Backyard, beyond, and back again

Hello everyone!  I've been busy preparing things to sell at an open studios event that happened a little more than a week ago.  Now I have to replenish my stock of feltings!  Being occupied thusly has kept me from being here with you, so this is a catching up of sorts.  One of my favorite backyard birds is the California towhee...they do a little dance to stir up bugs and other fine edibles.  They are related to the speckled towhee which only visit the neighborhood occasionally...here is one from the big park nearby:

I'm sorry it's a little out of focus, but look at his charming beard that looks like upside down flames.

In the beginning of the month, I went on a trip to Mt. Lassen, which was hiding behind a cloak of fog and rain, so I'll have to return in better weather, but I found a place with a good cup of coffee; out behind was this old Ford with charming flames...

I wandered in the woods a bit and came upon these lovely horses, waiting for riders:

Now, back to the hummingbird...here is the one who built a nest in the apple tree, then fled because of a nasty encounter with a crow.  She abandoned her nest but came back one day to say hello and pick up some stuffing from the old nest to take to her new abode, but she didn't disclose the location:

And here is how that story played out in my imagination.  It's called "Hummingbird considering the risks of living in a neighborhood with crows."  I'm happy to say this piece has gone to live with a good friend.

That's all for now...