Bluebird in My Chimney

So, Saturday morning had a somewhat 'different' kind of beginning than most days. . . . After the Munchkin woke up and I'd brought him out of his room, I walked back into the living room and heard a strange scratching/scuttling sound in the corner near the woodstove. At first I thought maybe it was something outside because it had stopped by the time I really started to hone in on it.

When it started up again I realized it was actually coming from the stove pipe between the woodstove and the ceiling. My first thought was that it was either a bird or a squirrel or something, then I started wondering how I was going to get it out before it died from ash/soot inhalation or exhaustion (I have NO idea how long it had been in there by that point, though I'm assuming not for long).

I called my mom and asked if she could drive the 22 minutes to my house and help me dissect the stove pipe and rescue whatever poor creature was trapped in there, she said she would head out as soon as she could get ready.

Since I couldn't do anything else at that point I went about the normal morning routine: take Sasha out and feed him (the cats had already been fed), fix the Munchkin some breakfast, wash my face, etc. About 15-20 minutes after I'd called my mom she called me back to ask me what kind of screws were on the stove pipe to make sure we'd have the right tools for the job. =p By that time I hadn't heard the 'whatever-it-is' in about 5 minutes or so. I started wondering if it had made it up and out of the chimney--or down into the actual woodstove area. So, very slowly I started opening the door of the stove and much to my surprise--there perched on one of the bricks against the side wall of the stove close to the front was a female Bluebird!

I closed the door quickly as I was afraid she would escape and then be stuck flying around the house until I could manage to catch her somehow--if the cats didn't get to her first. I tried to think of what I could use to catch her with and the only thing I could come up with that was anything like a net was my lingerie wash bag thingy (ha ha!). I put Penny in the bathroom so she couldn't 'assist' me in catching the poor bird. Boomer was behind the couch, so he wasn't much of a threat (oh wait, I haven't introduced you guys to Boomer yet, have I? I'll try to do that soon. . . .). Then I went to the laundry room and got the make-shift 'net' and after distracting Munchkin with his breakfast and an episode of the Backyardigans, I went back to the woodstove.

At first I just held the net in front of the woodstove (like that was going to work!! Ha ha), then I realized that method wasn't likely to work, and by that time the bird had hopped to the back and was trying to find a way back into the chimney--which I wasn't about to let happen!! I lightly tossed the net over her and was actually surprised when it did indeed land on her. . .though when I went to pick her up she scooted out from under the side. I don't really know what happened next, all I know is that one second I thought she was going to escape for sure and the next second she was in my hand--perfectly cradled so that she couldn't struggle and injure herself, and I didn't have to hold her very tightly to restrain her. Praise God!!

She actually didn't put up much of a fight--which surprised me. Maybe she thought I was a predator that was going to eat her and she was waiting for me to loosen my grip on her so she could make her escape (kind of like 'playing possum', you know?).

Anyhow, I took her outside and gently let her go after taking a couple of quick pictures with my cell phone. She immediately flew away and seemed to be okay. Hopefully she learned her lesson and won't think of checking out chimney pipes as potential nesting sites anymore!!!

 

 *Edited to Add: I just realized this is a male bluebird. . .I think I've been away from the Mainland too long--I never would have made such an obvious mistake identifying the gender of a bluebird back a few years ago. What was I thinking? I guess the layer of soot over his blue feathers that made him look more gray may have been part of it, but STILL!*

Introducing Sasha

Handsome (albeit somewhat dirty, ha ha) boy.

 So, I know what those of you that have been following my blog for the past couple of years may be thinking. . ."What--ANOTHER dog?!"

Big stretch!

Well, in our defense, it's been really HARD finding the right dog.

Apparently someone else likes to eat snow too. =p

 Though I'm still not 100% sure that Sasha is that dog, I'm giving him a chance to become that dog (he needs training and a LOT of patience).

I LOVE the background in these next couple of shots!

 We got him from a German Shepherd Rescue--yep, you read that right: he's a White German Shepherd Dog--back in early December.

The snow on his nose makes me smile. =)

 He came from a home in Tennessee that couldn't keep him anymore. We were told that he is a little over 1 1/2 years old (so he's still got a puppy mentality in a lot of aspects).

He was having a blast in the snow.

 He is a little too curious/hyper about the cats at the moment so I can't let him free roam the house now that the cats are out and about. That is one 'issue' we are going to have to work on. . .it's just hard to do it without my hubby here to help.

Ready to spring again. =)

 Oh, and he jumps the fence (and then runs for the hills, ha ha)--hence the reason why he is tied out in the yard. I am going to get an invisible fence for him so we don't have to have him tied whenever he is outside.

I was happy he liked the snow as much as the rest of us do--at least in that aspect he fits right in!

He had really bad separation anxiety when we first got him and would destroy stuff if left alone for (literally) even a minute. We got a crate and crate trained him so he wouldn't be alone unsupervised if we had to leave the house or if he had to be in a different room for a while. At first he didn't like the crate (I can't say I blame him since it was entirely new to him) but now he chooses to go in there quite often. It really has become his 'den/safe spot'.  =)

I thought this one's perspective was kind of funny.

So, even though he can be really frustrating a lot of times, he seems to fit in somehow and I think with some training coupled with a lot of dedication and patience, he just might be the right dog.

More Snow Pictures

As promised, here are some more pictures from our  awesome snow a couple of weeks ago. Ironically, as of right now we are supposed to get more snow tonight and tomorrow! Ever since the day after it snowed last time I thought that Spring was in full swing for sure--the daffodils are all in bloom and the birds have been ecstatically singing in the trees. I love snow, so I am excited about the chance to have more, but I do feel bad for all of the little plants and creatures who are in "Spring-Mode".

Anyhow, on to the pictures! =)

He was really excited about the snow! =)

Studying it.

He was a bit concerned at first when it landed on his hands.

Having fun!

Then he wanted to bring some to me. =)

I think he was saying something about the snow on the tree bark.

Peanut Butter Cup in the snow! =)

It was our first daffodil of the season.

Our Jeep. I had to get a picture of it in the snow for my hubby. =p

Rosy cheeks!

He wanted to knock the snow off of the fence.

These next ones are from Monday morning (the day after it snowed).

As I said at the end of my last snow picture post--he has an addiction to eating snow. :-/

 

Always so serious!

He looks like he is getting ready to chuck that snow at someone, ha ha.

It was such a pretty day!

Though I wouldn't have minded if it had still been snowing. =p

This is Peanut Butter Cup's current idea of what "smile" means. =D

Snow--YUM! =p

I love my Munchkin!

His first Snowman!!! =)

Winter Wonderland!

This winter has been so mild I was beginning to wonder if the Munchkin and I would get any of the snow that I had been waiting for for so long. We got a little bit back in January--which we definitely made the most of--and enjoyed immensely! However, that snow had come and gone in a matter of a few hours, so I had been hoping for something a bit more substantial and longer lasting. =) As of Sunday afternoon, my prayers were answered! It started snowing here sometime around 12/12:30 and didn't stop until around midnight. When I measured the depth of the snow on my front deck the next morning we had 4 1/2 beautiful, glorious inches of snow! It promptly started melting as soon as the sun came up Monday morning, but Peanut Butter Cup and I definitely made the most of it while it lasted! He seems to love the snow as much as his daddy and I do, so the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. ;)

Anyhow, here are some pictures of our beautiful Winter Wonderland! Enjoy!

Munchkin decided to wake up before 7am, so I hurried outside and snapped a few pictures since the sun was rising and everything was just so incredibly pretty!

 This is looking from the front deck toward the road (which is beyond the horse pasture and the trees beyond it).

This is looking straight out from the front deck.

 

This is part of the backyard--the snow was so lovely and undisturbed (though you can see where the snow had filled in our footprints from the night before, ha ha!). . .it was covered in footprints a couple of hours later. = p  We had a BLAST!

I love this tree (along with the huge oak out front!)!

Behind our backyard.

The back right corner of our backyard.

The sunrise was reflecting off of the snow in these trees--it was so beautiful!

Looking towards the back of the house.

I was so excited about the snow--I took over 700 pictures within an 18 hour time-frame.

Looking toward the Shop and the barn (isn't the barn adorable?).

Beyond the main horse pasture.

The top of the tree that is in front of the house as seen from the backyard.

 The way the sunrise was reflecting off of the snow while I was out feeding Sasha (who will be the subject of another post!) was so beautiful--I felt blessed to be able to see witness it.

After breakfast we headed down the driveway like we always do to take our letter to Daddy up to the mailbox.

 Part of the driveway looking toward the road.

I love snow covered branches!!

 It was still pretty early in the morning so the sunlight was still making everything look magical!

Our mailbox--ready and waiting for the mail-lady to come and pick up the letter to my Beloved!

 Sooooo, I didn't mean to, but I apparently started Munchkin on a snow-eating addiction. Ooops.

More to come later. . . . Hope you enjoyed them! I love snow (as you can probably tell!) and was BEYOND thrilled when I first realized that it was really, truly snowing.

What about you? Do you enjoy the snow and wintertime in general--or do you prefer a different season?