Baltimore Oriole

"Welcome back Mr. Baltimore Oriole.

I have been looking forward to your return.

You are beautiful.

Please tell your friends to stop by.
I am so happy to see you again."

Flower Fairies

The gardens are full of daffodils.

The yellows are my favorites this year.

I love sitting with them.
I love watching them dance in the breeze.

I put fresh suet cakes out.
The pair of Yellow Shafted Flickers
like suet.

Mocking bird has a mate.
We saw the two of them getting raisins.

The Dark- eyed Juncos are still here.
I expect them to go north any day.

I read there is to be a kite festival
at the Spiro Mounds this Saturday.

We have decided to begin our retreat early
and drive to the mounds.
We are clicking a couple of days
onto our Spring retreat.

We can walk the prairies in southern Missouri.
We can see wildflowers in Arkansas.
We can see spring in Oklahoma.
Maybe a bee or a butterfly will grace
our adventure.

We will fly kites, laugh and play.
We will honor those who came before us.

I am very excited.

 

I think this will be my favorite retreat ever!
Maybe we will see a bird or two.
I am taking the cameras and a picnic basket.
I love serendipity.

Artist Date

We began our Artist Date this morning
by having breakfast out.
I was so taken by the heather
on our table that I gasped when I saw it.

Our waitress gave me a
 nice branch to take home.
We will be back!

We had a delightful day.
We picked up our seed potatoes
and we did some shopping
at the yarn shop.

Each day another clump of Daffodils

begins dancing in
the wind.

My miniature rose bushes
are blooming indoors.

I will wait to plant them out.

 

Our little mantis seems to be
 doing just fine indoors.
She can go outside soon.
It is Spring.

Sprouts

The days are noticeably longer.

The birds are beginning to claim their territories.

A southern breeze brought warmer air to the deck.

My husband brought up his first tray of sprouts.
We will have some on our dinner salad this evening.

The crocus have sprouted in the back dogwood bed.
Temperatures are to be in the 50's this weekend.
We could have flowers soon.

I checked the garlic.
It is looking good.
The kitchen garden plans for 2012 are coming along.

I am following Celtic Astrology.

I am gathering my books.

I do love the good Sea-Horse
and the Ash tree.

We are on the cusp of Pisces.

I am gathering my Pisces books.

Pisces is in the12th house of the Zodiac.

I honor the Angels during the days of Pisces.

They are the Archetypes I study.

I began reading "Standing in the Light" this morning.
I am connected to Sharman Apt Russell.
We ask the same questions.

I am out on the deck watching the birds and getting ready for the
15th annual Backyard Bird Count.
I am reading and writing.

I am listening to Tabla Beat Science.
I am drinking mint tea.
 I read angels love the smell of mint.

Quarter Day

It is a quarter day.
It is halfway from Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox.

It is a day of hope. Spring is just around the corner.

Leap Day this year adds a day to all our counts.

There are many names for this day.
We call today, Imbolc.

Many cultures celebrate the coming of Spring.
There are all sorts of fun traditions.
In Japan beans are thrown for good luck.

Baking bread is my favorite tradition.
It is my way of celebrating grains.

We are waiting for a thunderstorm to come in.

The forecast is for 100% chance of rain tonight and tomorrow
with 1-2 inches expected.

We need the rain.

Our morning sunny skies have given way to overcast.

The wind has remained calm. It will pick up as the storm
moves in. I have been keeping a wind journal since last April.

When the wind turns to the east we often have rain.

It is difficult to predict the weather. I watch the birds.
They feed more before a storm.

The Snowdrop is the flower associated with Candlemass.

It is known as the Purification Flower it is also called

"The Fair Maid of February." I do not grow them.
Perhaps I could.  It would be nice to see blooms
in February. The new zone maps have been released.
We are now zone 6. Although a couple of years ago we had lows
of minus 5 degrees.

I like being with plants.

We communicate.
I am a plant person.

I like having one on one time with the plants.

Daffodiles are emerging all over our gardens.

They are pushing away the mulch.

Rifts of daffodiles are proclaiming Spring.

They are responding to the warm temperatures.
They are not responding to my words of warning.

The Groundhog saw his shadow at my house.
 Spring should be 6 weeks away. Yet the warm temperatures
are proclaiming Spring has arrived.
I do not think the old ways of knowing will work any more.
Climate change is here to stay.

I am sending blessings to all my friends in Europe.

I am sending prayers to my friends in the UK.

Stay safe and warm. Take extra care when outdoors.

Remember the birds and check on the elderly.