My starter bird

Many other birders have talked about that one bird that was their "starter bird." You know, that bird they saw early on that peaked their interest in birding.  Although I am a new birder and have hundreds of birds to see in the future (hopefully!), my starter bird was the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  I remember the first time I really got a good look at one through a pair of binoculars. I was so awed by their beautiful barred backs and red caps. I suspect I'll always enjoy seeing these guys. 

A close second is the Black-capped Chickadee.  They're such charming little birds and have a wonderfully social personality.  Every time I see one flitting about in the trees or at my feeder I smile.

Grandma's Recipe Box

I've recently discovered my grandma's old recipe box. I acquired it when she passed away several years ago, but I never had the opportunity to really look through it and investigate the hundreds of recipe cards stuffed into the tiny metal box. Now that I've found it again, I can not wait to start trying out some of the recipes! Sadly, I did not find Granny's pumpkin pie recipe, which was my absolute favorite. She used to make it for me when my family visited when I was little. (I know it probably wasn't just for me, but in my 6 year old mind Granny had made it for me because she knew it was my favorite.)

However, I did find some gems that I remember eating at Granny's dinner table....Raw Apple Cake...Glazed Peach Pie...Gooseberry Pie. I even found some notes about how to make cleaning solutions. My favorite part of flipping through the recipe cards was seeing Granny's handwriting covering the front and back of nearly each card. It was like getting a quick glimpse of her with each new recipe.

Opening my eyes

Tonight after dinner I looked out the window and was pleased to see a large group of Nighthawks zooming around in the sky over the yard. I find it strange that it was less than a month ago that I first saw both a nighthawk and the chimney swifts. Lately I've been seeing them all over the place. I know that both birds are on the move right now, but I'm still suprised by how many I'm seeing. It makes me realize that there are hundreds of things I'm 'seeing' all the time without noticing. I need to open my eyes more! There could be birds lurking anywhere and everywhere!