Thursday, January 10, 2013

Bird Watching

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At least once a week, I like to get out to my back yard and just watch the birds.  They keep me quite entertained, flying from tree to tree, chasing each other around, sweeping by to check me out.

Sometimes I take my camera, sometimes I don't and prefer to just sit on one of the patio chairs and quietly observe.

And most times I'm rewarded with lots of birds, of various kinds.  It's one of the perks of living on a military base.

Before I show you what I captured today, let me show you how my day started.....with such a gorgeous sunrise.  I don't like where we are, never have, but I can't deny the beauty of the Arizona sunrises and sunsets.

The Lord sure paints a pretty picture in the sky.

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I am often asked how I'm able to get time to craft. The answer is simple.....organization.

For me, it's all about planning and organizing and making sure that I get time in the day for everything that I want to get done. I also don't allow myself any crafty/crochet/reading time until my housework is done....it's almost like an incentive to get it all taken care of so that I can then sit down and relax with those things that bring me joy.

so, after housework was taken care of, around 11am, I sat down to work on the Pug quilts and was able to get both quilt tops done.

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I had so much fun sewing these up, and I think it's because I am loving the bright colors and the funky patterns.

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Tomorrow, I'll set aside some time to sew them up and probably do the binding etc. If I'm lucky, I'll finish them by night time.

Now let's talk birds. I stepped outside in the afternoon and the color was a beautiful dark purple.


It's been cloudy all day long, we were supposed to get rain but so far nothing, it doesn't really matter because as much as I love the rain I also love a dark cloudy sky.

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We have tons of birds in our tree, and lots of nests too. The funny thing about these birds is that they love dog food and they're always in the patio waiting for the back door to open to try and see if they can get some of the dogs food which is located by the back door.

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They sit and watch the house, it's almost a little scary hahaha


Sure brings visions of Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds" to mind. *shiver*

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This was right before a bunch more flew in, at one point there were 24 birds in that tree, all on the branches staring down at me.

Then one or two will fly from the tree to the house across from us and sweep down to the yard and back to the tree, checking me out.

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And while I'm being checked out by these birds....I am doing the watching of a different kind of bird overhead

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I will never get sick of these beauties, I think the fact that my husband is a mechanic on the F-16's is a big humungous reason why I love these machines.

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They were in holding pattern, waiting to land

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I get a lump in my throat when I think that in just a few short months we'll be out of the military life and not living on base anymore. I am going to miss living with the noise of the jets overhead, of feeling my walls shake as they run the engines all the way on the other side of the base, of seeing their beauty in the skies during the day and their bright purple afterburner when they're night flying.

It's become a part of who we are and I don't think that will ever go away.


Aahhh just one more thing to thank the Lord for blessing us with. Not many people will have had the opportunity to live like we have.

Military life may be hard, and it IS, but the memories you make are so deeply etched in your heart that they will never be erased.



11 comments:

Unknown said...

We enjoy watching the myriad of birds that visit our feeders as well. Love your pictures!!!

Suellen Roley said...

One of the things I absolutely love about having my computer on the dining room table is that it looks out on the street. In my street, and even in my yard, I have seen adult deer (both does and a 5 point buck last fall, now he was a sight to see!), fawns (so cute!), squirrels, chipmunks, quail (both babies and adults), pigeons (dirty birds I know but they are still gorgeous to look at), robins, crows, blackbirds, starlings, and my personal favorite bird the scrub jays (these are not true blue jays, but they are pretty as well, and pretty noisy too. Sometimes the house down the hill will have Canada geese on the roof as well. Then there's the people watching. I am just sorry that I kept my computer in the bedroom for so long, there wasn't enough natural light and there weren't enough lamps either. Now, nearly every day one of these animals is around to cheer me up or amuse me.

Judy said...

I just love your pictures and posts. I'm sure it's going to be an adjustment to civilian life, I wish you all well and I'd like to thank not only your husband for serving but you as well for sharing him with all of us, his country.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Birds give us great joy as do the skies that they fly in.

Even though my husband was only in the US Navy for four years, there are LOTS of memories even still, and it took a little adjusting to living in the civilian world again. But there is so much joy in living on the outside. You are getting 'short' now. Are you counting down the days? When you are down to two digits, you are really short and the excitement really grows.

Love and hugs to you ~ FlowerLady

Sweet Woodruff said...

Such a warm post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos. I love watching the birds too. I have 100's in my backyard at any time but they won't sit for a photograph. Love the pretty picture of the sky up top. Take care.

Christina said...

Love the birds, both kinds! Yes military life is a great road to be on but very tiring in the end.

Denise said...

Sandra,

Military life is very special....hard, but yes the memories stay with you forever. I was in the Navy for 4 years, and in fact met my husband there. I was blessed to live for 3 years in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on shore duty. I was young, before kids....and my mind never forgets. In fact I dreamt of Hawaii last night...that I was there visiting...a short trip to show hubby where I lived while he was stationed in Florida.

Since I didn't retire Navy, I'm sad that I'll never be able to "visit" that base again. I have so many memories there. I'm excited to read about your continued adventures as you become civilians. ;)

Sweet Woodruff said...

Thank you for your sweet message. You are a good, dedicated mother who lives for her family (I can see that from following your blogs for a couple of years). I'm sure your kids will love you at 17. Take care and have a blessed weekend.

Miss Ruthie Aileen said...

I laugh at myself when I watch birds. I am always making up little scripts for them and their antics. The funniest thing yesterday was when I was watching some play in the water puddles in the driveway and I was talking out loud pretending I was narrating their movements. Suddenly my youngest son comes over and starts mimicking them too. I guess I have rubbed off on him!
But in all seriousness, I think one can only appreciate the slowness and the beauty of nature when they pause to acknowledge it.
Thank you for posting about this special part of your day.

Anna said...

We have birds that flock to the trees downtown, when there are leaves on them. we do our best to keep them out of our tree in front of our business because they make such a mess. We shake the tree every time we go by it to keep them away. It's fun watching them on the 4th of July too, all flying from tree to tree (corner to corner basically) every time the fireworks go boom. LOL!

Lulu said...

i looooove the quilts..love the happy colorful colors....love it...
love seeing the birds also..so pretty...
take care Sandra...