Category Archives: Wisconsin

They’re back!

April 18, 2020wildlife, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

I saw them from my kitchen window and reached for my camera.

Two, and then three, were on the ground right across the street from the house. At first, I thought I was seeing turkeys coming close to the house.

I was wrong. These are not turkeys, well not exactly.

This is a Turkey Vulture!

These birds return to this area the way swallows return to Capistrano, well almost, pretty close to the same date every year.

With a huge wingspan, these birds are fun to watch as they ride the thermal winds, looking for carrion to eat.

But don’t be afraid, though they aren’t the prettiest bird in the neighborhood, they won’t hurt you or your pet. They prefer roadkill.

Lucky side of the storm

April 13, 2020Sunnybook Farm, Weather, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

There was a winter weather warning last night. Sunnybook Farm was on the edge between the rain and the snow. We ended up with more rain, but we did get snow, about an inch.

From the upstairs window of the front yard

Some places to the northwest of Seymour got a lot more snow, ten to twelve inches. Luckily, that missed here.

There’s no shoveling here.

The worst part of the weather is the wicked wind. Good thing the chickens are fed and watered. I do not have to rush out to tend to them.

Old farm tales say that spring snow is good for the growing season. I don’t know what the people who got a foot of snow think about that, but somehow I believe they might debate the usefulness of spring snow.

A bit of color

April 5, 2020nature, wildlife, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

I’m trying to bring more of my regular life back. This has little to do with the virus, but more about living without Bob.

While raking and picking up branches, I came across a tiny bit of color.

Seeing this feather made me stop.

It’s from a bluejay, so it’s not one to collect. It’s one to admire. BTW: those are basswood seed pods, not rabbit droppings.

The blue of the feather was what caught my attention. There are a lot of bluejays here. They hung out at our feeder all winter long.

I keep the outside cats well fed so they don’t go after the birds that come to our feeder.

This feather was alone. It wasn’t found amongst a pile of feathers–I take that as a sign that a cat had not had a meal.

Feathers that can be collected are from birds that are hunted: turkey, duck, and geese. Bob often brought home a found turkey feather for me. The bigs ones were easier to find and pick up. I treasure the ones I have.

Just saying a bit of beauty can be found everywhere, even when one is breaking her back picking up branches after winter storms–the basswood tree is notorious for dropping branches along with leaves and seed pods.

I encourage you to look for the beauty that surrounds us. The big and the small. The sunsets and the feathers. Each is a treasure as are you.

Happy Spring!

March 20, 2020gardening, Sunnybook Farm, Weather, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

It’s still March in Wisconsin, but officially spring is here. It arrived late last night, so this is the first full day of spring.

Other springs haven’t been so cold. Some years spring came too early and messed up the blooming of our apple and pear trees. The blossoms came and then came a frost. That was the year without fruit.

It’s hard to say what weather will come next, but no matter, you can’t do much about the weather.

We can look forward to better days. I’m positive those will come, too.

Patience is what we need.

Flowers from another first day of spring on Sunnybook Farm

Dance, even if in your living room. (Our dog Sunny thinks I’m crazy when I’m dancing around the kitchen, but that’s okay. I got him to move, too. He followed me around from room to room trying to get the treat I offered him, so he was dancing with me even if he didn’t know it.)

Have a good first day of spring.

Don’t jump the gun

March 15, 2020Weather, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

Spring is on the way, though I felt chilled after walking with Sunny today.

When we got back from our walk, I noticed that two snow shovels still hung on the fence, ready for the next snow.

I thought about stashing those shovels away, and then I thought better of it. Every time I’ve been too optimistic about spring’s arrival, we’ve had setbacks, sending us back to winter. Remember last spring? Not inches, but feet of snow. No, I don’t want to repeat that.

Those two shovels will remain where they are until I’m sure snow is not on the horizon, which could be June.

I recommend to friends to not tempt fate. Do not put away shovels, or salt. Keep heavy jackets and boots at the ready. They aren’t hurting anything hanging close by. Wait for the all-clear before replacing winter gear with summer stuff.

Don’t become the person who brought on a late winter/early spring snowstorm by jumping the gun.

Take this as a warning.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person