January Monthly Summary

We started January with a family breakfast. John and Lindsey went to a church function on New Year’s Eve and I had to work, so Papa Jimmy had Mason to himself. I am sure it was the first of many times to come. They spent the night at our house so we had us a big breakfast, and spent most of the day together. A great way to begin the new year.

We received our passports the 2nd, and started making plans for a trip to the Panama Canal. We leave tomorrow morning to Florida to board the ship on Tuesday. The cruise will last 10 days, then we will go to our time share in St Pete Beach for a week.

I started my new blog this month and am still working on cleaning up my original blog. I want to make it easier to find photographs worthy of framing and using in my greeting cards. So I first used bloggers new export/import tool and sent the whole blog to my new blog (the one you are on) and then started removing some of the post from the original blog. All of the post are staying on the Photos For Fun blog. I have also prepared post for the 3 weeks we will be gone, so I hope all of you will visit and leave comments while I am gone. I will catch up with your blogs when I return.

This month Shelley has given us all a big scare about our photos stored on our computers. I have gotten all my photographs transferred to the external hard drive. That was quite a job, even with the majority of them already there. Just hope it doesn't crash. Now I am thinking maybe I need two external hard drives, surely they wouldn't both crash at the same time.

The house in Rockwood is finally livable, Jimmy spent his first night there on the 12th. The following weekend we spent most of the weekend there. On Saturday Jimmy and I went to Ozone Falls, which is located between Betsy and George and our house in Rockwood. Come spring we will have to meet them there one day. I was surprised as cold as it was the little parking area was full of vehicles when we left. Guess everybody was like us, they wanted to see Ozone with some water tumbling over. Came home late Saturday evening so we could go to church on Sunday. After an afternoon with the family we went back to Rockwood.

I have seen lots of birds at Rockwood, it may turn out to be my bird haven.
So far I have seen and photographed…
American Goldfinch
Brown Headed Nuthatch
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Bluebird
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Cedar Waxwing
Pine Siskin
Carolina Wren
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
The last 4 are new birds to my lifer list.

So this month has been a very exciting birding month.

I did some photography assignment work 3 different days for

Safe n’ Sound Creative Technologies.

This afternoon we will be celebrating Mason's first birthday with a family party.

He was sick on his birthday, but has improved enough that we all plan on having a great time. He has been taking a few steps by himself, maybe he will take off today!

Sometimes I take on more than I can swallow

I read somewhere that birds have to acquire the taste for Safflower. I think this one liked it ok, he just needs to learn how to eat it, without choking. Enlarge the 3rd photo for a better view.

American Goldfinch in old tree

Pine Siskin and Goldfinch

While the rest of East Tennessee was getting excited about snow I was getting excited about the birds in the backyard. As you can see from these photos, the snow was beginning to melt anyway.I knew as soon as this bird flew to the feeder it was one I had never seen.

Almost as quickly, I knew that it was a Pine Siskin.

Notice how they helped me see the differences between them.

It was like they were showing me on purpose.

I would like to say I was in my photographer's blind, but I was in the comfort of the house. I hung out at the bathroom window for longer than I want to admit. These were at our house in Rockwood. I knew Betsy was up on the mountain getting all excited about the snow, because if it was snowing in the valley below the Cumberland Plateau I knew it was snowing on the plateau, as she fondly calls it, the Glade.

I am off to a photography assignment job this morning, then to my real paying job this afternoon, so I hope the roads are clear.

House Finch and American Goldfinch sharing lunch

The House Finch is so much larger than the Goldfinch, even when he is in the background. Like Richard has mentioned the House Finch are already turning color, getting ready for breeding season.

Hey, where you going?

These were all taken pre-blind days, straight from the glassed in room with the door barely opened, but they have been cropped some too.

One House Finch and one American Goldfinch

One House Finch and one American Goldfinch sharing a meal.

American Goldfinch feeding

The American Goldfinch do seem to like this feeding location. I place the water there when the birdbath freezes.

Well, they have a visitor. Trusty ole House Finch has come to visit.

Look how much larger the House Finch is than the Goldfinch.

Wintertime American Goldfinch

These photographs of the American Goldfinch were taken from my new 'blind' I got for Christmas. The blind I received is actually a hunter's blind, but my hubby could not find a photographer's blind.

These photographs have not been cropped at all.

I love the blind, I sure am glad I got it for Christmas. I just set it up on my deck and crawled in. The Goldfinch first had to check it out, and at one point I was afraid he was going to join me on the inside, but then he flew on over to enjoy his meal.

Happy New Year's everybody!!!!

December Events

I went to Cades Cove on the 2nd because it snowed a little and wanted to capture some photographs of that snow. I have posted lots of photographs from that trip.

On the 4th Mason (10 month old grandson) had minor surgery. I was worried way too much, I know God is in control. Mason did great, slept a lot that afternoon, but after that couldn't even tell he had anything done. God is great, and I need to remember that at all times.

The 2nd weekend we had all my husband's siblings and their spouses for Christmas (there are 9 siblings). We had a great time.

Middle of the month Wendy and Lukas found out their baby is a boy. Wendy has a blog and currently she doesn't post much else, she (they) are so excited about this baby. You can visit her at http://www.articulateonpaper.blogspot.com/ to see her latest photographs. The baby is due early May 2009.

The weekend before Christmas we went to Georgia for my family Christmas, and as always there was a large crowd. We love seeing the little ones opening the packages. My nephew, Trip, always gets so excited about his John Deere item I always get him. You would think it is his first John Deere tractor or wagon, etc. I get him something John Deere every year because it is so much fun seeing how excited he gets. Someday I am sure he will outgrow it, but we will still have these memories. The other children all enjoy theirs too, but Trip is so excited that it excites us all.

Christmas is always great, and this year was no exception. With Mason's first Christmas we were all excited, and Jimmy and I were at their house when Mason got his Santa gifts too. Just think what it will be like next year with 2 grandsons.

For Mason's first Christmas they had to have Christmas cards with a family photo. You can click here to see their family portrait I took for them to use. The day I took these portrait shots Mason was just beginning to stand without holding on.

I asked for a photographer's blind for Christmas. I got a 2 seater, hunters blind. Told Jimmy since he bought a 2 seater he has to go and sit with me and be quiet. Not going to happen! He doesn't know how to sit still. In time when I learn enough about the proper place to be with it, and I get a lot of activity he might be willing to go with me beacuse he can see the birds so good and doesn't have to use binoculars. Until then, I am sure I am on my own. I have already been trying it out, the photographs shown here were taken from the blind. The blind was sitting in the middle of my deck, because I haven't trained the birds where I want them to be. Working on that one.

The day after Christmas Jimmy and I applied for passports, and both gave blood at the local blood bank. If we are going to leave the country we figured we should give blood before we go, so while it was on our minds and we had some time off we went on over to the blood bank. More about that if the trip does happen. Still waiting for Jimmy's time off approval, which hopefully will happen on Monday when his boss returns to work.

And of course the work on the home 'away from home' is progressing. This month we got wiring redone, public water and gas to the house, indoor plumbing , including a hot water heater,toilet (YES!), and bathroom sink, roof, gutters, a heat unit installed. It is becoming more than a COLD shell of a house. Not quite livable yet, but it is getting real close. Did I say toilet? Oh yeah, already said that. I have been checking out the bird population and am happy to say it looks like I will be keeping my camera at ready.

While Jimmy was working on the house I finally went through the photographs I took at Perry's Water Lily Farm on July 4th. Have posted some to help us through this dreary looking December. And will probably be posting some more shortly.

This is my 548th post for 2008, and my last. Not bad since I started in late April. I hope I have added some joy to your blogging adventure this year, and hope to see all of you in 2009.

Happy New Year to all!!!