Bird in the Blooms

Witch hazel is like nature's best fall surprise - when all the leaves are long gone from the trees, you suddenly see these teeny, tiny yellow blossoms popping out on the witch hazel.  You could walk past it and not notice, so small are the blooms.  In fact, it was quite a few years before I realized we have this shrubby tree growing at the edge of our woods.  And what's prettier than a male American Goldfinch perched in low winter light on a sprig of blooming witch hazel?  I was quite close and my hands are ever so much better so the image is just as I wanted it - sharp and crisp.  

In the interest of full transparency, I snipped this small branch off the bush and moved it to my "studio" outside.  I positioned it near a feeder and with the distant woods behind it, giving a nice soft gray background.  I had to move it around a bit to get the best light - light always being such a fleeting thing.  

I braved the grocery store this morning - it was time to stock up on a bunch of things.  And, holy crap, it was $200!  It's just crazy how much prices on the basics have gone up.  

Last night just after we went to bed, a fox started "barking" and kept at it for a solid 15-20 minutes.  It got Jax all riled up, of course.  And it's kind of a hair-raising sound to be honest - sounding as if something is being killed.  It's likely to go one for a while too as this is the time of year they start getting serious about territory and breeding.  Hopefully Jax will react less the more he hears it.  I, being deaf in one ear, can literally turn a deaf ear on it.  Silver linings!

Jax had a good run this morning although it was so cold that neither of us wanted to stay out all that long.  Last night, after being cooped up inside all day avoiding the rain, he was full of mischief.  While my back was turned for only a moment, he grabbed a wooden pencil and had it in tiny pieces before I even know what was going on.  Luckily for us, he tends not to eat most of what he chews so we didn't have to worry about splinters, lead, etc.  Little shit.

Dark with hazelnuts today.

xo
Debbi