Blue to lift the spirits

Another chilly, fall-like day.  So I quickly set about getting a fire going in the fireplace, then breakfast, then a nice, long chat with my parents.  By then, the sun had warmed things up ever-so-slightly so I went out into the garden, armed with peanuts and a camera.  

When peanuts are presented, it usually doesn't take the blue jays and titmice long to show up.  It always makes me chuckle to see the small titmice flying off with whole peanuts, sometimes bigger than their heads.  And, it always makes me laugh to watch the antics of the blue jays as they determine who will be brave enough to dart in, who will cram the most peanuts in their mouth, and who will chicken out at the last second, veering off with a loud screech.  As usual, they didn't disappoint.  These three were hanging out in the tree, trying to work their courage up to snatch a peanut, while two bolder jays were loading up.

Laundry, grocery shopping, a few other small chores...and now I am going to make an attempt to put up a few Christmas decorations.  My heart isn't in it right now, but maybe it will lift my spirits to do something so normal.  Most of my decorations have some sort of story or history to them, so unpacking them is always something I enjoy - kind of like greeting old friends one hasn't seen in a year.

Thank you so very much for all the love on yesterday's puffy little goldfinch.  There were 4 of them at the feeders today, each cutter than the next.  If the winter is cold/snowy, they'll move a little to the south for a few months; if it's a mild winter, we'll have them all season.  

Cheers, people.
Debbi