Say It Ain't So

I "pansified" my gardens, and I am doing OK (today).

After the winter from hell (hell must have also frozen over), I could not wait to color my little world with flowers.  When the temperatures finally went up last week, and buds were seen on trees, I drove to a local nursery and over-purchased many pansy plants, probably too many. I desperately wanted spring to finally arrive and I needed to surround myself with new life.  What a glorious weekend we had with temperatures reaching up to the low 80's.  Friends were seen, dinners were eaten outside, and blossoms on the trees were more appreciated than ever before.  That horrid season was over, done with, gone, ended, finito. Winter was now just a bad memory.  Planning for the better days ahead was the conversation heard most.  Then, Sunday, a new weather report was issued and it included the words, "freezing temperatures and snow".  How could that be?  It is April, for goodness sakes. This morning I saw on the news that this was already happening to areas in the south and the poor, weather-plagued Midwest. Snow, hail, winds, slippery, dangerous roads were all brought up again, and our hearts sank with that prediction.  However, what I saw next gave me encouragement and hope.  This new arctic blast will only last two days and then it is smooth sailing ahead.  The sun will shine again, buds on the trees will continue to open, the colorful birds will nest and my pansies will survive this latest blast.  We all will survive!

You just have to have hope, high hopes.

Flying into the Sun

 

 



When spring comes, I will be OK

Some of the blogs I have read today have to do with people seeing the birds coming back to their area. Two of my favorite writers, Cro,of Magnon's Meanderings and Joanne, of Cup on the Bus wrote about their sightings of Cranes and Blue Herons.  Any sign of the promise of the coming spring brings great joy to us who have been beaten up with the storms and solitude of this wretched winter.

Due to the oversupply of bird feeders in my yard, we have become "destination point" for many species of the northeastern American continent.  One lovely thing about the snow (yes, I said lovely) is that it is a wonderful backdrop for the colors that these birds bring.  We have hundreds of Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Red-Winged Black Birds and I am always in awe of the beauty that these creatures add to the landscape.

In December of 2012, I was awakened by my husband in the morning and told to look out the window.  Sitting in the tree closest to my house sat Turkey Vultures that appeared to be looking in my window contemplating dinner.  That was not exactly a happy greeting to start the day.   I wrote about it in a post then and included was this picture.

 

Not an encouraging sight.

This year, though,  they have been replaced by more pleasant looking Pheasants.  Yes, we do see them in many of the fields and farms in my area, but never have I spotted them in my yard.  First we saw the rooster.


 
and if you have noticed my header picture, you will see his hens in the background.



He walked among the brush towards the creek which flows through our wooded area.  The ladies stuck together, I supposed discussing the merits or not of their chosen one. 

I tried to follow them with my camera, but once deeper in the trees and the bushes, their color was morphed into the background. 



Hopefully the scenes from my backyard will change soon and instead of the above, I will look out to this.



Looking forward to a season change and the sight of many Goldfinches.

Right now, though, I wish I was surrounded by Flamingos and sipping a yummy tropical drink.