Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Few Words Wednesday

A day of frantic motion. I needed a buffer.


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Soft pastels can fool you. They withstand the harsh winter but the summer heat will make them melt. Cal Ripken eyes.


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American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) on the asphalt sidewalk. (Yes, I did some research.)



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A blast of color rejuvenated my mood tonight. I'll miss the pansies.


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Through the kitchen door, I saw a Mockingbird inside the sunroom. He came to visit me. I'm not surprised.



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If the kitchen door was open, he would have probably flown inside and perched on the kitchen counter to watch me cook dinner. I would have set a bowl of suet there for him and chatted for a while.



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Within three minutes I was holding him very gently. Our eyes met for a few seconds. So soft… I think he knew I’d set him free. His powerful thrust at take-off surprised me. A little ruffled, he sat in the tree for a while to gain his composure. I put some suet out for him. Unharmed and good to go.



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Late afternoon sun. See the bird?
I feel calm and relaxed now.

19 comments:

dmmgmfm said...

Your photos are beautiful, as always Mary. The bright, wonderful colors really picked up my mood. Thank you.

Susie said...

Gorgeous pansies! Such vivid colors!

Cathy said...

I don't believe this! Oh, Mary! You got to rescue - to TOUCH ! - a Mockingbird! And the last photo - his happy little heart tuning up at sunset for his midnight serenade :0D Listen carefully - your name will be on his lips - er . . . beak.

Mary said...

Laurie, aren't those pansies so vivid? I love them.

Susie, they are here for a while...but soon will be gone. That's why I'm paying close attention now.

Cathy, he/she was so sweet. Obviously frightened but nice to hold. I've on held injured birds. This one needed me. Wow.

Susan Gets Native said...

Those blue and purple pansies look like a pool of water you can dive into.
Bravo!
And you saving a mocker. God love ya.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

It's a honor to hold a wild creature in one's hands- good for you!! Pansies always remind me of kitten faces.

Unknown said...

Super cool day. WOW! Thank you for saving the Mocker! They are one of my fav birds! And, your pansies are delightful.

Alyssa said...

What a wonderful blog you have - I loved the pictures and can see and read how important nature is to you. I'm glad there are other people out there that feel the same as I do. Also, anyone who has such sweet little dogs has got to be a "good egg". I enjoyed the frog article and pictures too. Those frogs looked pretty bumpy and alot like toads. Do you know what species name they are? We had a toad and frog at our little pond, but I never heard any calling. How lucky you are to hear that. Sounds like it's warm down by you -- up here it's cool and rainy and things are just beginning to pop. I look forward to reading more from you. Thank you, Alyssa

Jayne said...

Purty pansies! They really perk up the spring, don't they? Loved your mocker friend!

thailandchani said...

Why is it that no matter how elaborate a garden becomes, it doesn't look quite right without pansies? :)


Peace,

~Chani

sonia a. mascaro said...

Beautiful photos, Mary! So peaceful and calm...and the Mockinbird is free and happy!
Lovely day indeed!

KGMom said...

You got to hold a mockingbird--lucky you!
I didn't catch on, until several years ago, how hardy pansies are--around here, garden shops put them out early early spring and late late fall. So, I have planted them in my pots until the other annuals come along.

Julie Zickefoose said...

Mary, this is going to sound a little crazy, but if I were you I'd go to the store, get some modeling clay, fashion a shallow nest out of it, line it thickly with soft dry grasses (so the oily clay doesn't contact the bird's feathers), and put it up on the rock atop your shelf. Sculpey would probably work even better. You could make it a nice grayish mud color and bake it in the oven. It would not be as oily as modeling clay. I think this barn swallow was planning to use her old nest, even with the house finch nest atop it, and when it was taken down, she happend to be dead ready to lay. For want of a proper nest,she's laying her eggs atop the rock and they are rolling off. I think if you want baby swallows to look at you're going to have to help her out. At least that's what I'd do...and I suspect you'd do it too, tender hearted one!
Even if it doesn't work, it'd be a cool experiment. Google pics of barn swallow nests to get an idea what you should shoot for when you model it.

Anonymous said...

The photos are wonderful and perfect for few words Wednesday!

LostRoses said...

Mary, of course the birds come inside to visit you. They know who loves them! Great photos.

Dorothy said...

Mary I hope you decide to try Julie's experiment. Can't wait to find out if you did, and what happens. The pansy pictures are so pretty..and the bird in your sunroom....amazing! What an unexpected surprise. Now that's the kind of visitor I'd always welcome.

Jess Riley said...

I love pansies and violets...they have such sweet faces. And kudos to you for the mocker rescue. :)

(Say, I like Zick's idea about the clay nest!)

ursusdave said...

I love Mockingbirds for two reasons: one is they tend to stay around through the winter to keep us bird lovers company; two is that though they have a dull gray appearance to a person who casually glances at one of them, they are truly beautiful if you carefully watch them move around in the right light. You feeling the Mockingbird's power when he took off on his freedom flight makes me a bit jealous to read about--I love those little insights into the oft surprising power of Mother Nature that we who interact intimately with the natural world experience at times. I believe that you did make a nice spiritual connection with the bird when you looked into each other’s eyes.

Mary said...

Dave,

Thanks for stopping by again. Sometimes I complain about the mockers and view them as an "average" bird. But they do keep me company when the elusive birds do not.

Post more and show more of Dundalk. My husband grew up there and since his parents are gone and the family moved away, we haven't been there since 03. I'd love to see your view. E-mail me when you do.