Cursing Nemo

While Nemo's long gone this Sunday morning, the clean up has just begun, including my yard.  The photo above was taken Friday evening when the winds started picking up.  I'd hear those winds and wonder about the birds who were at my feeder, just a few short hours before and try and picture how hard it would be to roost in such conditions leaving me feeling depressed.  I'd finally fall into an uneasy sleep and wake up Saturday morning reminding myself I could sleep late, but didn't as I thought of those birds again so  woke up to watch the sun rise and survey the damage around the feeding station.

It wouldn't take long for me to realize cleaning up and filling the station was rather pointless as the side swept snow whipped around the yards so I resorted to throwing a cup of wild bird seed out the window only to see it get buried underneath all that powdery snow,  I'd remain optimistic as I remembered my treat dough I made for the birds the evening prior which consisted of chunky peanut butter, corn meal and wild bird seed.  Out it would come from the freezer where I'd shape it into cute little hearts which I found appropriate.  Busy in the task I'd have this Norman Rockwellesque vision going on in my mind as I'd go outside with my pretty treats,  tiny birds would be perched on the nearby branches but once they saw the little hearts they'd chatter in eager anticipation and I'd smile at them, lay them gently near my platform feeder where the birds would inhale them and I'd have a sense of peace knowing they got a good amount of fat, protein and both simple and complex carbs to help them with the unforgiving day.

I'd bundle myself up to head outside and couldn't open the door as the snow had it barricaded in.  I'd go to the front door and realize it too had suffered the same fate, so had to resort to plan B until my youngest son could make it home to get me out of the house!  Plan B would be to throw the bird food out the window without it getting sunk into the snow so ingenious thinking was in order here!  I'd grab a big piece of cardboard from my recycle bin and lay the treats on it. I'd arrange them all in one section as I didn't want the birds to land in the midst of them as peanut butter is sticky and I didn't want them to get their feet stuck of course!  I'd admire my smart idea and then stand on my heater, open the top part to my window and throw it out thinking it would land perfectly in the snow.

Like most of my ideas this one wouldn't go as planned as the peanut butter slid even more to the side of the cardboard which caused it to nose drive to the ground.  F*#&, I'd yell.  I'd stare out the window at all the birds who'd be fighting at the feeders and resign myself to the fact there wasn't much else I could do at this point.

I don't think I've ever seen a more miserable looking Mourning Dove than the one to the right.

One of my many Northern Cardinals.  I had filled up this platform feeder with tons of seed Friday morning thinking it would be sheltered from the snow but the snow drifts took care of that.

Poor thing!

Garden chair and a Dark-eyed Junco.

White-throated Sparrow.  So looking forward to hearing its springtime song a little later in the winter and early spring before heading North.

Birds making due which just goes to prove I over worry and analyze just about everything in life.

A Song Sparrow who just found my treats!  Yay!  Birds would continue to fight over the small amounts of seed they could get to so it was time for me to put on my thinking cap to get more food out there from the house.  I'd grab a couple of clementine boxes, line it with some Trader Joe's paper bags, put seed in it and drop it from the window hoping for better luck this time around!

Success!!  Woot!!

My first taker!

Pitter Patter, Pitter Patter.  Swoon, this is why I feed the birds.  This storm reminds us humans we can be powerless over nature sometimes, so it felt good knowing I could do something despite not being able to get out of the house!

Tufted Titmouse thanking me for his freeze dried mealworms.  Will be buying them at a chicken feed company in bulk next year as they just marked up the price on them so bought my last bag this past week and will only go out when there's snow or frigid weather.

White-breasted Nuthatch

The many American Goldfinches.

Box drop number two, this time for my larger birds with the Blue Jays in particular who must have slept late as I didn't hear them until close to 10 in the morning!

Getting ready to steal a peanut!

So in the end, the birds were fed so I was happy but stir crazy.  I'd be restless the remainder of the day as I puttered around the house hoping the Gov would lift the travel ban soon so I could get out of my house!  Thoughts of jumping out a window with a shovel sounded appealing  but knew I'd be jumping into a snow drift most likely the size of me so common sense prevailed.

The cleanup was still underway including the snow plow guy coming to clean out my neighbor.  I'd be so bored I'd watch and it wouldn't take long for the poor guy to get stuck!

So of course out comes my camera for some video of this live action Nemo aftermath storm cleanup!  After a few minutes of this rocking back and forth the guy realizes he's stuck pretty good.  My neighbor is watching from the porch and wants to help the poor snow plow guy but can't as he's snowed in as well so the poor snow plow guy goes to help.

And does so by getting his snow blower from the back of the truck and going to talk to the neighbor.

The snow plow driving is cursing Nemo something fierce at this point as he makes a pointless attempt in shoveling himself out.

Which doesn't work of course!!  Yes I'm giggling as I realize how appropriate the song is!

But finally a happy ending as the wife and family dog come and rescue him from his situation.    You'll also hear me panic toward the end as I thought she was stuck too but I'd be proven wrong.  So wish "Isn't it Romantic" was playing in the background instead of one of my other 30's big band tunes I like to clean and cook to!

In the end, my son and his girlfriend made it home to get me out of the house and we managed to do half the drive way with the other half scheduled for today as well as me digging out the bird feeders.  I should be rejoicing over this snow and whip out my snow shoes but it's the kind of amount that over whelms me, especially with another hectic work week headed my way.  All I long for is the sound of warblers in the spring time woods and hope Nemo's friends don't make their way up the East Coast anytime soon as I'm done with winter this year!

Take care all.