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Thursday, May 21, 2015

Through the Kitchen Window ~ A Special Place


It's often the littlest of things that bring us joy.
That special something that brightens our day, adds excitement, lifts the soul and makes us happy.

The word joy means:
A feeling of great happiness.
A source or cause of great happiness: something or someone that gives joy to someone.
Success in doing, finding, or getting something.

My old kitchen was tiny.
There were no windows and I stared at a wall while washing the dishes.
Since remodeling, it is pure joy taking in the views and having the sun stream in through the new kitchen window.

Even on a cloudy day it's bright in the kitchen.

Casement Bay Window


Just outside the window and hanging from the dogwood tree is a bird feeder.

It is pure joy watching all the different birds flying to the feeder to eat and resting on the branches while singing their songs.

This time of year the babies come too, following their parents who are teaching them how to care for themselves.  The babies give those little cries for food as the mama bird busily cracks open shells to get to the seed, trying to feed herself as the little ones seem to cry, "me, me, feed me," while fluttering their little wings that have just become strong enough to soar them through the air.

Such beautiful sights and sounds...joy!

See the cardinal through the window on the right, sitting on the feeder?

kitchen-remodel-casement-bay-window-the-new-kitchen-window-special-place.html


Many house finch babies have been coming to the feeders with their parents.
This one has been cocking his head in every direction while looking at me.

baby house finch



This is the sibling and if you look close you can see he is fluttering his wings.

baby house finch



Chickadees are so tiny and cute!

chickadee



I'm seeing more and more Eastern Towhee birds.

Eastern Towhee


The Eastern Towhee has a whistle that sounds like "Drink Your Teeeee."

They are usually found in forest undergrowth, woodlands, and brushy edges.  On the ground they scratch in the leaf litter using both feet at the same time, in kind of a backward hop.  They are more abundant in yards where there are large shrubs and natural landscape.

Nests are built by the female on the ground or near the ground in tables of vines or bushes.  Nestlings are cared for by both parents and fledge in 10 - 12 days.

These birds feed on moths, caterpillars, ants, wood borers, snails, beetles, and other destructive pests.  They also eat berries and seeds.

Eastern Towhee
Source



You can hear the Eastern Towhee here...




While looking out the window and taking pictures of these sweet birds I noticed something else. YIKES!

If you have a fear of snakes, look away now.


Slithering in from the front yard onto the walkway is a black rat snake.

I quickly left the kitchen and headed out to the front porch.

black rat snake



He was almost completely to the monkey grass when I got outside.

black rat snake tail



He is making his way up the walk by hiding just beneath the monkey grass.

black rat snake


I'm not wild about snakes myself, but if they are going to be around, this nonpoisonous snake is a good one to have.

Black rat snakes are constrictors, meaning they squeeze their prey until it suffocates.
They feast on small rodents, including mice, rats, and moles and sometimes will eat frogs.  The sad thing is, they are good climbers and will eat small birds and bird eggs, swallowing them whole.

Black rat snakes like to live in the woods.  They can be found in barns, sheds, fields or gardens if there aren't any woods nearby.  They are good swimmers too.  They grow to be very long, between 3 feet and 6 feet, but the record for the longest snake in North America was more than 8 feet long!
Adults are black with a white underbelly, and babies are gray with brown patterns on top.

black rat snake
 source


The kitchen window is a special place to watch beautiful birds eating and singing their sweet songs,
black hawks walking just under the window in search of something to eat,
owls and black rat snakes,
and the sunsets are pretty amazing too.



Yes, I love the views from the kitchen window!

Who know what else happens just outside these panes of glass that I may have missed?

I look forward to many more memorable views from this special place that brings me so much joy.


What have you seen from your kitchen window?

See our before and after farmhouse style kitchen remodel here.


Join us each week for AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Hop over to see the features and inspiration from this week's party here.


19 comments:

  1. We also feed birds and I love watching them eat. I also love watching our cats sit in the picture window and not know what to do with all the birds. I also love watching the squirrels hang upside down from the bird feeder and eat the seed. We usually feed the squirrels nuts. We have two pit bulls who act all brave and barky. We laugh because the squirrels just look at them and go on eating. Of course our two pit bulls are terrified of one of our cats so they can bark all they want - it truly doesn't matter. If I saw a snake, I would have a for sale sign on the front of our house.

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  2. Hi Cindy, We also love to watch the birds from our kitchen window. They're fascinating, aren't they? We have four feeders hanging out back at the moment, and we've had lots of goldfinches this spring (so pretty)! You really take the best pictures; your photos are always gorgeous, especially the nature shots. I have to tell you that I think your kitchen is just beautiful, Cindy. I can see why you're so happy with it; it's one of the prettiest I've seen. :) It took awhile to get there, but it was worth it, huh?

    Thanks for sharing and have a great week!

    Hugs,

    Denise

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  3. Oh my word, Cindy how beautiful! First off, your kitchen remodel is so awesome I am happily jealous - love it, love the view and love the bay window behind the sink - opens it up for awesome decorating. SO WONDERFUL!

    Your bird pics are AMAZING - wow are you a wonderful photographer - I have no skill, patience or good equipment to ever take great pics. I hope to one day, though.

    I really enjoyed the vid watching the various calls of that bird. Isn't that something?

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  4. The window over my sink is too high, even when it looked out to the backyard. Now it looks out to the sunroom. I would love to have your kitchen, windows, yard, or house. I'm not greedy, any one of those would be fine.

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  5. What beautiful views and things to see from your gorgeous kitchen window....Your kitchen renovation is one of my very favorites!....Yes, black snakes are a good thing, but they still scare me!....

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  6. Love your kitchen window and your birds. Having a window above the sink makes those chores less chorey:) I have a heron who likes to fly in over the bayou and land on our boat dock. We have named him Hank, the Heron. Love watching the ducks too.
    I have planted about 10 red geraniums on my deck and especially right out my kitchen window. Love them.
    Thanks for sharing your pictures today. They were lovely. Oh and thanks for the snake warning. I am terrified of even pictures, just closed my eyes and scrolled down:)

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  7. Your kitchen window and the view are beautiful! We have a family of black snakes that live around our home, and I would love to be less afraid and better friends since my husband reminds me of their benefit to us and our garden, but the surprise element of snakes is what I fear the most. I guess I need to work on this:)
    Enjoying your blog,
    Paula

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  8. I agree. An interesting view makes sink time so much more pleasant. This morning I watched two rabbits playing in the yard, spied a striped ground squirrel, numerous squirrels, and my neighbor Judy trying to sneak her dog out in her PJs. :D I sure wish we had those towhees here in Central Illinois! have a nice weekend.

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  9. Your post brought me joy just reading it!

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  10. LOVED this whole post---well, I could have done without the SNAKE. LOL I stepped on a big black snake one time as a kid with bare feet. Why I didn't die of pure fright is beyond me! lol
    Your kitchen is just beautiful. I see you brought your windows right down to your countertop. I did the same thing. I will say you they get splashed a lot and I am constantly wiping "spots" off them- especially when I use the sprayer-but I would not change a thing about them. I love not having a ledge between the sink and the windows.

    Your view is spectacular and I know you enjoy every moment of it. Loved this post! xo Diana

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  11. Your kitchen is so beautiful and the big windows with light streaming in are amazing. My kitchen has a big window over the sink that over looks our backyard. When the hydrangeas are in bloom, I am always happy to be washing dishes. Your faucets are gorgeous!! Happy Thursday !

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  12. Right now my kitchen window, above the sink, looks out into the carport. But at the new house I will have windows galore to look out from my kitchen island where the sink will be. I can't wait. Lovely post!

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  13. I do love your beautiful kitchen and that window is so beautiful to look out into your yard love to see the rest of your kitchen.....what is not to love!

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  14. Your kitchen is just beautiful. Oh and those wonderful windows! I adore your bird pics. You have taken the best shots. What kind of camera do you have? I just got a new one and am still learning how to use it. That snake is NOT pretty though. I hate snakes (me and everybody else - right?) I hope that you used your zoom lens to get that close to the snake.

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  15. Cindy,
    Love the views from your kitchen window, dear friend!!!
    No window in the kitchen here on the Prairie, but we do have double patio doors off the dining area!!!
    My favorite place in our home during the Spring when everything is turning green and lush. . .
    again, in the Winter when everything is blanketed with mounds of white snow!!!
    I adored seeing the birds and listening to the English Towhee!!!
    Enjoy your view!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  16. I just love your new kitchen Cindy! Thanks for joining Home Sweet Home!

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  17. What a beautiful kitchen and breathtaking views. Thanks for the heads up about the snakes!

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  18. Cindy, your kitchen window is gorgeous, and so is the view into your backyard. Your kitchen reno is my all-time favorite!

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