Downy Woodpecker and Ruby-crowned Kinglet

This little kinglet has been hanging out with my chickadee crowd all winter. Today I finally got a couple good shots of him. I couldn't choose just one!

Last Weekend's Bird Pic

This beautiful male Red-bellied Woodpecker is a newcomer to my feeders. He is still very shy. Maybe it was the cold weather and snow of the day before that brought him in.

A fire, a book, and a snow day.

Today was one of snow and freezing rain. I decided against braving the roads and stayed home.

So instead of going to work, I built a fire in the fireplace
and read a graphic novel called Fun Home.
I discovered the book in this way: last night I asked Dan for something to read and he handed me the book. I didn't think I wanted to read a graphic novel so I hesitated to accept it, but he said it was good. I decided to read it since he'd said the same thing when he suggested I read Maus and Barefoot Gen (other graphic novels which I VERY strongly recommend about the Holocaust and the nuclear bombing of Japan). I started reading and got so absorbed I finished it this evening, less than 24 hours later. The name "Fun Home" appears to be a play on "funeral home" which is where the protagonist's (author's - it's autobiographical) father works during her childhood. The book's about her life growing up and her trials and tribulations dealing with her own sexuality and her relationship with her father. It was interesting because the story was compelling and the art was good. The last panel at the end of chapter five is amazing; in fact, that panel is the cover of the French version of the book.

So besides reading, I decided to make fire food for dinner. I wrapped in foil packets: carrots with brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes with butter and sugar, and mahi mahi with clementine juice. I stuck the foil packets in the coals of the fire and managed to create a yummy dinner that didn't burn at all! Yum.

Fun Book

I recently finished this book. It was a lot of fun. Nothing heavy, nothing too demanding - just a good vacation book. It's set in San Francisco, and was fun to read because it felt like a walk with a familiar friend. I think this is the first book in a series with the same character, so I'm going to get the next book, too. :)

Here's a link to it if you're interested. I paid $13 at Borders but it looks like you can get a used copy for 97 cents through Amazon. Cheers!

Car switch

So Dan got in a car accident last month when a young woman ran a stop sign and hit Dan's Subaru in the back right quarter panel.

The insurance company totaled the Subaru, so we were in the market for another car - see below. :) We bought a 2003 Volvo V70 2.4T. It rocks! I am so jealous! Sorry Grenadine (my reliable Camry). We think we got a good car at a good price and we both love to drive it. It has leather seats and a sun (moon?) roof, and its turbo engine gives it kick to merge and pass that we've never had before!

I'm sounding like a commercial so I'll just post the pictures now.