tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34634551263261799742013-06-14T10:57:20.056-04:00A place to share my love of photography and things related to my home and garden.Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.comBlogger618125blogspot/yUWPhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-3018774623593954642013-04-04T12:33:00.000-04:002013-04-04T12:33:22.711-04:002013-04-04T12:33:22.711-04:00

One of my goals as a gardener has been to attract the birds to my small yard. I have one nesting box that that has been used by the black-capped chickadees for several years. Some years they raise two broods. The same box has been used by wrens. I saw this morning that the black-capped chickadees are already busy building their nest in this box!  The robins are busy building their nest too!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-38277776910203946012013-04-02T07:00:00.000-04:002013-04-02T07:00:00.842-04:002013-04-02T07:00:00.842-04:00

I cleaned up some in the yard Monday! It was still cold but at least the sun was shining! I was saddened by the condition of my flower beds and my yard. I lost so many plants last summer during our severe drought. My flower beds are for the most part a blank slate again.  I still can't tell if my Kousa dogwood survived. It doesn't look good. We used to have such a nice lawn, it is mostly weeds

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-86102211024525611102013-03-20T07:00:00.000-04:002013-03-20T07:00:05.540-04:002013-03-20T07:00:05.540-04:00

The male cardinal and male house sparrow face-off: The cardinal wins!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-42129424192435851132013-03-19T06:30:00.000-04:002013-03-19T09:01:21.560-04:002013-03-19T09:01:21.560-04:00

Winter, (in Indiana), is not quite ready to hand the reins over to spring! We had a bit of wintry mix again last night and for some reason it feels colder to me in March than it did all winter! I am longing for warmth and sunshine! I usually hibernate as much as possible during the winter but I knew the March 6th snowfall would probably be our last so I ventured out to Forest Park and

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-65683563482564941052013-01-23T21:47:00.000-05:002013-01-23T21:48:46.965-05:002013-01-23T21:48:46.965-05:00

I have enjoyed photographing the birds today, especially the mockingbird! It was freezing and we had a few flurries so the feeders were at full capacity! I thought this caption was fitting for this picture! I made it for my daughter because she is so not a morning person and this has been a running joke in our family for several years! I think I'll make an 8x10 of it for her to hang over her

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-29842617799324568272013-01-21T21:31:00.002-05:002013-01-21T22:57:07.096-05:002013-01-21T22:57:07.096-05:00

There is a new meme called, " No Winter Whining- Finding Color in Winter".  It is Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams and  Heather from, Life is a garden. Winter is in full force today and the temperatures have plummeted! We are under a weather advisory due to wind chills to -20°, but I'm not whining! As the snow fell and the wind blew, I sat for a few hours bird watching! Camera in hand, of course! It

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-41015534574267113432013-01-14T18:13:00.000-05:002013-01-14T18:13:13.332-05:002013-01-14T18:13:13.332-05:00

 What crazy winter weather we have in Indiana! Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 63°! What a glorious break for those of us who get a little weary of the grey winter skies!Yesterday the temperatures started dropping and we had torrential rains with flooding. This morning when I went out to fill the bird feeders it was snowing and 16°! I am still enjoying my mockingbird

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-69138000150995508882013-01-09T22:50:00.000-05:002013-01-09T22:50:05.379-05:002013-01-09T22:50:05.379-05:00

 It was almost 50° and sunny today! The snow has melted! I have spring blooms inside! This has only whetted my appetite; I am so ready for spring!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-47624118739911422402013-01-08T21:48:00.001-05:002013-01-08T21:48:42.195-05:002013-01-08T21:48:42.195-05:00

These photos are from the archives.  I love this rusty old turquoise truck! It is at Stonycreek Farms in Noblesville, IN. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall!

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-82133703444469684672013-01-07T20:11:00.000-05:002013-01-07T20:11:12.544-05:002013-01-07T20:11:12.544-05:00

 Here are a couple of pictures of my winter bird feeding station after the snow a few nights ago! It is beautiful covered in snow with the white lights twinkling! It's warming up so the snow is melting. I am looking forward to a few days of mild temperatures! Here is another shot with some photo editing and desaturation. The tension is high at my house tonight! My guys are ready for the

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-43372283313088608232013-01-06T21:26:00.001-05:002013-01-06T21:26:09.633-05:002013-01-06T21:26:09.633-05:00

Most of us put away our birdbaths during the winter months since concrete, ceramic and clay birdbaths can crack and break when the water freezes. However the birds still need water during winter for drinking and bathing. My solution is a large plastic plant saucer filled with rocks. I take steaming hot water out each morning and pour it into the birdbath. Almost as soon as I go inside the

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-48108115755700985302013-01-05T20:48:00.001-05:002013-01-05T21:11:34.489-05:002013-01-05T21:11:34.489-05:00

Unfortunately another dove hit the sliding glass doors. I didn't see it on the patio so hopefully it wasn't injured. This also happened in February 2010, and I blogged about it then. Doves have powder down feathers, (extremely fine feathers that disintegrate into a dust-like substance). This powder down  creates a dove ghost when they strike a window! Observing nature is quite fascinating to

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-57755482771731526182013-01-04T22:05:00.002-05:002013-01-04T22:05:36.128-05:002013-01-04T22:05:36.128-05:00

Longing for warmer weather! A 2012 summer butterfly.

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-54785096657645144392013-01-03T21:59:00.000-05:002013-01-03T21:59:19.972-05:002013-01-03T21:59:19.972-05:00

 My son was getting off work one night and as he walked to his car he was approached by a very skinny kitten. She was friendly and desperately wanted his attention. My son called me to see if he could bring her home until he found a home for her. Of course, I couldn't let a starving kitten stay in the parking lot, so I said yes. The first night she stayed in the garage because she had a few

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-72002652793709464142013-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:002013-01-02T20:30:01.848-05:002013-01-02T20:30:01.848-05:00

 It is frigid weather here with a low of 9° last night! I was hoping for another mild winter like we had last year but it looks like we are in for a cold and snowy one!  When I get up in the morning the birds are waiting for me.  I had five male cardinals in the tree yesterday! They stop me in my tracks with their brilliant red feathers. I hope their spectacular beauty never becomes

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-78559640117260323482013-01-01T21:13:00.001-05:002013-01-01T21:56:00.703-05:002013-01-01T21:56:00.703-05:00

 The first few weeks after setting up my winter bird feeding station most of the birds ignored it. All it took was a little snow for  the birds to discover what was tucked in the branches! The mockingbird was apprehensive at first but is a regular visitor now. It favors the peanut butter cups but also eats the homemade suet. Happy New Year to each of you It is so hard to

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-27719876106589062712012-12-27T23:50:00.000-05:002012-12-27T23:50:17.172-05:002012-12-27T23:50:17.172-05:00

 Once again a few people have asked me for my suet recipe. I posted about my suet in April 2010, so I will just do a quick re-post of that. I don't use an exact recipe and I don't measure my ingredients. I add different things depending on what I have on hand at the time. Usually when the corn meal, flour, raisins or oats get close to expiring I save them for suet. As long as you use the

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-33202183802947570872012-12-26T21:17:00.000-05:002012-12-26T21:17:12.019-05:002012-12-26T21:17:12.019-05:00

Indiana had our first major snow storm of the winter season today. We were under a blizzard warning but most of the major snow and wind was south of me! We only had about four or five inches of snow and thankfully no one in my family had to venture out! A few weeks ago I wrote about a new winter bird feeding station for a Lowe's Creative Ideas project. Since we had snow in the forecast, I

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-18285142543232702702012-12-17T11:29:00.000-05:002013-01-09T11:15:39.013-05:002013-01-09T11:15:39.013-05:00

Here is a fun winter project that pretty much anybody can do! Chance are you already have everything you need to do this already in your home! All you need is a sweater that is at least 80% wool!  I wanted to make a felted wool quilt so I had been collecting sweaters at Goodwill for months. After cutting my quilt squares, I hated to waste so much of the wonderful felted wool. So I decided to

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-91796944001359672182012-12-05T14:32:00.000-05:002012-12-05T14:32:58.372-05:002012-12-05T14:32:58.372-05:00

The invasion of starlings is like a scene from a horror movie! They descend by the thousands and the noise of their arrival is unmistakable! It is difficult to describe the sound that thousands of birds make as they land on your roof and surrounding land. It is quite eerie to say the least! My neighbor's roof was covered but they quickly flew away as I rounded the corner to get a picture

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Winter months can be difficult for those of us who love to garden and nurture plants. Lowe's has asked me to tell how I bring the garden indoors to continue my gardening hobby during the winter months. One way I continue gardening during the winter months is to force bulbs. It is a great way to have cheerful and colorful spring flowers in the dead of winter! Although the last few days have

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-36720350273499554002012-11-26T18:57:00.000-05:002013-01-22T00:35:02.839-05:002013-01-22T00:35:02.839-05:00

I am not particularly fond of winter. I am from Alabama where winter lasts about a month and I didn't even own a winter coat!  Indiana winters have been difficult for this southern gal to adjust to. I am like a bear and hibernate, getting out only if I absolutely have to! One of the things that I learned early on that has helped me get through the winter months without symptoms of S.A.D, (

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-22920206199870547212012-11-17T07:30:00.000-05:002012-11-26T19:48:04.806-05:002012-11-26T19:48:04.806-05:00

I am a huge fan of  Pinterest!I check it every morning and evening and often in between. I am always concerned that I will miss something great if I don't check it! I have a variety of hobbies and interests so I always find something that challenges me or gets my creative juices flowing. There are also many great cleaning and organizing tips. One of the cleaning tips I discovered several months

Robin's Nesting Placehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463455126326179974.post-73673073264507612182012-11-16T07:30:00.000-05:002012-11-16T07:30:01.982-05:002012-11-16T07:30:01.982-05:00

  The Lowe's Creative Ideas project for October/November was "COMBINING OLD and NEW".  I wanted to focus on the front porch since it needed a bit of a makeover. Everything was removed and the porch was scrubbed  from ceiling to floor! The door and shutters were cleaned and wiped down with Armor All. The dilapidated white rocking chairs were taken to Goodwill and  replaced with the black

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This month Lowe's is giving $100.00 to my charity of choice. I chose the Trinity Free Clinic, Carmel, IN to be the recipient of this donation. It is a faith based, nonprofit, organization dedicated to serving the health care needs of the uninsured and under insured low income residents of Hamilton County, IN.  Trinity Free Clinic is near and dear to my heart for a personal reason; I have been

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