It's an Eichelhaeher!

Just now my man helped me renew my subscription over the phone to Equus magazine. It's cheaper to call than to swath the envelope in enough stamps to reach America. It was such a funny phone call. The poor customer service rep was like "What state?" "In Germany there are no states in addresses." "Oh, OK." Then I spelled out my street name and city name, and she exclaimed, "Wow those are some long words."

Happily I got another year of Equus for only 39$. That's dollars not euros, so I'm thrilled. And that's with the special plastic bag that protects every issue that travels so far! Equus is the only horse magazine I read.

Where are the pics of my fence? Oh, after I figured out I'd used the wrong battery charger and had to spend a whole nother day charging, I couldn't find my camera cable. The fates were against me today, or, against fence picture posting. Tomorrow!

Here's what I saw from our backyard this week, the maa-maas. Loud, and adorable! They skitter around, the babies at least, lots of twins in unison, and the whole mass of them can move like water. I simply love the constant maaing of sheep nearby.

My bucket of frog eggs have not yet hatched. I check them every day, watching the eggs change.

In case you're wondering if the fence guys could manage to eat my chili, well, when they gave me back the empty bowls, they said "Fire Soup!" and I said "Oh, a little warm for the Germans?": )

I've been asking everyone and sundry what is this pretty bird that has become my favorite. It is jay-like and shy. Bigger than an Amsel (Blackbird) and with a brilliant blue splash on his wings. I'm delighted everytime I see one come to my yard. Finally. It is the Eichelhaeher. Don't try to pronounce it, just enjoy the pictures: ) (I was at my language school when my German teacher told me the name, and someone said, "Englanders can't say it." and I said, "I'm no Englander." They nodded in approval at my pronunciation. But don't ask me to say the German word for "sleet"!)

My favorite bird likes peanuts. But where can I buy peanuts? I've never seen them at the store. Peanuts are an American thing.

I'm happy to see Amsel (blackbirds) at my feeder too, they are the Robins of Germany, and their song is mesmerizing. But the Eichelhaeher, how I'd love to tame them to come to me, like my mom has trained her Stellar Jays. Did you know they mimic other birds? They cry like hawks, but silly, childlike hawks. (P.S. I did not take these pretty bird photos, no, they're stolen from the internet.)







I'm very very pleased with how all my hard work paid off in my new compost boxes. Digging out the ground to make 3 level spots was so hard! It took hours with a shovel and a water-bubble-level-thingy (english word please? anyone?). I also removed the box around the old compost, leaving it leaning in its precarious odd shape.

Now I've learned that compost needs to be covered in wet areas like Western Germany. So today I took three large pieces of plastic and some bricks and covered up the compost that I'd transferred into my new box. I threw the two other sheets into their boxes with bricks, even though they're still empty. What to do with the mass of old compost? What is it anyway? I have no idea what the old owners threw in there, but it looks like the geological layers of Eastern Washington. Fascinating.

And here's one of our Mallorn trees, they are well known in Lothlorien but also grew once in The Shire, with Sam's special dirt. They don't drop their leaves in winter. OK, but really, I don't know what kind of tree this is, but if anyone can tell me, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'm in Elven lands here. It's end of March, and still holding leaves. They look like typical alder to me, but don't alder shed? The bark is lovely and a delicate looking gray.

It snowed today. Snow on daffodills, just like when we got married last year. Crazy weather. Snow, sun, and hail in one day, alternating by the hour. I stood by the window, enchanted by the hail popping up off the ground and filtering through the heide (heather?) bushes.

6 days til the end of the month. The rest of our fencing had better get here soon! *tap tap tap*