Among Friends

[Bird mama]

@geezerette

I can't remember where everyone lives.  Are you further north than SE Michigan?

I'm still seeing geese around here.  I just checked online for Canadian Geese migration and can see that my part of Michigan can be considered a year round habitat for them.

Winter Range: Peak fall migration occurs in September and October, when Canada Geese relocate to a broad range of habitats from low Arctic tundra to prairies, lakes, meadows, golf courses and city parks.

If open water and food are available, many geese will remain over winter on northern territories.

Some populations that do migrate are not going as far south in the winter as they used to. This northward range shift has been attributed to changes in farm practices that make waste grain more available in fall and winter, as well as changes in hunting pressure and changes in weather.

DUCKS 

I think ducks must be the same way.  The reason I say this is that I have personally lived with duck visitations for food on Christmas Eve/Day 2017 and had as many as 16-20 show up in January 2018.

I live approximately 2 miles from a park in which the Clinton River runs through.   The Clinton River is a big deal here and I can't even tell by the map where it starts (maybe Oakland County ) and it empties into Lake St. Clair.  We tend to have lots of wildlife (birds/deer and I don't know what else) that like to live near the Clinton River.  

Because the ducks in my part of the county more or less know me now, lol, they will eat at my house in the winter.

I think alot of it depends on the amount of snow that falls and how hard it is for them to forage for food.

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

Thanks!  I suppose I should have looked it up myself!  ☺️

I’m south of you by several states.  Actually, now that you mention it, I do remember some geese and ducks staying north all winter.  I know the robins are here through the winter, even when we have snow (which doesn’t last long), and I remember them in Michigan in the early spring snow too.  We often have hundreds of them in our fields here in the winter months.  But they head north for the summer.

I didn’t know about the farming practices changing, but I do know that in our bird wintering grounds the hunting season was shortened considerably last year because of weather changes the last few years.  First it was too dry for many of the birds to come, then it was flooded.  And I guess this up-and-down unusual weather so many of us have been having is confusing to the animals as well as us humans!

If you’re near the Clinton River, you’re in close proximity to many of my relatives.  They’re scattered around the Tri-County area; although I grew up in Oakland County.  Like you, they’re always happy when the winter weather is above 40 degrees!  😎

[Bird mama]

We're still having what I consider mild weather around here.  It looks like it will be dry on Christmas Eve which is great because I'm going to dinner at my eldest great niece's house.  What a difference a year will make. 

Last year was her first holiday in her 'house in the woods' and there were advisories that people should stay off the roads.  I look back and acknowledge openly that my guardian angel or the saints protected me and my middle sister as we traveled to and from that kid's house.  

I've gotta run to Krogers today to pick up a couple of the cranberry celebration.

While I'm there I will check out cakes and if there are any good ones with an expiration date after Christmas I'll pick up a couple - one for great niece and one for me and sister (we'll split it).  Middle sister picked up the honey baked ham already (for great niece).

I don't want to be in any stores this weekend as I'm sure it will be insane.

[hellie jo]

The weather is mild here too. We are headed up north for part of our Christmas tomorrow,so glad the weather will be ok.We will have a Christmas celebration here Tuesday also I found out yesterday.So that changes things,now get to cook,thats no problem, just goes to show you how things can change. As long as it's good things,it's alright with me.Have a wonderful week-end everyone.

[Bird mama]

Krogers had the cranberry celebration so I bought 2.  Their cakes were hideous looking to me   Since it had been awhile since I went to a Kroger I poked around and came across the cutest gift tin for my sister's Tim Horton card.  It's lighweight and can be used as an ornament.  I took pictures, lol.  Oops, better upload them I guess.  I'll post them in a minute.

[Bird mama]

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

That is so cool!  I’ve never seen anything like that before.  I could have used a couple of those this year too.  I normally don’t give gift cards, but I ended up with two for friends that helped me so much this past year.  Unimaginably, I put them in a card instead.

I shop at Kroger all the time, but unfortunately our small store doesn’t carry things like that.

[Bird mama]

Oh yea and I stopped by the bank to get the money for the great niece's cards.  The older tellers know me and I scored three brand new bills that smelled great.  I've loved the smell of new money since I was a kid, rofl.

[Bird mama]

@geezerette  There was a small area, maybe 1/2 an aisle dedicated to Christmas stuff.  Honestly had I not gone looking for Sara Lee NY style cheesecake (which they didn't have anyways) I would have never seen them.

Apparently you can even buy gift card tins from Amazon.  Who knew? I found they are sold all kinds of places when I first looked for an online picture of what I bought.  

Now that I have this tin I can wrap it up.  This way she will get the tin and gift card, a present with her favorite holiday candies, a present of slippers and the present of the new handmixer that she told me she needed last Sunday, lol.

I felt bad for my sister because when she asked me what I wanted for Christmas I couldn't come up with one single thing.  I've since thought of something - I could use some new white cotton crew socks - but I would never make her try to find them in crowded shopping this weekend.  She knows that I love Little Caesar's pizza like she loves Tim Horton coffee and a gift card to Little Caesar's will thrill me - sincerely.

[Bird mama]

Alright people, check your cholesterol at the gate and enjoy some Christmas cookies: