2011 January » Northwoods Woman

The Invasion Comparison Study

Jan 312011

Our little house in the woods isn’t that small, but it isn’t that big either. It is a rather comfortable house for Rick and I (plus the cats… can’t forget the cats) at around 1,000 sq ft.

I thought it would be nice to give a little visual perspective to what happens when you add 7 more people to the equation (i.e. Nichole, Corey & 5 grandkids).

Coat rack before…

… coat rack after.

See where I’m going with this?

Shoes before…

… shoes after.

Actually, that wasn’t all of them… couldn’t fit the rest into the picture.

And finally, living room before…

… and the morning after.

It really isn’t so bad. They are still young and have plenty of room to play around, and it really is quite cozy with everyone here.

But it looks like Rick and I will have to start making plans to expand the house, because those grandkids are growing up fast!

The Further Adventures of Rocky

Jan 312011

When we last saw Rocky, he was chatting with Thor, about what I’m not sure. But I can tell you that obviously it was not about him staying away from the bird feeders.

Sure, looks innocent enough grabbing the seeds off the ground to eat. I don’t mind that so much.

This is when I tend to get a little upset. Sure, he’s talented and all by anchoring his feet in the tree and reaching out to the feeder.

But now he’s showing off with his circus act of hanging upside down and grabbing his grub.

Well now this is just plain being lazy!! Those bungee cords were put there to keep them from going inside the feeder, not to hold them onto the feeder to munch away!

Guess I’m just resigned to live with the little buggers… but I don’t have to like it.

When the kids and grandkids came up this weekend for a visit the weather was a perfectly balmy 28 degrees (for Wisconsin at the end of January, this is considered tropical). So it was great to be able to get them outside and play in the snow (why let the squirrels have all the fun!).

Can’t you see how happy Kayla is to get out in the snow!

Alexis found her fun scraping snow off the side of the trees with the window squeegee.

Walker, Brady and Paige trudging through the yard with a HUGE icicle.

Well, you have to make snow angels!

And Nichole, making sure that the snowballs stayed at a minimum.

Woodpecker Paradise

Jan 302011

Love the Pileated woodpecker!! This guy is so much fun to watch.

He always seems to be judging the best way to approach the suet, and his movements seem so apprehensive. We have some trees across the road that he has done some major damage too, and I’ve witnessed some large chunks of bark come off those trees (note to self: get pics of said trees).

We have several types of woodpeckers that frequent the feeder, but I have to say that I really look forward to this guy visiting.

Kitten Mischief

Jan 302011

When the kids come to visit, they always bring their laptops with them. Nichole was showing Rick some pictures and we happened on a couple that I didn’t have. One in particular:

Thor at 6 months old. He has always been a skittish feline, and on this particular day thought that he could show his agility by running up the side of the fireplace in the kitchen!

He soon discovered that there was one problem… he had to figure out how to get down! After I collected my composure from the laughing fit that had ensued, I managed to get him down. But that didn’t stop him from finding other things to get on top of… doors, refrigerators, cupboards… but I will save those for another time.

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