Pileated Woodpeckers

There are some people not content to see the common birds on a daily basis. They crave some unusual sighting on a regular basis and are happy to chase miles for the chance. Especially for these people I do wish you had Pileated Woodpeckers. No matter how often you see them, it counts as an unusual sighting.

Regular readers are familiar with my love affair with these lovely woodpeckers. Not only do we see them frequently on our community trails, we have a nesting pair right in our own backyard. Almost every morning they come to our suet feeders. The pair almost always come together. We may catch them at other times, but the morning visits are more dependable. If they arrive before the feeders are out, the male (whom we call Big Daddy) calls out. If you have never heard the call of the Pileated Woodpecker, check out this site http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/183/_/Pileated_Woodpecker.aspx scroll down and listen. It seems so strange to hear this tropical-sounding bird in the midst of a North Carolina forest.

Somehow it seems condescending to call these large, magnificent birds our "bread and butter" birds despite the fact that they are regular summer and winter visitors. Perhaps the Pileateds are our "cake and frosting" birds.

The female arrives first, while the male lingers deeper in the woods. It's a bit hard to see in this picture, but the coloring on her face is all black and white. There is no red.

Here you can clearly see the all-black line at the base of the bill.

She scampers around the tree looking for insects.

The male climbs on this lichen-covered limb. You can barely see his red coloring on the base of his bill.

He moves to another tree, and the red line on the base of the bill is very clear.

He cocks his head to one side. He has seen me. But he seems to know that I pose no threat to him.

Just look at his gorgeous body.

We do enjoy our Pileated Woodpeckers. So soothing to hear the resonant drumming and tropical calls. They bring their fledglings in the summer to feed at the suet. And to see them swooping from tree to tree is delightful.

------When you see a Pileated Woodpecker, you breathe a prayer that the Ivory-billed is still around and one day Bill (http://www.billofthebirds.blogspot.com/) or Julie (http://www.juliezickefoose.com/blog/index.php) will get you videos of it.

Winter Skies

We have a lot of "sayin's" here in the mountains. No matter what the occasion, there is a proper proverb to enhance it. One that is repeated almost daily is, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few hours and it will change."

Unlike the expansive western skies or skies along the shoreline of the oceans, our skies provide limited visibility. The mountains obscure them, so we are often surprised to find a storm quickly arise. On the other hand, sometimes the storm clouds are suddenly past and the sky is blue once more.

Not half an hour before I took these photographs, the sky was gray and dark. Suddenly the gray clouds were gone, replaced by these white ones and the sky was beautiful.

Clouds on clouds, in volumes driven, Curtain round the vault of heaven.

Thomas Love Peacock

Finches and Siskins

RATS! This might be one of those winters.

I know that many people love Pine Siskins. We are not among them. Some years we do not see Pine Siskins in our area. Other years, appropriately called "invasion years," we have them in great abundance. So great that they crowd out our favorite birds. They flock with the finches and simply take over the bird feeders.

I awakened this morning to find the ground covered with a light snow. As usual, I sat cradling my coffee cup, slowly coming to life and watching the birds. Here is the first one I saw, sitting at the little birdbath on the deck:

"Perhaps you're wrong," I told myself. But when I saw the others, there was no mistake. The Pine Siskins were here in force.

A little American Goldfinch looked at me as if to say, "Can't you do something about this?"

The goldfinch watched as the Pine Siskins took over.

They pushed and shoved, just like the most ill-mannered children.

Fortunately, the White-breasted Nuthatches, the Carolina Chickadees, the Carolina Wrens, the Titmice, and our other "bread and butter" winter birds had the suet. But the sunflower, thistle, and mixed seed feeders were covered in fluttery flibbertygibits. I can only hope they stopped for a respite in the snow and will soon travel to places unknown.

Fused Glass Artwork

Among the gifted artists and potters here in Transylvania County, we have some unique and outstanding artisans who specialize in kiln-fired fused glass. The Glass Feather (http://www.glassfeather.com/) is a family-owned business that displays and sells Travis Fused Glass.

The Travis family has been in business in our county since the early 1980s. Their works are breath-taking and have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution. The process is very tedious, with layer upon layer of glass, fused with multiple firings in the kiln. Fusing glass began about 3,500 years ago. Layers of glass with colors in between are fired in a kiln until the glass gets hot enough to fuse together. Depending on the complexity of the piece, several firings may be required to meld all the glass pieces together into one piece. There are platters, plates, bowls, oil jugs, and decorative outdoor plaques. All of them are lovely.

No photographs are allowed inside the Glass Feather, but plenty of artwork covers the gardens.


One of their outdoor plaques, with an assortment of wildflowers:

A Cardinal perches atop a deck rail:

This very large piece is really impressive.

A moving work of art, the glass sculpture is designed to catch the wind and turn, providing a kaleidoscope of color:

The happy little wren greets visitors to the gardens:

And there must always be a chickadee:

Glass boxes surround a cardinal:

While we could not take pictures inside, I can show you one of Patricia Travis's large bowls. We bought this one last year and it gives us great joy. The piece is very heavy and while it could be used for serving (it's even dishwasher safe), we keep it as a work of art.

We are so blessed to have such unbelievable talent in our area. Imagine...the mountains, the birds, the waterfalls, and all the artwork you can imagine. It just doesn't get any better.

Fridays are Golden

I do hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The weather here was beautiful, the warmest day we have had in weeks. Reaching almost 60 degrees, the day felt balmy. After a long brisk walk and a romp in the woods, Ellie and Lucy spent most of Thanksgiving snoozing. It seemed everywhere I turned, I ran into a sleeping dog.

One of Lucy's favorite snoozing places is the most expensive rug in the house. Suitable for a little princess, I suppose.

Ellie usually prefers the hard wood. At least there she won't have to share her bed with Lucy.

Lucy often snoozes with her head up. She nods much like an overly tired toddler.

Ellie enjoys the warmth on the deck.

We grilled the turkey on the deck. The warm sunshine felt so wonderful and the golden girls did not want to come back inside. What a lovely Thanksgiving. No fuss, no bother, just the two of us and the dogs. We didn't even watch any football. The day was too nice.

How can it be Friday again so soon? And almost the end of another month. I'll spend today putting away Thanksgiving decorations to make room for the Christmas tree and decorations. Whatever your plans for the weekend, have a safe and happy one.

It's About More than a Turkey

Every now and then something happens that fills you with such joy you have to share the story with others. This is one such story.

Beginning November 1, all food purchases at our local grocery store accumulate "turkey points." If you have sufficient points by Thanksgiving, you receive a free 12-14 pound Butterball Turkey. I always receive the points, but I never need the turkey. Since we aren't having guests, we will grill a fresh turkey breast. Nonetheless, I pick out my free turkey and give it to a neighbor or to the church.

On Monday, I did some grocery shopping, picked out my turkey and got in the queue to pay. A woman in her mid-forties was in line in front of me. She was in jeans and sweatshirt (like most of us) and was well-groomed. There was nothing in her demeanor to suggest she was in need.


But some inner voice prompted me to speak. "Pardon me, but do you know anyone who might be able to use a turkey? I have one of the free Butterballs, and I won't be able to use it."


The woman looked at me with such surprise that at first I feared I might have offended her. Then she asked, "Are you serious?" I responded that I was, and a tear slowly came down her cheek. While we waited in line, she told me her story. She is a single mother with three children and had recently come on hard times.

"You have been sent by an angel! I told my three children this morning that we didn't have enough points for a turkey, and I didn't have the money to buy one, so we wouldn't be having turkey this Thanksgiving.

You see...my mother had cancer and this summer I had to quit my job to take care of her. I had to apply for food stamps for the first time in my life. I've never taken charity in my life."

The story poured out of her as if she had been needing to tell it for a long time. She went on,

"Mom died last month and it has been really hard. I haven't been able to find another job and this has been so hard for my kids. They try to keep a stiff upper lip, but I overhead my son telling his sister that it just won't be Thanksgiving without a turkey. I told him we could go to the Methodist Church for a turkey dinner. He told me Thanksgiving was for families and we are a family and we should have Thanksgiving dinner together at home, turkey or no turkey. Then he said, 'That's what Grandma would have wanted.'

Now you have miraculously filled my dream...to have a turkey for our very own Thanksgiving dinner. May God bless you over and over for what you have done for me and my family."

By now, everyone in the checkout line was listening intently to the story even though she had been speaking softly. The man behind me in line pulled out his wallet, handed her a large bill and told her to get anything else she might need for the Thanksgiving dinner. Several other people (including myself) did the same. The cashier told her, "Don't worry, honey. I'll put your turkey aside. You go get what you need."

When she protested that this was too much money and she couldn't accept it, the cashier said, "You're gonna need some for Christmas."

The woman was sobbing by this time, and hugging everyone in the checkout line. She looked at me through the tears and said, "You may not know it, but you are an angel. I know God sent you here today. I promise that when I get back on my feet, I'll do something like this for someone else."

Such a simple thing. A free turkey that I did not need suddenly brought a group of strangers together to help a woman temporarily down on her luck. I left the store feeling quite humbled and with a much lighter step. For this family, on this Thanksgiving Day, life will be back to normal. Those three children will enjoy a real Thanksgiving feast, together as a family.

And so, it really is about more than a turkey. This turkey represented hope for this woman, in a time of grief and pain. I feel blessed to have played a small role.

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

Oldenfields, the Lilly House

On our recent visit to Indianapolis, we toured Oldenfields, the home of the late Josiah K. Lilly Jr. and his wife Ruth Brinkmeyer Lilly. J.K. Lilly was the grandson of the more famous Eli Lilly, founder of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company. The 26-acre estate and home are now considered a National Historic Landmark.

The Lillys owned several houses, but always considered Oldenfields as their primary residence. The house is spacious and very typical of the country estates owned by the affluent in the early part of the 1900s.

Despite the late fall weather, the grounds were beautiful. The landscaping was done by members of the famous Olmstead Brothers architectural firm. [The Olmstead firm did the landscaping for the White House grounds, New York's Central Park, The Biltmore House, and many other famous sites.]

At the time of our visit, the house was decorated for the Christmas holidays, all in keeping with the era. It was a very nice tour.

Ruth Lilly died in 1965 and J.K. the following year. Upon their deaths, their children gave the estate to the Art Association of Indianapolis. In 1970, the Indianapolis Museum of Art was opened on the Oldenfields grounds.

Because it was pouring rain during most of our visit, the outdoor photographs are limited and were taken from the car. Despite the weather, it was an interesting tour.

I was amazed at how many leaves lingered on the trees. This photograph was taken November 15.