Covid Journal, Day 121: Morning Thoughts

69 and clear.

These cool July mornings are such a blessing. While the day will heat up later and be in the 90's, the mornings are delightful, cool and crisp, perfect for al fresco breakfasts. Since mid-June almost all of our meals have been on the deck, and we have enjoyed it immensely. Food just tastes better outside, and coffee is definitely improved by fresh air. That's probably all in my mind, but I choose to believe it's true.

Add caption

Little Mister the hummingbird comes every morning to sit on his perch on the cherry tree, just a few feet from us. He seems to like the companionship. This little guy has returned for at least 5 years, and his routine of feeder protection continues. We will have to move one of the feeders just to thwart his greedy ways.

The flowers are struggling, as I said yesterday, but there are still some very pretty blooms coming on. The zinnias I started from seed have buds and should bloom soon, and the marigolds are doing well, both the ones in the planter and a few I put out in the flowerbed.

Here's a few photos of what's in bloom. I need to get back out with my camera and take some more.

Add caption

This lily is about 4 feet tall and needed a stake to hold it up.

Planted by the chipmunks!

I am cutting back the petunias a little to keep them from getting too leggy. They are doing well despite the heat, partly because they're in partial shade and partly because of Miracle Gro.

Fireweed bloom. I really like this wildling.

Live-Forever is almost ready to bloom. Last year the deer ate it, but this year I am prepared. See that whitish speck at the base of the plant? That's a piece of Irish Spring soap, a good deer repellant. We put it in various places, including around the vegetable gardens because one can never have too much deer repellant! Rabbits and other critters don't like it either. Good.

Yesterday I worked too hard and too long. It was midnight before I finished and got to bed. Today I intend to sit back a little, start a new book and recharge my batteries. I might make some cookies and finish up a couple more painting projects but won't be out in the gardens or getting into anything too strenuous. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm closing in on 70 and give myself some slack. We had planned to go to our Ravenswood booth today, but will go tomorrow instead.

It is difficult sometimes to not feel guilty about the comfort of my life. I was sitting on the deck with my coffee after breakfast, and feeling so...fortunate, and happy. Then unbidden, the thought of all those Americans who can't go to work, who have lost their healthcare because they can't work, who don't have gardens and access to free movement, who are worried about how they will pay for food, electricity and house payments--all those things flooded into my mind and I felt bad about being happy.

I feel helpless to do anything about the suffering of so many. All I can do is take care of us, and that feels selfish. Do you ever feel this way? Or are you one of those with overwhelming worries right now?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

They're Back! Humming Around

I am so happy to see our hummingbirds back again this year.

The first one arrived, buzzed around where the feeders were last year, and left, a little indignantly I thought. So I hustled to get the feeders cleaned up and filled. Now there are three hummingbirds here, and they keep us highly entertained.

There are plenty of other birds around: nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, robins, blue jays, goldfinches, pine siskins, mourning doves, bluebirds, sparrows or various kinds, Carolina wrens, crows, brown thrashers, wood thrushes, towhees, yellow-shafted flicker, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers and pileated woodpeckers--and the night-calling whipoorwill and two big barn owls back in the woods. There are wild turkeys galore, too, wily enough to escape the hunters who are also in the woods at this time of year.

Besides the hummingbirds, though, we've seen no other migratory birds at our feeders yet. The cold temperatures may be keeping them away, as it is still dipping into the 30's (F) at night. Still, I'm happy to watch the crowds we do have, even if it means ducking from time to time to keep out of the hummingbirds' way.

Spring is bringing its multi-hued green cloak to the place at last. I cannot get enough of looking at it, seeing each day the slight variations as one tree after another unfolds its leaves. The apples are finally blooming, weeks later than usual, and the redbuds were not as full as they usually are, but still it is all beauty unbounded. Such a gift, Spring is.

She's also quite the taskmaster, bringing plenty of work for idle hands. For this moment, though, we're in good shape as far as outside work.

And evenings always bring the pleasure of skywatching and listening to the whippoorwills before we go inside for the night.

Last night I brought a little of the garden in with me; small bouquets just make my heart happy.

And speaking of skywatching, a story about hummingbirds:

How The Stars Came to Be

(A legend from the Chumash people of the California coastal region)

In the days before humans came to earth,the sky was always filled with light, and the animals and birds lived happily together. So why did they start to fight and argue? No one really knows, but the one known as The Great Spirit saw this and tried to make peace again among his creatures. The animals, however, were so noisy they paid no attention, and just kept fighting.

So, the Great Spirit threw a blanket across the sky. Now it was dark all the time. Can you imagine how the animals felt? They stopped fighting, that's for sure--whatever it was that has caused the disagreement seemed a small thing in this great darkness. 

The animals called a council.

"We must find a way to end this darkness, to pull down the blanket that covers the sky," they said. But who could do such a mighty thing?"I will do it," said Bear. "I am the strongest, and my paws can rip that blanket to shreds."  He climbed to the top of the highest mountain and tried and tried, but the blanket was too far away, and at last he gave up, leaving only a streak across the sky where his claws has slashed the blanket.

"Who can go next?" the animals asked. "Who is bigger and stronger than Bear?" 

"I can do it," said a little voice.

"You, Hummingbird? You are so tiny, that's funny!" And they all laughed at the little hummingbird.

One after another the animals tried to pull down the blanket, and one after another failed. When Vulture tried, he came screaming back to earth, his head on fire--for he had poked a hole through the blanket, yes, but the sun had scorched every feather and set his head on fire.

"I will go! Let me!" shouted Hummingbird, over and over. And over and over the animals ignored the tiny bird--well, even though he shouted, his voice was still tiny! So, Hummingbird snuck away all on his own, and flew fast and high until he reached the blanket. With his long thin beak he poked hole after hole in the blanket, darting away quickly each time so he would not be burned like Vulture. When he was finished, Hummingbird fell back to earth, exhausted.

When the animals looked up and saw what Hummingbird had done, they were amazed--and realized that while all they had done was argue about what to do, Hummingbird just went and did it.

The Great Spirit saw what the little bird had done, too. He smiled.

"So, because this little one has done what all of you could not, I will let light return to the world. But every night, I will throw the blanket over the sky again as a reminder to you not to fight. I will use this blanket, so that you will have some light, even through the darkness.

And so began night and day. Bear’s slash is the Milky Way, the hole made by Vulture is the moon, Hummingbird's holes became the stars.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Visitors

I had just sat down in my rocker on the porch, when I looked over to the birdfeeder and saw this looking at me:

I don't know if he/she was after seeds or birds, but I would bet the latter.

What did I do? Why, of course I called for Larry, who took an old mop handle and nudged the snake off the rail--which made it fall about 8 feet to the ground, poor thing.

The black snake (fairly harmless to humans) didn't appreciate the treatment and left lickety-split.

The dogs came running but after sniffing around decided they didn't want anything to do with that visitor.

A few minutes later the skies opened and Little Mister, as we call this male hummingbird who hangs around the porch, came and perched on a nail under the eaves,

right beside Larry. This little guy is so comfortable with us around that he often perches only inches from us, and sometimes offers commentary on what we're doing.

He was quite wet! He didn't stay long, and like the snake soon went lickety-split about his business.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Hummers and Summers

This place has gone to the birds, I swear.

We have had lots of bird visitors to the feeders lately. The goldfinches are thick as bees in a hive, and now the hummingbirds are starting to show up in larger numbers. It's colorful as can be, with the cardinals, blue jays, the finches, woodpeckers, and all the others who come daily.

But we were surprised and pleased to see this fellow:

He's a Summer Tanager and based on his orange-ish color, I think he's a youngster still getting his rosy-red feathers.

Taking photos of hummingbirds is really not easy! Their movements are so fast my camera can't keep up. I need to check my settings and play with it a bit to see if I can do any better. These guys are more fearless than last year's visitors who flew off if we moved even a tiny bit. These have almost bumped into us as they dart about and quarrel with each other.

This one, I think, is also a young bird, since his ruby throat is not quite red yet. There are others here with brilliant red throats but I did not see them the day I took the photos.

Taken from a slightly different place, and see how the color changes?

This is how most of my photos came out--blurs of wings and bodies.

Somehow I caught this one mid-flight, but the wings are going so fast they're all but invisible. (The pear tree in the background has a serious case of fire blight this year, and looks so sad.)

I love the way the green shows up on the bird on the left.

I'll keep trying to get better photos of these wily little fellas. And maybe catch some of the goldfinches too.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Gone to the Birds

I have been a bird-watcher since I was 19. My first house had a birdfeeder in a tree just outside the dining room window and I started feed the birds, fascinated by the colors and behavior. I didn't know much about birds then, mainly able to identify only cardinals, blue jays and robins.

Then my brother Bill gave me a little book for bird identification. I was hooked. I began putting names to my feathered visitors: purple finches, evening grosbeaks, titmouse, and all the other winter visitors. In summer I quit feeding the birds and so missed seeing the many migrators passing through. And I never, ever saw a hummingbird at that house.

When we moved to West Virginia we had to build our house on the land we'd bought. I remember nearly dropping my end of the big picture window we were putting in when a hummingbird flew right up to it and hovered just inches from my face, which was on the other side of the glass. That first summer of building opened my eyes to the wide variety of birds living in the woods and fields around me. I seldom fed them in those early years because our budget was far too tight to allow for something that seemed unnecessary. Over the years I have fed birds in winter but not until this summer have we maintained feeding through the warm months.

What a reward it has been. Larry is as hooked on the birds now as I am and keeps several feeders filled, including two for hummingbirds. Apparently we have two couples of them nesting nearby; there are constant near-collisions and much scolding as they unwillingly share their feeders.

This week we added a bag of feed for small finches and songbirds and they have repaid us with quite a show. The bag, which we hung on Tuesday, is already almost empty.

We have two other shy visitors that really excited me--the two summer tanagers we spotted in May have stuck around, and I believe they have a nest in the woods behind the chicken house. They stay further away most of the time but do venture in to the feeders occasionally. Catching a photo of them hasn't been easy!

Of course, we get some birds we'd just as soon not encourage. Cowbirds, those parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and kick out the "real" eggs, are most unwelcome. Doves come in large groups sometimes and hog the feeders. Recently we've had a flock of rusty blackbirds coming to the feeders, again hogging it and keeping the smaller birds away. We have a canned air horn that we use to scare them off, but of course that scares off the little birds too.

If you know of some way to keep these less desirables away, I'd love to hear it. They certainly eat a lot of feed in short order. I am considering just hanging the bags for a week or so to discourage them but hate to also lose the cardinals, woodpeckers and others that like the sunflower seeds.

There is nothing like walking outside in the morning to hear the chorus rising from the woods, or to watch the antics of the birds getting their breakfast. I am glad that we now have time to slow down and enjoy these  winged sharers of our space.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Morning Visitors

They are always in a hurry. They buzz in and out, eat and run. They chase each other through my garden and they get upset if the food isn't ready when they are. And there is nothing that says summer like hummingbirds zipping through the garden.

I love watching the hummingbirds at our feeders. Catching them for a photo is another story. I sometimes wish I had one of those cameras with multiple lenses and the expertise to use them, just to be able to take good photos of birds. The hummingbirds seem to be the most difficult to catch since they are almost always in lightning quick motion. I did manage to get a few shots this morning by waiting patiently.

 And then she was gone, chased off by another hummer, probably the male,

who made his way over to our other feeder. I think we have two pairs of hummingbirds around here, because I have seen two of the males at one time. 

Larry is religious about filling their feeders, and woe be unto him if they get empty! These little guys will buzz around our porch or perch on a dead twig and chatter at him (chatter isn't the right word for it, but what else can describe their sound?) until the red liquid is refilled.

Summer and hummers--they just go together, don't they?

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.