This shows the beginning of our set up for the Highway 40 yard coming this week. The sale is an annual event and it follows old US 40. Hundreds of folks set up and thousands shop along the route.
We’ll keep you posted as the week goes on. Sher and I always enjoy this event. We missed it last year due to Covid-19.
One of two store bought plants we planted. Maybe we’ll get some good tomatoes 🍅🍅😀
That is right. Downy Woodpeckers do not sing like most birds. They communicate by “pecking” or drumming on wood or even metal. Surprisingly these woodpeckers make very little or no sound when going after their insect prey. They are capable of feeding on insects that larger woodpeckers cannot catch, like fly larvae in weed stems.
Male Downy, the female does not have the red on her head
We see both male and female Downy Woodpeckers quite often in our backyard. They like the suet feeders, and we have spotted a male on our hummingbird feeder. Like the White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpeckers like to flit from branch to branch, lighting on the suet feeder, grabbing a bite or two and then off they go.
This little guy has a beautiful song and quite a loud one at that. He likes to come to the feeders (really likes the suet) several times a day. He doesn’t stay long, regardless of how many other birds are around at the time. He likes to flit around from branch to branch, grabs some morsels and then off he goes.
The common name Nuthatch comes from a unique behavior. The primary diet is insects and large meaty nuts. They will take large nuts and acorns and jam them into the bark of trees. Then with their sharp bills they peck open the nuts, or “hatching” them. They are also known for storing seeds and nuts in tree bark in preparation for winter.
This is a Chipping Sparrow peeking through the grass. Notice the cute little red cap on its head. We see this sparrow quite often in our yard, and this guy likes to feed on the ground instead of the feeders.
Seen in our backyard…
The Cardinal is one of the most well known and recognized birds. It is the official state bird for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. That is the most states having the same bird. Cardinal brings a striking splash of color whenever he comes into our yard.
Couldn’t resist the alliteration. These phlox are pretty, regardless.
Our rose bush out front is putting on some blooms.
Hopefully we’ll get a lot of pretty roses this year. It seems like the rose bushes are getting ready to really pop!
A hot sunny day with no rain in sight so we decided to try a new (to us) local winery. The Mallow Run Winery near Bargersville, Indiana has been open to the public since the early 2000’s. The land where the grape arbors stand have been in the family since 1824, and is a Hoosier Homestead Farm.
Coming off of Whiteland Road you pass through perfectly manicured grape arbors. When you reach the tasting room you are immediately impressed with the barn structure. The original hand hewed timbers were salvaged from and repurposed from the 1824 barn.
The tasting is free for up to four samples, which of course is a great deal and not that common anymore. Sher and I tried different and in a couple of cases the same wines. One we really were interested in was the rhubarb wine. The wine is sweet, but with the distinctive rhubarb taste.
Beautiful arbors
Outdoor stage
Mallow Run Winery has a beautiful outdoor stage and lawn area behind the barn. There is a full set of summer concerts planned for the 2021 season. We will defiantly be taking in one of the concerts. Our hostess shared that there will be wine slushies available for the concerts!
We decided to purchase two bottles of wine. We did go for a bottle of the rhubarb wine, and in addition, we got a bottle of “Picnic Red”. There were other wines on the list that we tried, some we liked, some we didn’t. However we think that along with the concerts, we’ll be returning for more wine. Click here for the Mallow Run website.
Sher and I see it everyday: squirrels hopping from tree to overhead lines and back again. This morning we saw a juvenile squirrel almost miss.
This fellow was going from the tree branch to the immediate left over to the wire. Usually a small stretch is all that’s required. He missed getting his back legs on the wire, and he ended up in the position you see. A little struggle and he was successfully on his way down the wire.
Roadtirement 