Celeste's Breadbox

Beautiful day

I used to have a saying about this time of year in Portland: "It was February. I remember because of the mud." It's 65 and sunny out. We've had almost no rain this whole month. I even had to water some of my plants that were starting to wilt from the heat and drought. And while I can say I've been really enjoying being able to be out in it (had some nice opportunities to break in my new Danner hiking boots), the signs of climate change are really starting to worry me. I'm not going to do any vegetables this year. Looking more seriously at xeriscape plantings, and thinking about installing a rain barrel.

So I had my taxes done today, the first time since I became self-employed. Luckily I did everything right and all the numbers are almost exactly what I expected. Not much left over that I was hoping to use on some house projects, but I'm picking up new clients all the time (thanks, friends!), so I'm sure some things will get done. Time to work on that priority list again. My accountant is really great (and has great dogs). This year Jemiah had her appointment right before me, and we got to visit for a little while before Jean and I got down to the numbers. Got to gossip about my ex-boss, the first client she ever fired. And she got me set up with the paperwork I need to register my business name, so Wilderzone will become official. Guess I need to get to work again on my main site.

So, so hard to stay inside and work today.

Ice Pictures

I finally got the film develped of my first forays out with the new macro lens, and the ice storm we had a while back. So I thought I'd share. I'm really happy with the macro, and look forward to getting some good bug pictures when it warms up.

Backyard Bird Count

Looking for something fun to do next weekend? (Well, fun if you like birds anyway). It's time for the Great Backyard Bird Count! You don't need to do much, just have a basic knowledge of local species, a pencil and probably a pair of binoculars. Go to a park, take a walk through the neighborhood, or just sit in a comfy chair with a view of your feeders.

I've had a couple surprises in my yard lately: a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Spotted Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, a couple Chestnut-back Chickadees a month or so ago. Let's hope someone interesting comes to visit next weekend. Although if the hawk's hanging around, I probably won't see much else, except crows and gulls. I'm still having a hard time with gull identification, but I'm probably not alone. Most of the time they're cruising pretty high up, and they all look so similar. And since it's winter a lot of different species are hanging around town.