Welcome to 2024 in our garden. We kicked off the year in grand style with a burst water main that sent water gushing out of the grass and flowing down the sidewalk. Luckily the break was under the parkway so they didn’t have to dig up any of the flower beds this time. The public works crew quickly got things under control and normal service was resumed shortly thereafter.
On the weather front, Mother Nature decided that we’d been having it too good over the past few weeks and made up for lost time by dumping about 10 inches of snow on us. With temperatures predicted to drop down to -12F at times this week, there will be little in the way of outdoor activities for the forseeable future.
The hawk is an almost daily visitor now, and although it swoops in as though it means business, I haven’t seen it make a kill recently. We did, however, find a profusion on feathers on the path before the snow fell, so maybe it did manage to snag something at some point while I wasn’t looking.
Our daughter bought us a nifty bird feeder with camera attached, for Christmas. I can’t wait to try it out, but given the current weather conditions, I think I’ll wait for a while.
The Nature of Things 
Tis the season for water main breaks! Glad to hear they were able to fix yours without any garden damage. I’ve seen ads for those bird feeder cameras. What a cool idea. Can’t wait to hear how yours works.
Hopefully, if I manage to put it together correctly, I’ll have some pictures to share in the Spring.
I have seen articles about the bird camera. It sounds intriguing.
My daughter must have read my mind. I’ve been looking at ads on Facebook for these cameras and was thinking about getting one.
Nice to read that the water leak was easy to fix. You get some real winter weather in the comming days. Lots of snow and low temperatures. I heard about severe snow storms in certain parts of the US.
Take good care for yourself and for the birds. Lots of succes with the new feeder, but smart to wait for a while 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Rudi. I will have to be patient and wait for the better weather. I hope the winter is being kind to you.
Thankfully the water situation was fixed and they didn’t have to dig up the yard!
We got a dusting of snow a few days ago, but it’s those cold temps that are awful right now. We just don’t get down into the teens or lower around here but Canada is sending arctic air our way. With the wind some places are well below zero. They say we should be warming again…slowly…by Monday. I’ve been putting out extra food and the animals know it, plus they’re calling all their friends to come eat. I’ve even had to modify my hummingbird feeders again this year, wrapping them so they stay a bit more insulated and bringing them in at night. Luckily both are by my front door and better protected from the wind.
A blogger I read who lives in the Phoenix area has one of those camera feeders. She gets a lot of cardinals and posts pics on occasion. Sometimes she has wifi issues so that can impact the feeder just fyi.
I’m not sure what kind of range our wifi has, so will have to wait to see the best place to set up the camera. I’m itching to try it but the weather is just too miserable right now.
I get the weather issues for sure. It will be fun I think once you get it going!
Happy New Yaer…wish it could have started ofd better for you! Daughters are so clever that looks like a great camera.
I was very tempted to run outside and set it up right away, but wiser heads prevailed and I was persuaded to wait until the weather warms up. I just have to be content with taking out of the box and reading the instructions which look very confusing but are probably not as complicated as they make it seem.
Look forward to seeing the birds arriving for their feed after you’ve constructed it! Can’t be as bad as some Ikea furniture! Hope not!
I know what you mean about Ikea furniture. Our daughters were always buying something or other from there that needed assembling.
💙💙
Thank you for visiting, Christine!
Those bird feeders seem great! Sorry to hear about the water main, but at least no damage. We have been getting very unusually cold weather here, too. Coming right out of the Arctic. Stay warm. 🙂
I was surprised at how quickly they repaired the break once they dug down to the pipeline. It’s brutal out there today. Stay warm too, Lynette.
I like the look of that nifty bird feeder. I look forward to seeing the results.
I’m hoping the results live up to the ads that I’ve seen.
We simply don’t experience such weather in South Africa and I admire the way you all seem to handle it with aplomb. I too am intrigued by the results you will get from your bird feeder camera – I have often thought about one but not actually seen one.
We started the day at -9F and, with the wind chill factor, it feels like -31F. I’m glad we finished shoveling the driveway out yesterday. Today is a great day to stay inside, drink cocoa and read a good book. Thanks for visiting, Anne.
Even the hawk seems upset!
Yes! It’s brutal out there today. Thanks for visiting, Cindy.
Very cold and snowy for you. In Maine, we have been getting rain and floods. Very, very weird. Really like the idea of a bird feeder with a camera. Have fun!
Thanks for stopping by, Laurie.
My pleasure!
Looking forward to seeing the pictures from the bird feeder 😀. Meanwhile, stay warm 🍵
Thank you for visiting, PR.
That camera feeder looks very cool. Good luck setting it up. Can’t wait to see pics from it. Stay warm. We’ve been huddled inside for the past 3+ days. Today the temps might actually break freezing. Paradise-looking forward to getting out for a walk finally!
It’s -4F here this morning but at least it’s sunny. I only go out when I absolutely have to, but I’m itching to get the bird cam up and running. If I don’t get out soon, I might be reduced to setting it up on our kitchen table so we can see ourselves eating dinner.
We’re sitting at 5ºF currently-practically balmy compared to the past few days. We’ll like break freezing today, not a day too soon in my books. Stay warm.
ooo, have you tried the camera yet?
Not yet. I’m still waiting for the weather to improve. It has been well below freezing for some time and is only just now starting to warm up. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting.
A burst water pipe is not a fun way to start the new year. I hope things have improved from there.
Happy February,
Tanja
Thanks, Tanja. Luckily the problem was quickly resolved. Happy February to you too.
I’m glad to hear it. Thank you for the good wishes.
I have a bird feeder so birdies visit us. And I think squirrels have settled in the roof above my neighbours house. I see the squirrels going up the wall all the time! But I am always conscious that my cats will try to chase the birds and/or squirrels. But I do love your visitors.
It is fun to watch the squirrels and birds, although they can both be a bit destructive at times. Thank you for visiting, Kaya.