Sprouts & Birds

I was so excited to see that the rhubarb has begun to send up leaves. They're hard to see (they're very dark red and small) but I'm not moving the leaves to make them more visible because it's supposed to be a lot colder tomorrow. And I don't know if any little bugs or bees are overwintering among those leaves. So I'm leaving them be.

 

The daylily sprouts have gotten taller since I showed them to you last week. Every day there's a little more green out there.

 

And look at the Goldfinch. It's a lot yellower than it was last week too. I can't decide if they molt to change colors or if the feathers change colors on their own. I'm going with molt because it makes more sense although I've never seen a tiny little yellow green feather floating around, but would I?

 

I was lucky enough to look out just as a female Downy Woodpecker landed on the suet cakes. She didn't stay long but seemed to enjoy pecking away at the edge of the suet. As it gets warmer the suet sticks to their beaks and they aren't fans. Birds shake their heads and scrape their beaks on the wires to try to dislodge the sticky stuff. 

 

The chipmunk scurried out to hoover up some of the fallen seed and cracked corn. I don't know if you can see it but its cheek pouches are really bulging.

 

Today I decided to draw a Rabbit or three. I didn't find a picture to copy, I just drew, and think the gray head is the best. The other two side views of brown rabbits are just barely okay.

 

This is the last painting from the Wildflower Watercolor book. It's a bouquet but I put the leaves too low so you can't see the stems. I like the poppies and the cornflowers. All in all, it's not too bad. I wonder what I'll find to paint next.

 

I even drew a gratitude journal page for today. I slacked off the last few days and haven't drawn one since the 2nd but today I felt like I had the time and the things to be grateful for. I made myself take a walk to the stop sign and back this afternoon. I realized that in four weeks I'll be going to The Clearing for my watercolor week and will need to be able to comfortably walk from my cabin to the Schoolhouse and back multiple times a day. Having spent the winter pretty much sitting on my butt I need to get moving.

 

I spent some time today working on the critique for my Zoom with cda tomorrow morning and then working on the next manuscript. I have to dream up scenes that insert two characters in the later parts of the story. I've got some people moving around but need to incorporate others. It's like building a puzzle without the picture on the box.

I sure hope it doesn't snow tonight. Someone said it might. Ugh.

--Barbara