Blue Birds Singin' A Song, Nothin' But Blue Birds...

I have friends around the country who have rarely-to-never seen a bluebird.

Since several pairs are wintering in the yard this year, I thought I'd show you some:

Aren't they beautiful?

(I did MUCH better with the camera this time, didn't I?)

Oh, yes, before I forget. The other two birds hanging out at the feeder are house finches.

Feeling Better...

I'm leaning more toward feeling "good" now, so I thought I'd show you something uplifting in case you're not.

Bluebirds.

In the birdbath.

I love bluebirds -- as you may already know. I had to work to ignore how very cold and windy it was when this photo was taken, though. There was ice floating in the birdbath water, but they don't seem to be wired to care as far as I could tell, keeping their eyes on the prize instead and focusing on the end result. (Clean feathers?) I must say they looked very fluffy and spiffy afterward.

I am so behind on all things Christmasy because of the "under the weather" episode. And the house is still mid-renovation. (Invisible shower leak rotted the floor.) I have no place to put a Christmas tree because of all the furniture and fixture relocation necessary to make room for the carpenter, et al. to do their work. There's a toilet in the bedroom, rolled-up floor covering, an unpacked shower door and sink in the hall. There's also a sink on the front porch (among other things).

But I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just make do with photos from "Christmases Ago." (see below)

I could put a bow on the front porch sink, I guess. Maybe a little greenery. Or a poinsettia. If the songs are correct, Santa already knows where I am without it. (I'm hoping he'll bring me somebody who'll want to "manga" my entire rights-reverted backlist.)

In any event, I hope your holiday preparations are going well, and I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a decidedly Happy Holiday Season.

Flora and Fauna on the Back Forty

Well, actually, it's the Back "Less-Than-One." Still, small or not, there is usually something nature-y going on.

Last Saturday I coerced the grandson into sitting on the patio with me for a time and seeing what he could see, not easy with an almost fourteen-year-old. Handing him a pair of binoculars helped.

It bothers me that he and a lot of kids his age have never bonded with nature. They're too busy, for one thing, and when they're not, they don't go outside all that much. Too many bugs, not enough air conditioning, too far away from the Wii. (I know, I know. I sound like Andy Rooney.)

Here are some of the things I made him look at:



The peach iris. One of my favorites. Every time I see one of them I want peach ice cream.







And the white iris -- with petals that look as if they'd been edged in a blanket stitch with purple thread:








And a pair of Eastern Bluebirds at their bluebird box. One is on the roof. The other is about to go inside.








And the lonesome dove. He or she has lost his or her mate. It comes often to the bird feeder and birdbath. Always alone. And it sings a lot -- that mournful, mournful call that is never answered.







And the rabbit. It comes out to eat the clover. It lives in a pile of privet hedge limbs -- the dh trimmed the hedge and then some. At present I'm lobbying for him to spare the debris until the rabbit is through with them.





There were also squirrels (many, MANY squirrels), a red-headed woodpecker, a thrush or two, robins, blue jays, sparrows, titmouse (mouses? mice?), mockingbirds, a finch, cardinals, and assorted butterflies.

The grandson's verdict after I made him suffer through all this? He thought for a moment -- while the wind chimes tinkled softly in the late afternoon breeze.

"It's...peaceful," he said.

Yes. It is.