The Birdman of Arizona

So I promised you another bird story about Terry and here it is. You might remember the tale of the baby Quail from a few months ago. I don't think this one tops it, but it follows in a similar tradition with Terry's ongoing relationship with the wildlife in our yard.

Yesterday he was outside doing yard work on one of the last bearable days before summer officially hits. He was trimming our Mexican Blue Palm tree in the backyard, which is one of the few that are left in the yard. because he kinda likes the bluish color of the palm fronds (he's not normally a fan of palm trees).

Anyway, I'm sitting in the office and all of a sudden, I hear Terry calling me from the back door to COME QUICKLY with an urgency in his voice. So, of course, I follow him outside and see him standing next to the palm tree looking down at the branches on the ground. He's got a guilty, confused, perplexed look on his face, looks and me and says, "I saw a pigeon sitting on the wall next to the tree, so I made sure to check for bird's nests before I started.

I looked down on the ground to see a palm branch with a nest and two cute little shocked baby birds resting right in the middle of it. Fortunately, when Terry wielded his chainsaw on this particular branch it floated softly to the ground instead of twisting in the breeze and turning upside down. God had His hand on these two little vulnerable creatures.

So before we did anything else I ran in the house to get my camera. This was definitely blogworthy!

Now that I was prepared, we needed to try to figure out what to do with them...after some discussion about the fact that they're pigeons after all (Terry's comment) and doubt that they'll make it anyway, we determined that he would move the whole branch over to a shady spot in the yard in hopes that the mother would come back and take care of them.

As you can see, they do have some feathers, so there's hope that they'll be able to fly soon. Here's a photo of them in the corner of the yard and the mother (we assume) sitting up on the block wall trying to figure out what in the world happened and why her babies are on the GROUND all the way on the other side of the yard from where she left them!

This next photo is Terry showing his wild man murderous form with the chainsaw. Actually he's just getting tired of me taking pictures of the guilty party. He can get testy with the paparazzi at times.

Soon afterward we had to leave for an evening out, so we just hoped that the babies would be o.k. for the night. While we were out, we were sharing the story with a few friends and came up with the idea of putting the branch back up in the tree if we could get it to fit without dropping the nest.

Not sure if it would work, but...this morning when Terry got up, he checked on the birds and they were still there and alive. We had no idea if the mother had been with them, so not sure if they had eaten or what condition they were in.

Terry decided it was worth a shot to try to move the whole branch again. Not sure how he managed, but he was able to gently lift up the branch and set it back in the tree among the other palm fronds. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if the mother would come back and claim them again. We checked periodically throughout the morning, but didn't see any signs of mom.

Then after lunch I wandered out back to see how they were doing and lo and behold, mom was sitting in the nest with her two little ones!!! Yea! We were happy and relieved.

In this last pic you can see one of the babies sitting contentedly by her mom. And this brings us thru another chapter and happy ending in The Tale of Terry and the Birds. I wonder how many chapters we'll be adding to this tale.

Do you think the fact that he fills and maintains 3 hummingbird feeders and 1 birdseed feeder raises his chances of another chapter?

I'm not a betting person, so all bets are off...I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Winter Decorating - Looking toward the Future

...that I don't even know where to start.

It's kind of funny that I signed up to Journal my Christmas and only managed to do one post about it. So here's what I'm thinking about doing next year. I'll go thru the list of topics that I got this year and try to write about them thru-out the year. Then when they come around in December, I'll already have the text and will just have to copy it into the blog and add photos. I'm assuming that she changes it up a little each year, but some of the topics have to be repeated, right?  So, I guess that needs to go on my To-Do list so I don't forget to write about Christmas in July. I'm really looking forward to the journaling. It's just way too busy in December, so I need to do some prep work.

For now, I'll catch you up on one of my decorating updates around the house.  While I was taking the Christmas tree ornaments down, I decided to change my branch a little. It started out with the removal of a few more sparkly items and the addition of some heart-shaped ornaments in preparation for Valentine's Day.  Then I decided to add a few more ornaments and such to represent various things that we're looking forward to in the coming year...so I call it my New Year's branch. Here are some of the items on it now.  When we get closer to Valentine's Day I'll add a few more hearts probably.

• In the first photo above, it's obviously a globe turned toward Europe.  That's because the big news is that we're going to Bosnia on a short term mission trip there in May (hopefully).  Did you know that it's across the ocean to the east of Italy?  You can read a little more about our plans in our Christmas Letter, if you haven't read it yet.  Tonight we watched the movie, "Welcome to Sarajevo", which gives just a glimpse into the horrible war there in the 90's.  We're also reading some books about it and learning from those who have been there in preparation for our trip. There will be lots more news to come on that as well.

In this next photo you'll also see:

• The car represents road trips that we hope to take.  We love adventure whether near or far.  Now you have to ignore the fact that the car is sitting in a tree.  We're not planning on anything like that happening!
• The music note is a reminder of the new opportunities that Terry will have to play publicly with his friends Dave and Bob, as well as doing what he has always loved, playing with the worship band at church.
• The mitten behind the note represents my hope to get up to the cold country to see some snow sometime this year.
  
• The little framed ornament says "Be Merry" - just a reminder to be joyful in all things.
• The word tags say "Thanksgiving" (to fill our hearts with it), "lazy days" (to slow down and relax once in a while), and "flowers" (who doesn't love them!)
  

• And you must have noticed that sweet chubby red cardinal sitting on the branch.  We could say that it represents our Phoenix Cardinals football team, or having a chance to get out and enjoy some nature during the year, but in reality I just think he's an adorable little guy and wanted to see him perched on the branch.  Besides, he matches the color scheme. (my branch, my rules)
• On the right of the photo below you'll see a camera.  Guess what that represents?

So needless to say, we're as excited about the year to come, as we always are and maybe a little more so, since we have some new adventures to look forward to.

Be sure to stop by again to hear about the rest of last year too!  It's coming soon, really...

Seasons Change
Worked on getting out some Spring and Easter decorations today. I took down the Valentine's decor off my branch too. I'll have to post that later if I have a chance.

Here's the branch with Easter Eggs.

I realize that since the outdoors don't change much here with the seasons, I'm forced to change things inside just to have some variety of color and view. I get bored when things stay the same too long. It's the decorator in me. Fortunately, Terry doesn't seem to mind too much.

I also rearranged the living room after the holidays. Here's the new view. This one also shows what the branch looked like with our Christmas cards on it.

Shredder likes the new arrangement because she can sit on the back of the sofa and soak up the sun in the morning. Now I have my eye out to get a new slipcover for the sofa. Pottery Barn has some now that are quite a bit cheaper than the standard ones. I'll probably look for some kind of a neutral so I can change all the accent colors as much as I want. The red is a bit limiting, although I've found ways to work with it over the last few years.

One quick post, then I'm outta here for today!

Just a little tease about our Bisbee trip. This is a branch that we saw in one of the local Mexican restaurants (Santiago's) when we visited in December. I also saw a similar branch in a magazine with photos hanging from clips. I LOVE IT!!! I'm not really into ultra-modern things but somehow I think this is cool. You could change the decorations with the seasons. I'm thinking I'd hang things from those drapery clips from Ikea. Things like photos or Christmas ornaments or postcards or mittens or whatever strikes my fancy.

Now I'm on the lookout for the perfect branch. Let me know if you see one.

Christmas Tour of Homes:

I'm excited to be a first time participant in the Christmas Tour. I must say that this year the decorations are lighter than usual, due to the fact that we just returned from a 10 day vacation. I love adding and changing decorations each year for a new and different look. I love variety, and I'm sure I've never decorated the same way twice. Here are just a few of my favorites this year.

We've always enjoyed an "eclectic" Christmas tree, filled with ornaments that remind us of special seasons and people in our past. This year the tree focuses on reds and crystal along with all sorts of metals-silver, gold, even rusty tin with a few dashes of other natural treasures sprinkled thru-out. The heart shaped ornament with the photo of Terry and I is from our 25th Anniversary. This year we just celebrated our 31st in Maui!

Our tree topper this year is a rusted metal star. I love the casual feel that it brings to the tree.

This collection of evergreens began with the trees that lived in my Christmas village. I haven't had the space or time to put up the whole village in the last few years, but I enjoy the trees and have even added more to the collection. The one in the center is made of metal with jingle bells hanging from the branches. It reminds me of the tree in Whoville. I found it at Big Lots for a steal. I also received the three tall white trees and another silver one (pictured behind the snacks) last year. I love the retro look of these.

This bare branch hangs in my living room all year long. These previous posts tell a little about the history of the branch, including how I decorated it thru-out last year. This year it's quite simple. Rusted metal and white crocheted snowflakes with a crystal garland. I may be adding my Christmas cards as well.

We've enjoyed this nativity for many years. It took me a long time to find it. I wanted one that was more realistic. Some nativities look too "holy" while others are too cutsie. I also wanted one where the baby Jesus isn't attached to the manger. Normally we don't put the baby out until Christmas morning (since that's his birthday after all).

Thank you so much for stopping by my home. Since we're just back in town, I haven't had a chance to make a homemade treat, but for anyone who knows me, we always have something tasty to share with friends who drop by.

In honor of our Maui vacation, I can offer you either a tasty cup of piping hot chocolate or a glass of wine from Maui's own winery. We also have delicious macadamia nuts as well as extra special Hershey's kisses with macadamia nuts inside, made only in Hawaii.

Enjoy your holiday season and may your days be filled with the love of family and friends.

Valentine Branch
I'm finally getting around to posting pics of my branch decorated for Valentine's Day.

I added a metallic heart garland this year and I left up many of the snowflake decorations that were up there for the winter holiday season, since February is a snowy month in most parts of the world.

I must say that the Valentine decorations are one of the sets that go best with the red sofa and other red accents in the room.

My pastel Easter Egg decorations are up now and I'm not sure what I'll do after that...

Any ideas?

If you haven't visited recently, be sure to scroll down and see the last post of Coffee Cup History below.

Friday's Post # 3 - Christmas Blessings & the Fun of Decorating
(Be sure to look at all the posts today - I'm finally getting a few minutes to catch up.)



In looking at my photos and thinking back over the flurry of activities spanning the last few months, I realize that I have quite a few events to catch up on. I truly hope to get to them, if for no other reason than to post the photos so those who attended the events can enjoy them and download if they wish.

So, I know it's kind of random, but I'm starting in the middle of the season. I've been wanting to post some pics of some new decorating at the house, just because I was excited about doing them. I really love the process of taking out all my decorations, rediscovering the few treasures that I bought the year before (on sale after the holiday) and maybe even adding a few more items for the new year. I'm sure that I've never decorated the same way twice. You see, I really do love change and variety, but I don't start from scratch each year either. It's a gradual progression from one year to the next. Now that Christmas is over, it's not as relevant, but still may spark some creative ideas for you.

The photo at the top is the winter version of my branch in the living room. I'm having a lot of fun with this latest addition to the room. You can see the Fall version here. I decided on crystal, gold and white for the branch, which gives it a formal, yet natural and "sparkly" look. It includes, snowflakes, icicles, gold ornaments, stars and tassels. I like how it turned out! I found the gold ornaments and tassels at Ikea for a steal and I'll bet they're all half off now. If you're lucky enough to have an Ikea nearly check out their Christmas decorations. Lots of awesome stuff for less than you'd pay almost anywhere.

For anyone who's interested, I did see some similar Manzanita branches (not quite so big) for sale at a local decorating store that's going out of business. If you want more info on the store, I can look it up. It's at Shea Blvd and the 101. The store used to only be open to decorators, but apparently they weren't doing well, so they opened it up to the public while they're in the process of selling all their inventory. They had some nice items and decent prices, but it will probably be pretty picked over soon.

I added a grapevine garland in the family room (bought at the store I mentioned above). The whole house is pretty casual, but this room is especially, so I chose more natural & rustic items, like pine cones, icicles, shells, and a few of my bird figures. I added some soft flannel to the bench cushion and pillows to make it feel a little more cozy for winter. (you can see the Spring version of the bench here too, to get an idea of the seasonal changes.) Good thing is that since the family room is in blues and greens, we don't need to take down much for winter. The nativity, stockings and the tree will come down soon, but much of the rest can stay up for another month or so.



The bathroom got some sprucing up as well. I really love that the buttery yellow on the walls can be adapted to any season! A few years ago I found the sage green, maroon and pale yellow shower curtain that goes well with fall or winter. It's fun to decorate that small room because a little goes a long way.

In the dining room we have icicles on the chandelier, and Rejoice & Wonder on the window sill. Not too much there since it's a busy room when all the family is over.


We were blessed to enjoy several holiday celebrations at our house this year. Not intended to be timed this way, but it ended up to be quite a marathon actually. My side of the family (around 23 people) were here on Sunday the 23rd, Terry's family (about 18) were here on the evening of the 24th, and our immediate family of 5+1 on Christmas Day. Terry's mom got to spend the night and opened presents with us on Christmas. We were so thrilled to have her here instead of being home by herself in Prescott. I know she loves it up there, but I hate that she doesn't have any family in town to keep her company more...of course, maybe she likes it that way, but I doubt it after raising 6 kids of her own. It must be so quiet!

I'll post more on the actual holiday celebrations soon. I promise!

Fall Decorating in Arizona
Remember when I mentioned that I had found the perfect branch for my house? Well, this weekend I cleaned it up and varnished it and now it's hanging in my living room. I thought it was appropriate that it have Fall leaves in October, so that's what I did. The silk leaves are hanging from little clips on hooks that I bought at Ikea. I think their original purpose was for curtains.

I'm looking forward to doing lots of fun things with my branch. How about icicles and snowflakes in the winter, Christmas ornaments in December, Hearts at Valentines' Day, Family photos at birthdays, etc. I'd love to hear other ideas as well.

Here's a closer shot and a few other pics of fall decor. See, we have ways of making it seem like Fall in the desert even if it doesn't really look like it outside.The Grandma Perkins sign is special because I found it pre-made at a craft store in Ohio (where I grew up) and my grandmother really had a pumpkin patch or more like a roadside fruit and vegetable stand. I remember one year she ran a special for all the pumpkins you could carry for $1. It was so funny to see all those big farm boys trying to carry as many as possible to the cashier without dropping them. Oh and her name really was Perkins! How cool is that!

SEDONA WEEKEND:

Here are some highlights from our trip to Sedona this weekend. While it was too early in the season to catch the fall colors, there were a few hints that it was on the way.

We drove down Oak Creek Canyon on Saturday and picked up some amazingly delicious Macintosh apples and fresh squeezed apple cider. There's just nothing like the fresh stuff. It tastes like someone's squeezing it fresh from the apple right into your mouth. Mmmmmm, absolutely scrumptious!
Early in the day we took a hike down the Brins Mesa Trail in Sedona. It was a really nice hike. We decided that it must be designated for women and their dogs, because that's mostly what we came across. We could tell that there was a storm coming in, so we didn't hang around too long.

One discovery that I made was my new branch! You'll see Terry holding it (and looking bewildered). I'm so excited that I finally found one just laying on the ground. No, I didn't violate the forest by breaking or cutting off a branch. I was determined to find one that God had already chosen for me. For those of you who don't remember, see my inspiration here from Santiagos restaurant in Bisbee. I've also seen them in magazines. Here's what I'm thinking...I'll hang it over the sofa in the living room and display an ever-changing art exhibit or other decorating items there. Think photos, greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, postcards, fall leaves, etc. I need to clean it up a bit, but I think it will be PERFECT! I'll post a picture once I get it up there. My loving husband was even willing to give up the trunk so we could get it home. It barely fit, but we made it with all the luggage in the back seat.

Later in the afternoon and into the evening we were blessed with a wonderful storm with thunder and lightening and all. Thank you God!

West Fork Trail
On Sunday we enjoyed a nearly perfect day of gorgeous weather, hiking the West Fork of Oak Creek. I don't remember ever going on this trail before, and I don't know why. It's so beautiful. Considering the fact that this trail has a parking lot all it's own, you can imagine how crowded it might get. The good news is that I think the storm the day before scared everyone away, so traffic on the path was relatively light. The photo of the stone wall is in an area with several decaying walls and buildings near the beginning of the trail. There's also an abandoned fireplace hearth, chicken coop and an apple orchard nearby. I'd love to hear the story behind these remains. Let me know if anyone knows it.

We also got a nice little treat in seeing this little bunch of reddish pink maple leaves...and so the season begins...can't wait!

And the reflection of the red rocks in the creek is simply spectacular. Click to enlarge these. They're much better in full screen.

And last but not least, Terry stopped the car for me on the way out of town so I could get some photos of the moon over the red rocks. I love taking pictures at this time of day, when it looks to the naked eye like it's too dark for them to turn out. It's amazing how much light the camera can capture.

Overall it was a precious weekend with my honey.