Springtime makes me smile. I love the warmer weather and the changing skies. The flowers are bright and the air is fragrant. The birds are chirping and twittering and chasing each other on the breezes.
Yesterday we sat in the near 90 deg. heat in the shade of our front porch, and we rocked in our chairs. (Yeah, so? We're old people!) We chatted about the clouds, watching formations and seeing pictures in them. We watched the vapors of jets that seemed to race across the sky from south to north. And...we were entertained by the birds. There's a lovely double bird bath in our front yard. Mike gave it to me for one of our anniversaries. It looks like two basins cut from large, set upon a twisted tree trunk that has an embossed vine of leaves climbing it. From a hole in the trunk peeks a bird. I love the structure of it and the artwork too. But more than that, I love that the birds love it!
We were watching the incoming and take off of the winged creatures yesterday. Sometimes they are so funny. A fat Robin took a long, leisurely bath when a female Carolina Bluebird flew in. Before she could land, the Robin gave her a mouthful of bird speak, and she took off. She came back time and again, finally landing on the lower basin to wait her turn in the upper one. Another Robin came along, and in a moment the two Robins headed off into the air. The little Bluebird jumped up into the bath and splashed and romped until she was satisfied that she was cool and clean. Soon after a pair of little Wild Canaries landed on the edge of the upper basin.
(The lower one has a slight crack in it and won't hold water.) Those two yellow creatures bobbed up and down into the water below, drinking, I guess. Down went their heads, up went their tails, and vice versa.
Pretty soon a Mocking Bird swooped in, and the tiny birds jumped, but held their ground. Had the mocker had a mind to, though, he'd have swept in to scare the little ones off. They tend to be somewhat bullyish. Meanwhile, soaring far above and expanding their circles, the Hawks floated on unseen breaths of air, as they searched for prey below. I assume that they came too close to the nest of a starling, because before too long the smaller black bird was 'hot on the tail' of the larger one. We see that quite often, and are amazed that the Hawks will be driven off so easily without turning on their persuers.
These creatures, and others like a squirrel that gambles across the road, into our yard, and then across our neighbor's grass as if he has springs in his legs, bring smiles as we wile away a Spring day in the record heat. What brings you enjoyment at this time of year?
