waiting for the new year.....

today, December 28,2010 is our annual bird count ....this is my list of what I saw at our feeder....once a year I partcipate in this bird count....today there was not as many birds as there usually but it was quite windy out.....the numbers show the kind of bird how many and for what hours I observed.......

along with the annual bird count this is the time of year when I bring out the calendars I have collected for the new year......

..this is one we received from my sister in law from England.......

these are just 2 of many traditions we have at our house as we count down the final days of the old year waiting for the new........

Grandma nearly got run over.....

this is a photo of just off our back deck....the paths and tracks were made by deer visitors....

another angle taken off the deck......this was taken Boxing Day morning....last evening when I was walking over to our neighbours for Christmas dinner I had a doe jump right about 10-15 feet in front of me ....taken a back a bit as I was trying to get my wits about me lo and behold not 10 feet from me to my right were 3 more deer coming out of our back yard....that was about 5:30 p.m. so next a.m. I went out to check tracks and this was what I saw.....

they are quite brave as there were also tracks right up on the back deck by the door as were there tracks in the breezeway not 3 feet from the front window of the house......you just never know who will come for a visit......

they are quite brave as they had even visited the suet feeder which sits right in the breezeway...their tracks were right up on the deck at the back door as well....

and so it goes......

I made 2 ice lanterns for my windows this year.......

this is the mess that the deer are making at our big bird feeder this year....they seem to be coming in to town a bit earlier than usual........

this is the other of my ice lanterns.....these lanterns are as easy as making ice cubes to make and add quite a nice touch when they are burning....one simply fills the mold with water freezes it and unmold them....when the mold is ready drop a small votive (candle) in the centre ...light the candle and you have it.....simple decorative festive idea......