christmas trees & warblers

sparkle, a Noodle and cookies & tea

Yesterday I was busily putting my coat and scarf on late in the afternoon, getting ready to run a few errands around this little village when I heard an unusual bird sound from the kitchen window bird feeder station (or giant kitten flat screen television). I was thrilled to see a small grey, black and white bird with a very long sharp (insect eating) black beak and a vivid yellow throat flitting from feeder to feeder as if it was not familiar with these backyard buffets that we provide for the birds. Black sunflower seeds ? No not to his taste. Niger seed ? definitely no. Suet ? ahhh that's what he was looking for. I quickly memorized all the details of his appearance so that later I could look this bird up in my trusted Peterson's Eastern Bird Guide, I put Miss D's leash on (she likes to go for the drive) and off we went.

Earlier in the day a fellow dog lover and someone I've known well from her years working at our local bank called to tell me that she and her husband said goodbye to their sweet 15+ year old diabetic and blind senior dog Penny just the day before. She wanted to donate all Penny's special food, medications, syringes etc to the shelter and I had made arrangements to go and pick these items up. They have had Penny since she was 8 weeks old, she came from the same, way out in the country, shelter that the Noodle dog came from. Penny was their child. Winnie and I walk by their place each morning on our stroll around the village in darkness and Penny always greeted us with her lovely deep senior dog bark and we had noticed lately, that she was becoming especially thin and frail.

It felt like it was all meant to be - that she called me, that I had a chance to write a note in a card for both of them, and to drop it off in person. That I could be the one to give comfort and to stand in her entryway for a time as she reminisced and told tales of life with Penny, how much they loved her and how they can't believe that she's gone. Penny lived a long and incredible life and was loved as much as it's possible to be loved. As I carried the bags of donated things to the car I turned and said if you ever need someone to talk to ... I'm your girl.

Back home to dishes and kitchen tidying and I sat down to study my bird book. The mystery bird is a yellow throated warbler, extremely rare to Nova Scotia and this time of year he should be basking in the sun and humidity of Florida. If you remember this time last year I was feeding fat red grapes to the beautiful Lady Baltimore another bird far from home. Peanut butter and suet are this little guys preferred feeder foods so today we'll be sure to get a little PB out there at the bird buffet. If he's going to stick around these parts he'll need to be well fed.

Lunch out today with a friend, more frame tech production drawings and working out the details of new etsy shop items ! Happy sigh. Some photos from our little village by the sea tree fest, cafe and entertainment (from a local senior's chorale group the Traveller's).

and ... the word of the week - proroque - Canadian politics just became exciting.


café - Harry in the front leaning in chatting with the girls


the Traveller's - before their program began