Seeing Red...

Not the angry kind of red, but the red-breasted nuthatch kind of red.  This little guy/gal has been in our yard for over a week now, busy caching seeds, eating suet, drinking water, and being utterly adorable.  And, as I've mentioned before, this is the first time I've seen this species in our yard in 4 years.  They are quite tiny, only about 4.3 inches (11 cm) long, with a very stubby tail.  They have a series of vocalizations ranging from soft beeps to louder toots.  They are also quite tolerant of humans - I actually had to back up several feet to get far enough away for my lens to focus on this little cutie.  

The image is cropped slightly and faffed with majorly (or should I say "bigly"?).  There was a suet cage hanging from the branch he's perched on, so I edited it out in PS Elements, then made some exposure adjustments and corrected some blown highlights in LR.  I mention this because a year ago I would not have been able to do any of these edits.  That said, I am still on a steep learning curve with PhotoShop - I find it somewhat daunting but remain determined to conquer it.

I posted a very cheery photo, one that required only a minor crop and lighten, over on Flickr - an irrepressible Tufted Titmouse.

Hubs and I spent a quiet day - him doing some work in the office this morning while I pottered around outside. Then out for lunch and a few errands before embarking on a lovely hike through the woods.  Back home now as the sun is getting low with a fire going.  Tonight's dinner will be some roasted fall veggies and grilled salmon - keeping it simple.

I am still feeling so...disconnected, for lack of a better word.  Kind of feels like Hubs and I are drifting along in this little bubble at the moment.  My BIL's service will be in early December - maybe that will help to give us all some closure.  And we do have Thanksgiving to look forward to in a couple of weeks - our nephew and his wife have invited us to spend the holiday at their house in Washington.  I'm sure there will be some tears, but their little boy will also provide us all with some laughter as he is far too young to know what has happened.  

Okay, time to put some wood on the fire and focus on the positives.  My apologies for not being very engaged at the moment, but thank you so very much for all the kind words, the funny words, and the wise words.  

xo
Debbi