A Welcome Wagon of Two Merry Chickadees

Photo Courtesy of Sharon Werenich

Chickadee Photo Art ©

Additional Information Below***

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Fortunately, it did not take long for the family member who recently returned to the north from Southern Climes to find a suitable home.

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In the mountains, well above the Mason-Dixon line, near a small friendly town we had strongly recommended, she had fallen in love with the area years ago when she and her late husband had been through there ~ and together they had stopped there many times before.

However it was also relatively not all that far from the place where they had lived previously before making the sojourn to the South, and so she felt comfortable with the area ~ and no matter how much we pleaded, she would move no further north.

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She has not ruled out another move, so perhaps someday she will venture even further north in the mountains. But she is quite content where she is for now.

In the meantime, in making the new house her home, she had noticed immediately a quite barren man-made arbor which had been placed over the sidewalk to the front door. Perhaps the former owners had made some sort of use of it but it was of no use to her and not in a place where she liked it anyway ~ and one of the first things she decided would be done there was to have it taken down.

When the moving truck arrived, right before our own arrival there to help mark boxes off the list and such, the movers quickly found the arbor blocked easy access to the front door and so by the time we arrived several minutes later, the arbor had already been taken down.

There was little snow on the ground that day, the temperature in the mid-thirties, and she quickly decided the arbor would go in the middle of the lovely landscaped backyard ~ on which she would hang some bird feeders. So the ugly old arbor became a thing of beauty and had a new purpose in quite a different way.

With her son-in-law's help, she moved it back there and managed to get it stationary in the ground. She had been talking excitedly about feeding the birds ever since she had arrived back here and was delighted that in an over-hanging tree branch ~ outside her door at the bed and breakfast where she had temporarily taken up residence ~ was a very intact Robin's nest which had lasted through the summer and autumn, storm after storm.

During the nearly decade away, she and her husband had lived in several areas in the South ~ and the last area, she sadly had reported, was mostly devoid of the birds she had known in the north.

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There had been only flocks and flocks upon flocks of noisy black birds which always fight among themselves ~ grackles ~ whether that is the correct name or not, that always is what we called them ~ which people there fed and which were known to eat either the young or eggs of birds such as Blue Jays and Cardinals.

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It was rare to hear a Cardinal or Blue Jay ~ and an even rarer event to actually see one ~ and it was the one and only place she had ever lived where she had never ventured to feed the wild birds.

When she had lived in the north, her husband and she had fed the birds sumptuously, even hand-mixing their own suet cakes from their own rich recipe ~ which brought in the winter beauties in droves.

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Through the summers, a guest would have to constantly duck their heads to avoid being hit by the outrageous numbers of hummingbirds buzzing to and fro ~ which they also fed.

At one point one winter, they placed corn out for a "poor hungry" Wild Turkey who had roosted in the woods in back of their home ~ and before long they had a "resident flock" of over one-hundred Wild Turkeys who were not leaving the immediate area while there was still corn.

It was a feeding pattern she and her husband did not repeat the next year, but it was quite a site to behold the year it went on.

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The now-huge flock of Wild Turkeys would roost in the woods near the edge of the yard and wait patiently for the next day's ample supply of corn ~ which she and her husband had begun storing in huge galvanized garbage cans in the garage, the flock-sized quantities of corn by then being delivered in the bed of a pick-up truck.

We had no doubt there was a serious dearth of Wild Turkeys for the hunters that year, as most Wild Turkeys in the area seemed to be content to stay close-by in the woods at the edge of their backyard ~ their home and property being in the middle of a strict no-hunting area, to be certain, as there were many other homes scattered throughout that particularly expansive woodland.

During a day of the most recent Arctic Clipper when the roads seemed decently maintained and the nearly constant snowfall was delayed, she ventured out for some supplies including a birdfeeder and seed.

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The next day, in the still bitter cold sub-freezing temperatures, she hung it on the arbor ~ now in the middle of the backyard ~ and filled the bird feeder with seed.

She said it probably would take the birds at least three or four days to find it even though ~ like her old home in the north ~ a large expanse of woods abuts the backyard.

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But the very next day ~ only one day after hanging it there ~ two lively Chickadees found it and happy little birds that they are, seemed quite delighted with their find.

They spent nearly the entire day there ~ and have been back with others in the early mornings ever since then ~ and she was probably even more delighted than they were at finding such a generous new source of food, as she had not seen any real Chickadees for such a long, long time. .

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***Try as we did to photograph the actual chickadees of this posting, they were never around when we were there and the weather prevented us from making earlier and more frequent trips to try and catch them. We finally were lucky enough to find the perfect photo above, taken by Sharon Werenich of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and received her generous permission to use it here. Sharon's website, just recently begun and still under construction, is appropriately named "Chickadee Photo Art", easily accessed by clicking here.

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Sharon's site is dedicated to the "Wonders of Nature" and she is a passionate advocate of humane no-kill animal shelters and wildlife rehabilitation (see her "About" page by clicking here). She offers any and all of her copyrighted photography for sale as high quality, lavishly proportioned five-inch by seven-inch notecards and/or posters. A generous portion of the proceeds from the sales go to one of her pet projects: the feeding and sheltering of feral cats, who fare less than well on their own during the harsh Canadian Prarie winters.

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She is quite a talented photographer and her new web site/blog is worth a look and periodic follow-ups as she goes through the tedious task (we know all about that here!) of building it.

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The Long Absent Sun

Yesterday and last night saw temperatures of fifteen and sixteen degrees above zero, yet yesterday had an occurrence which we had not seen for a seemingly long time. The sun came out and shone quite brightly most of the afternoon.

Today was a balmy thirty-two degrees, sunny most of the day, and so we ventured over the mountains for an outing with the family member who recently moved back north from Southern Climes.

We had not seen sunshine for such a long time, it was almost alien when it first began shining yesterday ~ although the bright sunlight was more than welcomed. And the family member who recently moved back from Southern Climes was delighted the sun had melted all the snow from her car.

Poor soul, her garage is still fairly packed with moving boxes the movers hauled in, which she is pain-stakingly unpacking one box at a time. Placing them in the garage has saved her the aggravation of having them under-foot in the house ~ however it also prevented her from putting her car in the garage when the weather turned sub-freezing. And the garage has been colder than normal which has made the going a little slow.

So the effects of the sudden sunshine was like a mid-winter balm in many ways. However the downside to the sunshine was that when the darkness fell yesterday, the fifteen degree weather seemed to be much colder than it had before.

One night over the just passed weekend, the thermometer went to eighteen below and the fourteen degree temperature the next day seemed by contrast almost warm. This evening when the darkness fell, it was the same story all over again ~ the absence of the sunlight suddenly making the thirty-two degree air feel much colder than before, although there had been no temperature change.

One of the Four-footed Members of the Family even briefly frolicked in the snow on one of the necessary trips outdoors yesterday. Briefly, but not for long. In warmer weather, some of them love to bury their noses and roll in the soft snow and have a great time doing so.

But it has been too cold for that type of frolicking for quite sometime. Today however we had to coax the adventurous snow-pups inside after they had nearly covered themselves in snow as they took advantage of the warmer weather for some long overdue fun.

For a change, the smaller Four-footed Members of the Family did not need picked up immediately yesterday after taking care of their business ~ although last night in weather a degree warmer with the sun down behind the horizon, they did. Today they lingered longer outdoors than they have for a couple of weeks, it seems. Perhaps the sub-freezing weather did not last quite that long, but it certainly feels as if it has.

The past two winters have been warmer overall with only perhaps several days and nights of what the forecasters will term "dangerous" below zero weather. Besides hearing the nearly constant news reports of sickness and packed emergency rooms when the winter temperatures are up-and-down and up-and-down, the warmer winters do not do the job of sufficiently freezing the ground to absolve it of some of the insect pests ~ and the insects are always worse the following spring and summer.

We are fairly sure this long period of sub-freezing weather we have just had will do the job however ~ and today we reminded the family member who just moved back north of the coming benefits. She still has not complained even once about the bitterest of cold but has let us know several times ~ several times today alone ~ that she sincerely hopes there is an Early Spring.

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Hot Cider for the Cold Weather

Antique Cider Press
from a Vintage Postcard
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We have received a number of emails inquiring about our favorite Hot Cider recipe and how it came to be one of our family traditions. Hot or Mulled Cider is indeed one of our favorite cold weather beverages and is claimed by some food historians to have a long and ancient history.
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Some accounts claim it dates back to present day England ~ back as far as before the time of Christ. In those early days, the apple tree is said to have been considered sacred and the cider made in those days usually always contained alcohol, and was akin to and consumed as regularly as wine.

Whatever its actual origins, the tradition of Hot or Mulled Cider followed the Pilgrims to New England and in the early days of the United States, nearly always was an alcoholic beverage. Even preachers who preached against the consumption of "hard spirits" consumed the alcoholic or "hard" cider regularly, apparently being such a common and accepted drink, they never gave a second thought to drinking it liberally.

In those early times ~ without the modern convenience of refrigeration ~ cider was not a sweet drink and it has only been since refrigeration became widely available that cider became the sweet non-alcoholic beverage that is known today.

In more recent years, Hot or Mulled Cider recipes recommend it be made from apple cider or apple juice ~ and the addition of spirits, such as rum, whiskey or brandy is a personal preference. We make ours either in a pot on the stove or by using one of our slow cookers so as not to overcook it.

Some recipes recommend bringing the cider or apple juice to a boil although we prefer to heat ours to right below the boiling point as we feel it retains more flavor ~ however that too is a personal preference. If making more than one or two servings, we prefer the slow cooker method as it keeps the cider at the proper consistent temperature for later consumption. The slow cooker method also has the added benefit of consistently sending that wonderful aroma throughout our home for hours upon hours.

It can be made in a variety of ways and many different recipes can be found in cookbooks, magazines and on the Internet. We usually make it with whatever spices are on hand, always being sure to have a good supply of cider or apple juice as the basic ingredient.

Hot Mulled Cider
Photo Courtesy of
Wegmans Food Markets

Some prefer to add brown sugar or honey to the mixture to make it even sweeter but this is also a personal preference. We like ours plain and unsweetened however offer the sweeteners to certain family members and guests. The main ingredient for us is the apple cider (or apple juice) and the spices, the latter which we usually place in a stainless steel tea ball so as to keep them out of the finished drink ~ yet which allows them to infuse sufficiently into the hot liquid. A piece of cheesecloth can also be used for the whole spices if you do not wish to strain them out of the hot liquid before pouring and serving.

Powdered spices can also be added to the finished drink ~ and do not need to be strained ~ and the powdered type can be as flavorable as the whole spices, depending on their freshness and the quantity added. For families with different tastes, Hot Cider or hot apple juice with a side selection of powdered spices ~ and perhaps even brown sugar and/or honey ~ is an easy solution.

Whole cloves, whole allspice, nutmeg and pieces of whole cinnamon sticks are some of our favorite spices to add, alone or in different combinations, depending upon our mood and for the sake of variety. For company, we usually add a whole cinnamon stick in the poured cup for flourish and extra flavoring and provide brown sugar and/or honey on the side for different tastes.

Although many prefer Hot Cider only over the winter holidays ~ which is when our families traditionally made it ~ we began making it years ago when the first snowflake would fall. We quickly discovered it to be a joyful drink throughout the late fall and entire winter, especially when the inevitable sub-freezing Arctic Clipper blows in ~ and we most happily and voluntarily stay house-bound most of the time.

After a long day of hunting in colder weather, we also find it a relaxing drink for both us and our over-night hunting companions and guests, some of whom prefer it with a dash of rum, whiskey or brandy added.

We are fortunate to live in a region of the country where many types of lovely apples are grown profusely and one of our very favorite fall adventures is venturing out to the various apple farms and cider presses to sample and stock up on that season's harvest. We purchase in quantity and store the cider in our old-fashioned root cellar where it stays fresh throughout the winter and early spring as long as we keep the jugs sealed. We also keep a store of apple juice in glass bottles "just in case" we run out of cider, although we never have.

We have also tried the powdered Hot Cider drink mixes when traveling and away from our in-home supplies. However even though some of the powdered mix brands have been good, they have never managed to hit the spot like the home-made kind from our own cozy kitchen. Many fond memories have been created over Hot Cider shared with family and warm friends.

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January Arctic Clipper

We've been in the path of the latest Arctic Clipper covering the Northeastern United States ~ and the sub-freezing temperatures are not forecasted to leave anytime soon, at least not until the middle of next week. After weather such as this, temperatures in the high twenties and low thirties will seem almost "balmy" when the "warm" winter weather finally returns.

An older family member moved back to the area very recently after having spent nearly a decade in the far reaches of the South ~ and while she welcomed the winter, the snow, and the hills and the mountains again, the relatively sudden sub-freezing temperatures have been a little hard to deal with. She has not complained however, but has simply "holed up" in her home until it all goes away.

Fortunately even during her long sojourn in the South, the habit of stocking up for bad weather never seemed to leave her. And so she was amply prepared when the sub-freezing Arctic Clipper came blasting in. Apparently some old habits don't die hard, they just never die. This particular old habit quickly put us at ease ~ happily discovering that she still remembered how to make it through the winter and the inevitable Arctic Clippers.

We keep an extra close eye on the Four-footed Members of the Family during weather such as this ~ especially the smaller ones ~ to make sure their paws do not freeze when they need to venture outdoors. With twelve inches of snow, it still is hardly any insulation in temperatures this cold, around zero degrees before factoring in any wind chill ~ and they are only too happy to quickly take care of their business outdoors and then stampede back into the house where they make a bee-line to the hearth to warm themselves.

Taking a cue from them (and from the family member who just moved back North), we pretty much have "holed up" at home, too ~ only venturing out for absolute necessities such as snow removal and a few odd supplies. Our pantry stays well-stocked with cider to make hot and the ingredients for hot cocoa for times like these and we have plenty here to keep us busy indoors.

A self-inflicted case of cabin fever is a blessing during weather such as this. All part and parcel of the wonderful season of winter ~ and unlike the family member who just returned to the area to live, you will never find us taking any sort of permanent or semi-permanent refuge where the seasonal changes are not as severe. The hills and mountains and change of seasons have been such an integral and nearly constant factor in our lives that we would not know how to live without them for very long of a time.

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Grouse Overnight Winter Roosting Burrow

While we have many photos of our own ~ still mostly waiting to be unpacked, sorted and organized for publication here ~ we are staunch admirers of great photography and great photographers, especially when the subject matter happens to be English Setters and wild gamebirds.

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We happened across this well-executed photo above several days ago while exploring other Blogs on the Internet, and received permission from the Owner and Photographer to use it here to share with our growing base of regular readers.

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This photo is from the Magick Canoe ~ Burning Silo ~ Blog (click here) whose owner and creator ~ Bev Wigney, a photographer, writer and naturalist residing in Eastern Ontario, Canada ~ shot the scene on one of her many sojourns with her Collie, Sabrina, around her rural Canadian farm. She writes on her Blog about this particular photo, "... To the right of the burrow is a mark in the snow. That’s where one of the wings hit the snow as the bird took flight ..."
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Thank you again, Bev, for your generosity in giving us permission to share this outstanding photo with our readers.

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Arrives the Snow ...

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight:
the whited air Hides hills
and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped,
the courier's feet Delayed,
all friends shut out,
the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.
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by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"Branches in the Snow"

Every Fern is tucked and set, 'Neath coverlet, Downy and soft and warm. ~~~ Susan Coolidge

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Photo: "Branches in the Snow" by Ansel Adams

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The weather forecasts have been bright and optimistic until the "day before" when freezing temperatures with snowfall predicted in white-out conditions prevail. While travel schedules must be re-arranged at times, it is a seasonal occurence we could not live without ~ especially as regards the wondrous beauty of it all.

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The Road to Tinkamtown

"The past never changes," he mused."You leave it and go on to the present, but it is still there, waiting for you to come back ..." ~~~ by Corey Ford

Look forward to seeing more of Corey Ford here in the "Fetters Setters ~ Tributes and Memories" section. The Lady of the House is in the process of preparing at least one fitting tribute to this fellow English Setter lover (among many other planned contributions).

However in the meantime, the more we looked at the picture below ~ if you look really close to the far end right side of the snow-covered country lane, you will see the figure of a man and his English Setter ~ the more it brought to mind Corey Ford's "The Road to Tinkhamtown" from his book, "The Best of Corey Ford."

Our roads and surrounding woodlands look like this tonight, a good night to stay in ~ with an ample supply of Hot Cider, plenty of warm pups in all colors and sizes at our feet and near the hearth ~ and work on the ever-expanding Fetters Setters Blog.
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For the full text of
Corey Ford's "The Road to Tinkhamtown", click here.
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Whose Woods These Are ...

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. ~~~ Robert Lee Frost

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