Sunday, May 8, 2011

eye candy

I have friends that tell me the stuff around my house on shelves and in little nooks and crannies are eye candy....and they are. Today, however, my eye was delighted at every turn by the glories of nature just hanging around outside.
The birds were singing up a storm. My hummingbirds that hung out with me all winter are still here and some others have joined the group. There are usually some geese that leave rather copious amounts of poop in what we call the outdoor arena area, but 2 have been hanging a little closer to the house now and then. A lot of the bird families that were here last year are back and have been searching for the perfect home. I am uncertain as to what species is living the life in our kitchen fan ducting, but you should have heard them when they discovered the spot, I am certain I heard one of them say " Oh honey, look how nice and dry it is in here. It's so private and quiet. Can you believe our good fortune?" Wait until I need to turn the fan on....will they be surprised.
 Bob went out to put some wire up so they couldn't get in there and he found a ton of old hay so someone had tried before to live in there. Even though Bob pulled out all the old hay and wired up the opening, they somehow have found a small place to nest in although they aren't little teeny birds and every now and again I hear them chatting away.
The Gold Finch is the state bird and I think I have seen 2 recently. We have a ton of very robust robins and a massive collection of crows. When they all land in the pasture, I call it the crow collective.
The barn and the arena have been taken over by swallows and I think there are some starlings as well.
We have also had some woodpeckers flit through and some blue jays  that live between here and the end of the block. I need a handbook on the northwest birds to figure who all is in the neighborhood at times.

The birds are enough to tie up my attention, but the trees that are blooming right now are just stunning. Even the trees that are just budding out and won't get any flowers are pretty amazing. I feel like I need a camera all the time and I wish I could just snap constantly and still be able to drive. Of course, that would most likely get me a big fat ticket if not a trip downtown.

Today, Bob and I spent time working in the green house together to re pot old plants and to get all the new little fuchsia starts into their new homes. I also have some beautiful begonias. I don't know why I fell in love with begonias, but I think it is their really cool leaves. Some have that iridescent look to them and some are shaped like angel wings, and on top of that, you get pretty awesome blooms......what's not to love.

At some point in the afternoon, the horses got a turn out from their paddocks to grazing pastures. They only get that on the weekends during the spring to the late fall. But here were the horses grazing within feet of us while we were working. It is an amazing feeling and I fell in love with the farm all over again. (I never fell out of love, I just fell in love again)

the bottom line .... I got my hands in some dirt, the sun was shining now and again, the horses were spreading their love, the plants are growing (you can hear them if you listen closely) and that handsome husband of mine was being my personal eye candy while he helped me get it all done. Life is pretty darn fine.

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