Embracing the Renewal of Spring and Finding Hope for Better Days

Here in the San Juans of Washington State, we crawled at a snail's pace into spring. As expected, and because Punxsutawney Phil predicted, we got pummeled with rain and cloudy days throughout the earliest springtime. The good with the bad goes like this: at least our well will be full and our cisterns a-flowing.

But now, spring has loaded after the slow buffer of winter and sunshine and breezy days have brought out the goldfinches by the loads.

We have been replacing our seed blocks at record rates and refilling our feeders sometimes twice daily. I love the birds here in the Pacific Northwest. The mornings are met with a myriad of chirping, chitting, and warbling from finches and chickadees to red-winged blackbirds and ringed-neck doves. We have a ton of woodpeckers too. What a silly bunch of feathers they are. Their machine gun-rapid pecking at trees makes me wonder how they don't have headaches by the end of their workday. They love the seed blocks too.

We still have the usual suspects--the deer and raccoons.

This little guy didn't see or hear me coming. 'Cause I'm sneaky.

And we got a new stray dog! Her name is Foxy. She eats out on the back deck from her food and milk bowls. She comes right up to the door when I feed her. And although I love her with all my heart, I know this will turn out to be a huge problem. Because fox do tell their pack about available food. Just you wait and see. By May, I should have four or five adults with five or six kit pups. Someone please stop me.

Bob is spunky and giggly. His happy mien never fails to amaze me. He's a fine example of what humanity at its best looks like.

This is a shot of him between a shave and haircut. Isn't he precious?

Until we meet again, I'm sorry it took me three months to come out from under my rock. But for now, I'm back.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ~James 3

God bless you all.

Sus xoxo