Best Dressed

Apologies to all my card making friends, to whom I promised a card. Somehow I got sidetracked and never made it to my card making table.

Instead, today I offer you an article I wrote one evening. Since this is the first day of spring, I think it appropriate, although it was written later in the spring. Yesterday it felt like spring with rain and 64 degrees. Today, not so much. It is very windy, cloudy and the temperature is a chilly 34. One thing about it, cold and snow don’t last long this time of year.

I am including a few photos to illustrate my best dressed friends. Enjoy the post.

“I have been gone all day. It is the day my garden club meets and we have been to 3 nurseries, buying more plants for our gardens. There should be at least 2 more hours of daylight for me to get some of them in the ground before it rains, again.

The sun just disappeared behind a bank of threatening looking clouds. Should I hurry and get done what I can, or wait until possible severe weather has passed?

I guess if you really want to get some work done, nothing will get in your way. Tonight though, as I finish eating a cookie, for strength, you know, to get those holes dug, I stand looking out the kitchen window thinking where to put my acquisitions and pondering how much I can accomplish before dark.

The mums will go along the front of the deck and the hosta, most of them, in the berm bed. Oh, my! There is a lovely visitor at my bird feeder. He is the first of his kind to appear this spring, wearing a black suit striped with white on his wings, over a white shirt. At his neck is a deep rose ascot. This is none other than the Rose-breasted Grosbeak male. Last year I had two pairs and wonder where the others are. Perhaps he is the scout and the rest will arrive soon.

Since the feeder where he is dining is in the berm where I planned to work tonight, I guess the work will have to wait. I wouldn’t want to interrupt his dinner.

Wait! Another diner has arrived, again the first of the season. The tiny iridescent blue jewel of my garden, the Indigo Bunting male, has returned. I am not sure whether his mate has accompanied him as she is a drab brown color, looking much like the finches and sparrows that are already here.

That does it! There is no way I can scare them off now. The planting will have to wait.

These backyard, or frontyard if you prefer, birds are some of my favorite photographic subjects. To let them dine in peace means they will no doubt return when I have better light and time to set up my tripod and camera. So, priorities are priorities, and the planting will have to wait.

While I ponder whether to move my work to the back yard, more diners arrive. There is a male Cardinal,

a pair of Blue Jays,

several Goldfinches

and, oh joy, another Indigo Bunting male just flew in! They are so much fun to watch, but then I am easily entertained. Their colors are glorious.

My grandma never liked Blue Jays as she said they were mean to the other birds. The jays must have a reputation among other birds, too. Whenever they swoop down to the feeder, the others lift off to land on the branches above, where they wait for the jays to leave.

Even the jays leave though, when the distinquished Red-Headed Woodpecker decides to feast at the same feeder. It is a wonder they don’t need air traffic control with all the landings and takings off, but all the others keep a wide berth from the woodpecker.

My decision to watch and learn from my feathered friends paid off again as I now see the house wren, who sings gaily all day long, and another migrating visitor, a White-Crowned Sparrow and his mate.

Of course there are the usual diners, the robins (yes, they eat from the feeder),

House Finches, House Sparrows, Mourning Doves,

Downey Woodpeckers and Grackles.

Early tomorrow I will be waiting when they come for breakfast, with my camera set up behind a blind to hide my presence. Perhaps I will get that perfect photo of one of them to add to my portfolio.

The rain has moved in, so I wouldn’t have gotten much planting done anyway. There is always tomorrow.

I am thankful to have such a colorful group of friends, all dressed in their best, dine with me.”

As I stated in the article, I am easily entertained. Give me some birds to watch, a book to read, a recipe and the ingredients for it, or some beads and stringing material and I am a happy camper. Of course, there is always work waiting to be done as well.

Enforced isolation (sort of, as I have a telephone and the internet) allows me to indulge in these happy pastimes, or accomplish tasks needing to be done,  and not worry about those things that worrying won’t change.

Stay safe and I will TRY to get a card posted soon.