Visiting Neighbors

 Today I stopped by a neighbors house we farm their ground and I saw this collection of Hurricane lamps and did she have  a lot of them.  I also found out she repairs old ones that  were used years ago.  So if you are wonder where you can   get those lights rewired she your gal.  Lorinda Poole you can reach her at 765 342 4964  So spread her name and number around so she will have some work.  I know it is hard to find someone to rewire an old chandelier.    You can find them in the antique stores but I would be afraid it might cause a fire
I have one in my house that I had rewired by some folks in W. Lafayette wish I had known she could of fixed mine.  But I have another one I bought recently and will find a place for it after Lorinda rewires it.

Getting back to the barn report  we have 5 new calves today  and I think there was probably 5 already on the ground  cute little guys  I will get some picture for you all to enjoy. 
Take care and I hope the sun comes back for a visit real soon. 

Paper Mache Rabbits

These are my rabbits I have been working on lately  Just took them into the shop this afternoon.  Berries and Ivy 28 N Main Street  .   These are gourds and paper mache that you mix up with water  I got this at Hobby Lobby it is like paper dust.  There is a picture below you can see before it is painted.  The ears is made from a light weight card board and you form the clay around the card board I also use a small piece of wire 1 and 1/2 inches depends how tall the ears are so I can bend the ears.   This need to sit overnight but becomes very hard.  I let the ears dry and they take some extra clay and use it to attach the ears to the head.

I have been dyeing some fabric  in fact I have some soaking to work on tonight.

We have had a few more calves and every thing went well  Sure  makes it easier on all of us.  The weather is suppose to turn wet and snowy and that isn't what we need for calving.  I hope the signs we are getting brings Spring along real soon.  

I counted 2 days during the  Great Backyard Bird Count last weekend.   My Coopers Hawk showed up for me to count him.  He came back today and jumped in the shrubs so I figured he got something to eat.   I don't know all of them but I am learning.  There are so many different sparrows  they don't wait for me to look at the chart

Stay dry  and stay safe until next time

Raptor's

Kestrel

We drive around our county roads even up to the cities and how many times do we look up in the trees  over to a power line and see the beautiful bird that God put on this earth.

I was at the Soil and Water Conservation annual meeting last week and the birds were our entertainment for the evening. Brought to us by Indiana Raptor Center they Educate and Rehabilitate injured birds and orphaned wildlife.  They are a 501-C3 and are always looking for our support.

Our local REMC  has used the raptor center for help with the birds and power lines.    The law doesn't look favorably at the power companies who don't take measures for preventing anything  from happen to these raptors.  

In the process of showing us the birds we got information like one hawk could kill as many as 500 mice in one summer to a farmer that is good news.  The Owls keep watch in the night and the Kestrel and Hawks are day hunters.  The birds in these pictures will not be returned to the wild they are used for education they had  been shot or abandoned fell out of the nest.

The website www.Indianaraptorcenter.org

There has been talk about the Eagles as they are mating at this time same with Owls

 Hoosier Times Newspaper Sunday Addition in there Outdoor section of the paper has a great article  when the Eagles were brought to Indiana and how they have multiplied in numbers.  Don't for get to read it.  My out of state friends ask me and I will sent you the info.

Enough from me until we talk again

Owl (dwarf by size)

Red Tail Hawk

Homemade suet

 This is the 3 musketeers  they are fluffed to stay warm these cold mornings  I am glad to see the sun coming  in and out better than no sun.  
I had seen some comments on face book about making suet.  So I tried and  it is not hard like making cookies but I used sunflower seeds.  Peanut butter, lard, cornmeal, flour, and sunflower seeds.   Melted the lard and peanut butter added the dry ingredients  press into a pan. I put it in the freezer. Since  it was frozen I couldn't cut it so I ended up putting the block in an old colander  I had in the basement put some wires on it pictures below.  The woodpecker was  already eating when I came inside to view and take a picture.  Hope they like it time will tell.    Some of the ways was to feed was  from your deck top but I don't have one  I thought about putting up a board to lay some on but we will try this and see how they like it. 

Tomorrow is the Purdue Fish Fry at the Indiana State Fairgrounds always a good time and a place to see friends

   It was slick last night  so many wrecks in our area closed highways to salt and sand.
 
Tomorrow is Groundhog day and we always have 6 more weeks of winter the sun will shine when he is drudge out of his hole in Penn.   The bulbs are starting to sprout out of the ground so maybe we will have some flowers to see before the 6 weeks are up.

Take care until next time.  Got some house plants blooming I will  take some pictures  

Baby its cold outside

I tilted so you could see the suet