They are back! The House Finches that is; plus there are 2 more.
"There are birds flying into your fern, " said Mr. Pinker as he stared out of the living room window.
"What?!" I just watered it. I went outside and took the fern down from the hook and inspected it. No birdies nor nest- all was safe.
The next morning I went out on the porch and there they were- Mr. and Mrs Finch. Seeing that I had moved one fern, they cleverly went to another. Oh well. 😏
I think they have some teenagers. Well the 2 new ones look awfully young. They have been a delight to watch as I sit on the porch in the mornings and stitch away. 
Sometimes the birdies fuss that I have the audacity to sit and watch them so close to the fern, but for the most part they accept my presence. I think I will call the 2 larger ones Frit and Frat. As Frit and Frat have been entertaining me this week, I began a new stitch simply called "Summer" . I hope to have it completed by tomorrow which is officially the 1st day of Summer.
I used the following floss colors: DMC 782, 816, 895, 898, 926, 930, 3346, 3371, and B5200
I am stitching Summer on 14 count coffee / tea dyed Aida.
UPDATE: JUNE 21, 2026: Summer is all stitched and fully finished.
It was finished on a candle tray that I bought at Hobby Lobby in the candle section. More information on the tray is in the June 21, 2026 post.
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If you are interested in stitching this piece, just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends.
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Alright Sweeties, I have birds to watch and stitching to attend to. It is going to be a nice relaxing day.
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| I added 2 new feeders to my Amy garden ( a garden in memory of my sis.) |
I will leave you with a couple of photos from the garden.
Enjoy your Saturday!
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| The marigold garden has not bloomed yet. |
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| The ditch lilies are in bloom. |
QUESTIONS FOR MY GARDENING FRIENDS: My Zinnias are starting to get these spots. Do you know why? Is it from too much rain? Do you have any suggestions on how to treat it?
As Always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all
Melisa
"Blessed are the ones who stop to watch the butterflies, talk gently to stray cats and smile at birds like Old friends. "- unknown
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy .
I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo.
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I can't answer your zinnia question. . .What a wonderful view you had while you stitched on your porch! Those birdies would have been fun to watch! I like you Summer piece. . .the watermelon is a great add!
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday, Terry. Oh yes, those birds kept me so entertained throughout the week. Thankfully, the days have been mild so I could enjoy stitching on the porch. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.
DeleteI luv watching my birds & could sit all day watching them lol I keep a journal so I know when to look for certain species like when the yellow finches come through, The zinnias have bacteria, here's a link that may be helpful
ReplyDeletehttps://pnwhandbooks.org/node/3725/print
That is a wonderful idea on keeping the journal, Helen. I saw a yellow finch the other day. They usually enjoy my cosmos. Thank you so much for the information on the zinnias. Just a they are starting to bloom; they get these brown spots. Ugh. LOL. Have a blessed day.
DeleteEnjoy your view and your stitching time from your porch, Melisa. We don't feed the birds (other than the hummers) during the summer due to the raccoons and bears. Happy Saturday!
ReplyDeleteOh I don't blame you about not feeding the birds. We have raccoons but the squirrels beat them to the feeders. I would be so leery if bears were around. I hope you are having a great day. Thank you for dropping by. Hugs.
DeleteGood Morning! I looked it up and it looks like some kind of fungal thing, due to rain and humid conditions. https://savvygardening.com/spots-on-zinnia-leaves/ Hope this helps! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you so much for the information, Donna. It is another cloudy day here in the holler . More rain is expected this week . I am going to remove the leaves this afternoon and see how they do. The article you sent was very helpful . Have a lovely afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteThe Summer will be a fun project - so cute! It sounds peaceful to stitch and watch the birds. I watch the birds in my yard, but unfortunately I don’t have a shady spot to sit. Your garden looks very inviting. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI have been stitching away - I am determined to finish Summer soon . Oh it is peaceful. The birds can be a hoot- don't you think? I have seen a lot of different ones this year than what I have seen in years past. Have you had any unusual birds come to your garden this year. Thank you for the sweet visit. I hope you are having a wonderful afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteFrit and Frat are so cute! Your garden looks SO pretty up next to your beautiful house. I love that stone border. We have birds that flock to the 2 bird baths we have under a big crepe myrtle tree right outside our closet window. The kitties sit on the bench I have in front of the window and "talk" to the birds. We have little birds, cardinals, an occasional blue jay, and big fat doves. I love them all. I put bird seed on the ground and they all eat it and entertain the kitties all day.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can find a solution for your zinnias. Some of my zinnias have mildew, and that has never happened to me. I think they are too close together. I don't want to spray them or put any kind of chemical on them, so I'll just live with it.
Oh Linda, it sounds like you have set up a paradise for the birdies in your neighborhood. I wonder what your kitties think about all of those birds fluttering and feeding. I can imagine they are quite fixated on all of the activity. My zinnias have just started blooming and are so pretty except for the leaves. We have another cloudy day here and more rain is expected. I will pick the "ugly" leaves off and do like you- live with it. Hee! Hee! At least I am getting some pretty flowers right now. Have a fabulous afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteOh this is to funny, 2 days ago the house finches were in my hanging basket of flowers and ferns!
ReplyDeleteLove your new summer stitching, thank you! It will go perfectly with another summer one I did last year. Now I just need to sew up a watermelon wall hanging to put with them in my entry way.
Oh how funny, Vicki. Did they build a nest? I looked in my 2nd fern yesterday and yep a little nest is built. I would have thought they would have nests already. I hope you enjoy this little cross stitch. Oh yes, a watermelon wall hanging would be perfect in your entry. Nothing says summer like a watermelon . Right? Happy quilting and have a lovely afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteThank you so much for a lovely new summer design, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteOh, that couple seems very comfortable in your garden!.
Hugs
Oh they are. It makes me smile every time I see them especially when they sit on the branches nearby. I hope you enjoy this little design, Isabel. Have a lovely weekend. Warm hugs.
DeleteFor the zinnia leaves it could be a fungal leaf spot disease due to warm humid weather, a lot of rain and /or crowded plants. You can remove the leaves and discard them. I have had some success spraying with Neem Oil. My hydrangeas tend to get them. For your ferns if you don't want the birdies nesting in them a neighbor of ours blows up small round balloons to about the size of an orange and tucks one in the center of the plant's fronds. The balloon doesn't really show and the birds don't have success making a nest. Hers are hanging on her front porch so when she would go to sit out there or water the plants the birds would come flying out and scare the daylights out of her.
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday, Maureen. Thank you so much for letting me know about the zinnias. I was wondering if it was due to so much rain. They have just started to bloom and the flowers are gorgeous. I will have to keep an eye out on my hydrangeas and check out the Neem Oil. Well how clever of your neighbor about the balloons. I would have never thought of that. I can relate on the birds flying out and scaring one. LOL. I have had that happen . One time, I left the door open and a bird flew out from the fern into the house. Wheew was that an ordeal. LOL. I am going to try the balloon trick. You are so very welcome on the little Summer freebie. I have been busy this morning working on it. I hope to share my finish tomorrow. Have a blessed day and thank you for the information on my zinnias. I'll keep you posted on how they do. Hugs
DeleteOoops, PS How rude of me! I clicked publish before thanking you for the very cute SUMMER x stitch. I have it printed and will be getting started on it!
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of house finches in our yard, too, Melisa! I think some of them are teenagers because they can't quite figure out how to land on the feeders. Your garden is looking green and beautiful! My marigolds haven't bloomed yet either, but fingers crossed that they will soon. Have a wonderful Saturday!
ReplyDeleteOh how funny, Diann. I noticed that my teenager finches were leery about their landings . The are interesting to watch aren't they. I hope you will post photos of your marigolds when they bloom. Your garden is always so pretty. I had a lot of volunteer marigolds come up this year. I sure hope they put on a show for the Summer. Have a wonderful afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteIronically, my post today is also about stitching and birds. :) Happy that there are so many birdies all around us.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this morning's post, Tammy. There were a lot of pretty birds in your park and I loved the cross stitch pieces you worked on. It is very relaxing to sit back and watch the birds and enjoy nature . Isn't it? I wish you a lovely afternoon and thank you for the sweet Saturday visit. Hugs
DeleteFrit and Frat are as cute as buttons! I know you enjoyed watching them as you stitched. Thanks for the new Summer stitchery. Have a great weekend, and stay dry! I agree with some of the others the spots on the zinnias are likely from our wet and very humid weather of late. Hugs, B
ReplyDeleteAren't they the cutest? The male is so vibrant and of course you know how I love the color red. I figured you have been getting a lot of this rain too. More rain is expected this week . Wheew, but I am sure I will be singing a different tune when it turns scorching hot and dry. It has been nice not to have to water the garden , though my zinnia leaves are a little spotty. Have a wonderful afternoon, Brenda. I hope you are getting in some sewing time. Hugs.
DeleteIt's not surprising you have that cute couple in your garden Melisa, you have such a beautiful and inviting garden! The new summer design is so lovely, I'll keep it on my to-do list, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHugs
I just love seeing critters in the garden especially when they are as cute as these too . They have been a joy to watch. Aaw thank you so much for the kind compliment on my garden. It has kept me busy and has been a welcomed distraction when I have needed it. I hope you enjoy the little Summer stitch . Have a fabulous afternoon. Hugs.
DeleteMy house finches are the first ones back in the spring. They've already had one batch of babies and will start on another soon. Your garden is looking mighty good. The hydrangeas are so far along! Cute cross stitch, too, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteOh how interesting, Nancy. I have never noticed the house finches in this area until this year and did not know that they will have more than 1 batch. So maybe that is why they were wanting to build a nest so late in the game. They are a delight to watch . Aren't they ? Thank you so much for the kind words on my garden. I planted a lot of "new to me" plants this year which have not bloomed . Hopefully, I will see some progress soon. I am marveling over how 1 hydrangea is doing. I am rooting 4 more. Hopefully, they will do well. Have a wonderful afternoon. I hope you have been able to enjoy some quilting time. Hugs.
DeleteWhat a fun way to spend a morning. Stitching and watching birds play. Enjoy your Sunday
ReplyDeleteThe finches are such pretty birds. East of the Rockies get so many more colorful birds than West of the Rockies. I will never forget seeing blue jays and cardinals in person for the first time. Thank you tor a fun new seasonal stitch.
ReplyDeleteThe house finches are dominating our feeders. They aren't afraid of the cardinals, blue jays and other birds. And they sure eat a lot for being so small. Summer is a lovely stitched piece. And I forgot to say in my other comment that I love the finish you did on the HL tray.
ReplyDeleteBird watching is a favorite activity at our house too. Looks like you've got some active birdies to keep you entertained. The summer stitching turned out beautifully. Happy stitching this week.
ReplyDelete