Springtime!!

Our granddaughter, Lauren, asked me to post about what is blooming in our yard. So ... Lo, this is for you - a bit of Kansas in the Springtime!

Prairiefire Crabapple tree in our backyard.

These gorgeous blooms lasted but three days before a 30 degree drop in temperature, rain, and howling 40 mph winds. I'm so glad I spent at least a few minutes standing beneath these branches to soak in the beauty! In a matter of hours the blossoms were completely blown away, leaving a lovely tree with red, then green leaves that will bear fruit for the birds to enjoy in the winter. This reminds me of life - so beautiful, colorful, and yet very fragile. It made me think ... how do I stand in the midst of the howling changes of life? Tall? Still colorful? Bearing fruit???

Creeping phlox in the front yard.

Geraniums in deck pots.

My deck garden. A Big Boy tomato plant, two pots of lettuce, two pots of herbs - Italian parsley and basil, chives and rosemary. Yum! The rocks are from the Flint Hills.

Jeff, Caroline and kids sent me a bird feeder "system" for my birthday. We put it up outside my office window, near the purple smokebush, where they love to perch, chirpping and chattering away! We've had sparrows, purple finches, purple martins, and today, a red wing blackbird! When Rich went to refill the feeders there were at least 12 birds on or around them! He calls this a "sweet blessing". Truly!

If you look closely you can see a purple finch on this cute little flower pot feeder that Jordyn made for me before we left California. I am so happy to have a place to hang it now. The birds love it!

Esther, Moira, and I were enthralled with watchcing the birds this morning. At one point we had three males "duking" it out for position - all at one perch. As Moira said, there is more than one perch to choose from!

It was thrilling to see the red wing blackbird. I always see them at a distance, in a field or on a fence. How I wish I knew how to edit out the ugly truck in the background!

This is Brett and Esther's BBQ! They had removed the beginning of a nest three times. Lo and behold when Brett went to clean his grill for company dinner, this is what he found! The nest is made of clippings from our ornamental grasses. They are tough and very scratchy. Can't imagine it would be very comfortable!

Now, there's a lesson from this story. The two photos above are actually Esther's. I went to their house yesterday to take photos and Brett thought I shouldn't disturb the BBQ (the lid was down), but I said, "Oh, just let me try." Bad idea! I barely opened the lid when two of the eggs rolled out and shattered on the deck. I felt terrible! First I broke two eggs, but even more important I didn't respect Brett's suggestion not to look. Mothers - listen to your children - they just might be correct!

While out for an early evening ride we came upon these gorgeous animals. So ... Caroline and Katelyn ... these are for you!

We came upon this trail. We've never seen it before so we walked it. What a thrill to stand and listen to the various birds singing and calling to one another! It was nearly sunset so we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked. There's a return trip coming!

Old limestone fence posts.

While on the trail we heard donkeys braying. Sure enough, they were just down the road.

Then this gorgeous peacock and his hens were calling to each other. What a sight!

Spring has always been our favorite time of year, but especially so here in Kansas. It's the reward of surviving a long, cold winter!

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

Psalm 24:1