by Susan | Apr 3, 2017 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Waterfowl and Seabird Patterns
You had to know that there was a Hooded Merganser duck pattern coming after my photos of a pair at the beaver pond last week. The male is so distinctive looking that he’s almost cartoonish. Their arrival on is a wonderful sign of spring as we gear up for 2-3...
by Susan | Mar 29, 2017 | Out and About in Maine
On the tail of writing about beavers, I spotted a most unusual couple on the beaver pond today. I first thought they were bufflehead. Once loaded on my computer, I discovered that it was a hooded merganser pair. The male and female are so vastly different that...
by Susan | Mar 28, 2017 | On My Mind
Many mornings I take a short detour through Columbia Falls to study the river. It’s a beautiful spot. This morning I spotted a juvenile bald eagle chilling on the ice. As I looked around, I saw a large bird sitting atop a chimney. You can imagine my excitement...
by Susan | Mar 27, 2017 | On the Farm
Yesterday was a beautiful, mild day. I was quite lazy, spending much of the day on the sofa reading – something I rarely do. My vantage point from the sofa gives me a bird’s eye view of three feeders. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many...
by Susan | Mar 21, 2017 | Garden, On the Farm
This was my greenhouse at the height of winter. The snow on the roof makes it look a bit lopsided, but the greenhouse stood strong to February’s heavy snow. It scares me to think of what little beings were taking refuge in there. Yesterday, on the first day of...
by Susan | Mar 20, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
The movie Beauty and the Beast has a special place in my heart and in our family. Hannah has never been an over the top girly-girl. As a kid, she enjoyed Legos more than dolls. She was never into princesses but rather thought she’d be a firefighter. Yet there...
by Susan | Mar 19, 2017 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
During my travels Downeast I’ve seen many beaver lodges – the pile of sticks peeking out of an estuary, pond or marsh. On occasion, I watched a beaver swim along, but I’ve never seen one actively working on their home. Yet it’s clear that...
by Susan | Mar 10, 2017 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
This one is for you folks across the pond – a European robin to help welcome spring. It wasn’t until Nancy from the Netherlands shared a picture of her robin did I appreciate that the American and European robin varieties differ so much. The trick here is...
by Susan | Mar 5, 2017 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Enjoying my first cup of coffee while watching the flurry of activity at the bird feeders is a lovely way to start the day. I just about spilled said coffee scrambling for my camera when I spied this newcomer. My first robin sighting of the season sparked a bit of joy...
by Susan | Mar 4, 2017 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
Although spring is all but around the corner, it was entirely too windy and bitter cold today to venture outside for long. I opted to play with a pattern and thought I’d try something that brings warmer climates to mind. This little Budgie pattern is simple, but...
by Susan | Feb 26, 2017 | On My Mind
In a week overloaded with challenges, stress, and entirely too much work, where the ordinary suddenly goes off track, I’ve been in search of a bit of serenity. Thankfully, I’ve found it in stolen moments. The sun rising over ice shacks on a quiet river....
by Susan | Feb 20, 2017 | On the Farm
I hadn’t thought much about who’s walking in my woods lately. Until I took out the garbage this afternoon and found this. There were two sets of tracks running side-by-side down the drive, bypassing the duck and chicken coups without a pause. Too large for...
by Susan | Feb 18, 2017 | Out and About in Maine
I’ve got a case of cabin fever. I felt the need to get out and about today, but with all of this snow, there aren’t many places to hike. Pondering where to go where I’d have some space to move, I thought of the beach. Hannah and I headed to Roque...
by Susan | Feb 18, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
I know I’ve mentioned before how fortunate I am to have such a handy husband. Paul, a marine engineer by training, describes himself as an engineer, designer, fabricator, and maker. We joke that he’s the idea guy. I, however, have veto power. I always seem...
by Susan | Feb 16, 2017 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Storm three of the week was still going strong this morning. I spent a couple of hours on the sofa with my coffee contemplating the real world. Today was Hannah’s third snow day of the week. I had to decide if it was going to by my third snow day as well. All I...
by Susan | Feb 15, 2017 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Waterfowl and Seabird Patterns
I used Monday’s snow day to finish up this Roseate Tern that I started weeks ago. Summertime you’ll find these little birds scooting across the surface of the water and then diving for fish. I’m not sure where they spend their winters – if...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2017 | On My Mind
We’ve had snowy winters before. It seems like every couple of years we get a doozy – snow up to the eaves. Yet, this last week has been one for the record books. Eighteen inches last Thursday and then yesterday, we got 30 inches in 30 hours. It...
by Susan | Feb 10, 2017 | On My Mind
We have had a very mild winter to date. With temps bouncing from frigid to moderate, the little snow we’ve had has quickly melted. Until today. It seems that with only 38 days until spring, winter has finally arrived. We woke with 18 inches of snow on the...
by Susan | Jan 31, 2017 | Out and About in Maine
If you’ve been visiting me here at my Downest Thunder Farm blog for any length of time, you know I’m passionate about owls. I have yearned to capture one on camera. When I finally spotted an owl that stuck around long enough for me to snap a picture, it...
by Susan | Jan 29, 2017 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
I receive more suggestions for patterns to create than I will ever have time to design. This is a hobby for me and if there isn’t something about a bird or critter that I find appealing, designing feels like work rather than fun. This week I received a...
