Pastor of a church in Medford, WI; a small church that is growing. This last weekend we passed out around 900 flyers in a neighboring community about 10 or 12 miles south of Medford, called Abbotsford. Ron wants to start a new church in Abbotsford, WI.

T.J. and Kirsty Heidenriech brought over some of their youth group from Pentecostal Assembly Church in Eau Claire; about and hour west of Abbotsford. A young couple from Kaukanana, Wi, about 3 hours away to the southeast came to help out as well. We all got together to support Pastor Schuenke and pass out the invitations/flyers. It was pretty cold and windy when we started but the sun seemed to warm things up a bit by the time we were done. We finished in about 3 hours; after which we all headed to Pizza Hut.

Ron has a real desire to see lives changed by the power of the Holy Ghost. Being a Christian it seems is becoming a really old fashioned, and a little counter cultural way of living. Being a Christian is the best thing I have ever done. I firmly believe that everyone is looking for Jesus, they just don't know that it is Jesus they are looking for; Ron is trying to help the ones who are searching. Way to go Bro.

Wait For It

I have been a little busy again but I have not given up blogging. I am going to be back with more randomness. More pictures, snakes and birds.

That my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Hope of Our Destination

I was sorting through digital picture files that I had stored on disks and came across a treasure chest of pictures I had forgotten that I had taken. For years now I have been curious about what the art work on memorial stones meant. One of the really common ones a person might come across in an old cemetery is the pointing finger.

The pointing finger represents the hope of heaven, which is why it is pointed up. We have a hope as well. You know if a person loses sight of their goal the endeavor will very likely become a chore and a drudgery. There is always an excitement involved in the beginning of an adventure, and a reward or satisfaction at the completion. But sometimes the middle gets a little mundane and boring. We need to slow down a little, take a break, a deep breath and ask ourselves; why did I get involved in this to begin with?  Have I forgotten where am I going? Am I still on course?

Teenagers are no longer children, and not quite adults so they get into all sorts of "things" trying to figure life out. Mom and Dad set them on a path and they are not sure that it is a path they would have chosen if they were given the option. My wife became a stay at home mom when the kids hit this place in their teens. If ever a person needs direction in their life it is a teenager. The stage of growing; not being a child and not being an adult, can be difficult.


Middle aged people and empty nesters, can lose sight of what their life is all about. This is an important place to stop and ask yourself a few questions. Before, you leave your spouse and sell all of your belongings to live in a condo on the beach. We can lose sight of where we are headed and why we got involved in all of this to begin with. We do have a destination; a reward for staying true to our life's purpose and journey.

When things get a little hazy, call on your Friend and let Him point the way. Jesus said, "I am the Way the Truth, and the Life."

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Sally's Broiled Cheese Hot Dog Sandwich

Well it is time once again to look into the 40 year old Peanuts cookbook; this month let's delve into the culinary expertise of Sally Brown. This months recipe is a must for anyone who has an appreciation for an all American favorite; the hot dog. I am not certain that hot dogs were any more healthy  40 years ago compared to now, but I do like to have a hot dog every once in a while.

The skills that this recipe requires is minimal so have fun. Go crazy with the toppings and make Sally proud. I love catsup, (or is it ketchup or maybe, catch-up) and horseradish and if I have them chopped onions on my hot dog. When I was a kid we always, and I MEAN ALWAYS, ate our hotdogs with a slice of bread wrapped around the dog as far as it would reach; (we were poor I guess because we never bought buns) With the top of the hot dog exposed you could balance all of the toppings on a round hot dog and hope that it would all stay in place until it reached your mouth. Too funny.

So how do you like your hot dog?
Do you ever use bread?

The Eastern Bluebird State Birds (week 8)

I took photo in Missouri

The Bluebird is the state bird for New York, and Missouri. Now that we have that out of the way there are actually a few types of Bluebirds to choose from. The Eastern Bluebird which is most common to this part of the country. The Western Bluebird, and the Mountain Bluebird are found in the Southwestern states and along the Pacific coast; the Mountain Bluebird is also found in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S.A and up into Canada. So with the understanding that neither the Mountain or Western Bluebird is common to New York or Missouri lets talk about the Eastern Bluebird.

The Mountain Bluebird is the state bird for the states of Idaho and Nevada. We can talk about him another day perhaps.

The Eastern Bluebird is Blue (who knew) with a rusty red throat and breast, and a tummy that is white the female is much less colored. It is about 7 inches in length, so a little smaller than the American Robin, and thinner. The Bluebird likes to live in in open areas like farm fields or large yards, with scattered trees and along roadsides. Bluebirds will readily accept a Bluebird nesting box as home for breeding. Bluebirds love bugs like grasshoppers, crickets and beetles. They also love invertebrates (things without a backbone)  like worms, spiders, bugs, and snails. Bluebirds will also eat berries and fruit.

This was taken on our deck, here is a mom and her fledgling

I gotta say right now that a Bluebird is a very crabby looking bird, almost as crabby looking as swallows. Oh well you can't help the way you look. Bluebirds only visit us in the Summer, they winter in the south, around west Texas. And can be found all year long in the south eastern states and in to Mexico.

A Bluebird house is very basic and would be easy to build, you may be surprised and get a Bluebird family; if they come it is very likely that you will have Bluebirds every year. We have had a couple pairs every year for over 15 years.

Check out some extra info;
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/id

Here are some nesting box plans if you want to build one:
http://www.nysbs.org/handouts/BluebirdNestingBoxes.pdf

Jillions of Juncos

Alright so maybe there are not "JILLIONS" of Juncos but there are quite a few. Juncos are one of my favorite winter birds and when they move in get ready cooler weather is on the way. We have already seen the Tufted Titmouse, which is another of my favorite birds. Alright here are some pics of some Dark Eyed Juncos.