Bluebird Nest Building 30 Day Video

I couldn't post the live high speed video from Pinterest. It is so fascinating to watch the 30-day high speed action video and watch a bluebird build a nest building from start to finish, lay 4 eggs, see them hatch one by one, and be fed. I wanted to whet your appetite with these 4 screenshots. Watch the complete video HERE. Aren't nest box cams fantastic? This is the best one I have ever seen because it was so clear. I wish it were longer so we could watch the tiny ones grow and fledge. This inside view was a real treat for me and I hope for you too. xo

UPDATE: I had to remove a "dummy" house wren nest from my bluebird box this week. I am doing everything I possibly can this year to get bluebirds to have the opportunity to use my nesting box. Read an interesting article about this problem HERE and another article HERE. I have never had chickadees or other birds take over my box, only house wrens. They have the ability to nest almost anywhere so I don't feel guilty when I remove one of their dummy nests early in the year before the final nest is constructed for their eggs. The dummy nests are just a big pile of small sticks.

A Video of Birds Feeding on The Stump

 I made a video of the birds feeding here and posted it as a Reel on Instagram. I think it's on a loop and keeps repeating itself but I'm not sure. It starts out like the photo above, zooms in in the middle, and ends with a long view like you see in the still photo above. Watch it HERE.

My handyman stopped by today to clean my gutters just in time for tomorrow's 90% chance of rain and big wind. He's the one that flattened the rod and screwed the weathervane on the stump. He was very pleased the birds liked his handiwork. My tree man liked the video too.

xo

Crunch Time: A video of walking thru the dry leaves

I made a video when I was walking thru the dry crunchy leaves of my sycamore and catalpa trees. They both have huge leaves and the crunching is very loud. The video ended somewhere around this photo. See it by clicking one of the links below.

Click HERE to go to my YouTube channel.

I haven't posted any videos there in 11 years.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZOr0RR1J5aA?

I love the loud sound of the dry leaves.

I'll try to get better at videos.

xo

John Brunsdon, Printmaker with A Video Biography

I came upon this printmaker quite accidentally and I love his work. After he passed, all of his plates were destroyed so that all of his prints offered for sale by the Estate were printed during his lifetime. The print above called Valley in The Hills has been sold. I thoroughly enjoyed his video biography on youtube where he takes you through his entire life with archival footage. It's really fascinating. I have embedded the video below but it's also available within his website where you will see many more examples of his artwork and gain a bigger understanding of printmaking from start to finish. His color process, done all at once, is on the film too.
JOHN BRUNSDON 1933-2014

British Artist, Printmaker, and Painter

JOHN BRUNSDON -- THE PRINTMAKER. This YouTube Video is offered by The Tate Gallery -- Watch when you can set aside 20 minutes of viewing time. I promise you will enjoy the film. xo

The Bluebird Man - Video

I watched this PBS Documentary about Al Larson and it is simply wonderful. It's 30 minutes long and there is a lot of archival footage. I know you will enjoy his complete single-handed devotion to enlarging the bluebird population in Southern Idaho after he retired and beyond.

Read this article first and you will be encouraged to watch the video.

Meet the 96-Year-Old Man Who Turned Southern Idaho Into a Bluebird Haven

Al Larson is responsible for bringing 27,000 bluebirds into his hand-made nest boxes he nailed up on his ranch and along the numerous trails in the area. At least I think that was the figure mentioned in the documentary. Be prepared to fall in love with him. I know I did! 

Tomorrow I will update this post and put in a video about his wife.

A Memorial to Al Larson's wife Hilda.

Home Page with Lastest Post with Updates

CAIRDE: ☘️Seven Irish Dancing Lads☘️

I can't get enough and you won't either once you watch their dancing and hear their backstory. Here's the link. They have an Instagram too @_cairde ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

HOME PAGE (ALL POSTS)

So Many Bird Feeders

Christmas Stars from Paper Bags: Video Tutorial

This is the best and easiest video tutorial I have ever seen. You can make Christmas stars from brown paper lunch bags and craft glue. You will need scissors and ribbon for hanging. Nothing else. The hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry. Found on Instagram @clausdalby.

Foolproof Pie Dough w/ Video Tutorial

I always look at and read recipes for pie crust but have never found one that is foolproof. I think this one might be it. The recipe makes two crusts. It looks pretty simple and straightforward and I plan on making one pumpkin pie and freeze other round of dough. 

Jump straight to the recipe and print it here.

Read the lengthy article and watch the video tutorial here. There are lots of delicious pie recipes at the end as well. This is one-stop-shopping for pie ideas. Enjoy. xo

2020 Bedtime Story

I saw this today on Instagram and loved it. Hope you do too. xo
Read more about this Kiwi Poet here.

Billy Collins Reading his Poems

The Poems of Billy Collins -- Point Loma Writer’s Symposium By the Sea 2013. He was the Poet Laureate of the US 2001-2003. If you cannot see the video above, click here for YouTube. View full screen if on a computer. I love him, the way he reads his own poems, and his humor. Enjoy. xo

UPDATE: I found another line for those of you who enjoyed the video above. Here is Billy Collins doing a lengthy performance before a creative writing crowd at Cornell University. It's 1 hour 26 minutes long. I watched the whole thing in bed instead of a movie, including the Q&A at the end, and loved it. https://www.cornell.edu/video/reading-by-us-poet-laureate-billy-collins Hope you enjoy it too. xo

SGN SomeGoodNews Episode 2

Episode 2 is wonderful. The surprise at the end has all the original cast members. If you can't see video above, click on this link. You might want to do this anyway so you can watch full screen on a computer or laptop. xo

Watching PLUTO TV on my iPhone

This still photo above is actually a video I posted on Instagram. It shows my iPhone tuned in to a news channel on Pluto TV. It's a free app and I love it for watching live TV in rooms where I don't have a television set. This scene is in my home office in the pantry. You can also watch live movies or movies on demand. There are 24 Movie channels. 14 News channels, 13 Sports channels, and so much more. There are 100 channels in all. 

You can watch my video on Instagram here. You can download Pluto TV from the Apple App Store for iPhone or iPad or Google Play for an android device. Enjoy! You're welcome.

You don't need an app to watch it on your laptop or desktop computer. Here's the link. https://pluto.tv/ Click on the On Demand bar in the center to see the movies you can watch.

Video: Nordic Skating on Thin Black Ice in Sweden

This small lake outside Stockholm, Sweden, emits otherworldly sounds as Mårten Ajne skates over its precariously thin, black ice. “Wild ice skating” or “Nordic skating” is both an art and a science. A skater seeks out the thinnest, most pristine black ice possible -- both for its special smoothness, and for its high-pitched sounds of cracking. This is so exhilarating to watch!!!!!

View full screen if you are watching this video on a computer. It is truly amazing and don't forget to turn on the sound. If you cannot see the video, here is the link for a National Geographic feature on YouTube.

Butterfly: Photo + Video

I could never determine whether this was a butterfly or a moth. It stayed in place for a very long time flapping its wings and staying still. My still photo is shown above (click to enlarge). I posted my video on Instagram yesterday. See it here. Click on the white arrow to start the movement of the wings. I love the antennae that look like threaded beads.

Video: Stars and Stripes Forever

Be prepared for foot tapping. I adore this family affair. These siblings are having such fun! If you cannot see the video below, here's the link.

Cutest "MAKE JOY HAPPEN" Video

Click here if you cannot see the adorable video above. Enjoy!

Wonderful Award-Winning Short Film

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If you cannot see the video above, click here. Enjoy.

Ode to Joy To The World video

If this doesn't get you in the mood for Christmas, nothing will. Smile. It is a very beautiful and joyful presentation, isn't it? 

Sheepish Sheep and Hard Boiled Eggs

They look a little startled. I wish I could read their minds. The two sets of twins are adorable, aren't they?

I should have posted a photo with chickens for those of you who have an abundance of fresh eggs. Do you ever complain about how hard they are to peel when you hard cook them for deviled eggs or egg salad? I know it's a big problem. I just got an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and have been playing around with it. I had been thinking about getting one ever since I listened to a segment on NPR with Melissa Clark, the NY Times Food columnist and cookbook author. So far I have made soymilk yogurt and garbanzo beans, starting out with dried ones that I soaked overnight. Both turned out wonderfully. I am excited about my quest to get maximum nutrition without adding cans and cartons to the landfill. The link above is just to show you the model I purchased. If you cook for a big family, you might need the 8 quart model. I also got Melissa Clark's cookbook for this device and a glass lid to turn it into a slow cooker. This is not a sponsored post. You can purchase from any seller you want.

Watch this video and see how easily the eggs peel. You don't save any time in the cooking process but will in the peeling process. I can't wait to try this. You can cook as many eggs as you like by piling them in a pyramid. Do you already have an Instant Pot? How do you like it? xo

Here's the link in case you cannot see the video.