It began, as these things often do, during an early morning wander with the puppy in the back yard.
My first glimpse from across the yard.
What was that flash of blue I caught out of the corner of my eye?
My wife likes these fixer-uppers. Personally I’d rather have a move-in-ready place.
Why look at that, a bluebird, shining in the early morning light, claiming ownership of an old bluebird house out near the road.
But you know how it is….happy wife, happy life. Right?
I hurried back to the house, got the camera and long lens, and tiptoed out onto the deck.
And besides, she says she’s going to do all the work, so whatever.
I got to watch for awhile as she worked hard to get new nesting material into the old box.
I told her the renovations were going to cost more than just buying a nicer place. But she insisted this one felt like home.
The story unfolds in pictures.
Things in the renovation zone are too noisy for me. I’m going to sit over here for awhile.Might as well take this personal time to spiff myself up. Maybe I can get a date night tonight, know what I mean?But wait. Maybe I need to woo her a little bit. After all she’s been working pretty hard all day.I don’t know where he is. Just like him to fly off when there’s work to be done.Best to just do it yourself, I always say.Just a few more accessories and it will be perfect.Hmmm….I should have measured the door before I brought this back. If I just push a little harder…Man, that was tough. But a woman’s work is never done, and this will all be worth it in the end!I’m so excited about this place. We got it for such a great price!OK! I found her a succulent insect, her favorite. Now where is she?Is she in here?Honey?I don’t get it. Where could she be?She’s got to be around here somewhere.I got her this great treat and she’s not even here!This bug is going to go stale if she doesn’t eat it soon. I don’t think she appreciates my efforts.Women! I’m going to go hang out with the guys down at the bar.
It’s definitely spring here in Michigan. Proof is everywhere, but especially at our backyard birdfeeders.
The male goldfinches have turned yellow, and it seems like it happened overnight.
Olive green one day, brilliant yellow the next.
Or so it seems anyway.
I hope my little goldfinch made you smile. What says spring where you live? Has it happened yet or does winter still hold your neighborhood hostage? OR….are you in the southern hemisphere and you’re headed into autumn? What changes are happening in your backyard?
Penny, our 4 month old sheltie, has been fully vaccinated for a couple weeks now, so it’s safe to take her beyond our neighborhood. The little girl has no idea how big the world is, but we introduced her to a tiny part of it last weekend.
Where are we, dad? Is this another vet?
On Friday evening my husband and I took her to Katie’s park. She wasn’t sure about the whole adventure thing when she emerged from the car.
I think turtles have been here, mom!
But by the time we got to the pond she was having a good old time. There were so many things to sniff!
This is kinda fun, you guys, being out here in the evening!
We just wandered around the pond, we didn’t do the whole trail. After all, she’s just a little girl, and there will be plenty of time to explore the whole park in the future. This visit was just an introduction.
What’s this down here, dad?
Of course I talked to Katie quite a bit as I took pictures of Penny and her dad. Katie says she is fine sharing her park, especially with her little sister. Of course I wish she could have been there to introduce the park to Penny herself, but I like to think there was a bit of Katie there, showing us all around.
Is there another puppy here, mom?
Then on Sunday I met a friend and her five month old cocker spaniel named Whisky for a longer walk at a park Katie had only visited once.
Ok Whisky, I’ll let you give kisses to my mom. This time. (Picture by Whisky’s mom, Karen)
We walked on a combination of cement paths, wooden boardwalks and dirt paths along a fast moving river.
These leaves smell AMAZING!
Personally I liked the woods the best, and once Penny got over the abundance of leaves on the ground, and realized she couldn’t eat them all, she settled right in trotting along the path.
This place is so cool!
She also got to see lots of other people and dogs enjoying the park. She was interested in all of them. When she sees something new she sits, very alert, and considers what it might mean. She’s a thinker, this one.
What might that be over there?
I think she had a wonderful time. It was her longest walk, and in a new environment, and she was a trooper.
This was the very first log I’ve ever jumped over!
She fell asleep in her crate on the drive home and pretty much napped the evening away. But the next day she was bored at home, now that she knows there are more exciting alternatives out there.
Hey mom! Did you know I can do zoomies in the WOODS?!!
I belong to a Michigan birding Facebook group and there have been images showing up of some loons that are currently hanging out at Kensington Metropark, only 40 minutes away from me.
The blue herons are back and nesting in their rookery, waiting on this year’s crop of little ones.
The weather hasn’t been great. And I’ve been occupied with a certain fuzzy puppy so I hadn’t made it out to the park. But we all know that loons wait for no woman.
“Hey lady! Don’t forget us in your quest to find loons!”
So Monday I headed out much later in the day than I’m usually at the park. Instead of early morning I was heading out there as the day was closing and evening was descending. It felt weird walking onto the boardwalk while most people were heading back to their cars.
“Where have you been? I have to do all the nest building around here!”
On the other hand I didn’t see too many people, and those I did see were mostly photographers there for the soft late day light. Just like me.
“If you’re not going to feed me then you’re not worth my attention.”
I ran into one photographer who was headed back to his car. He was all excited about the loons he had photographed “right near the nesting sandhill cranes.” He wanted to show me his images on the back of his camera, and I have to admit they were beautiful. I was excited for him too. “I can’t wait to get home and see these on a bigger screen,” he said, as he scampered off (there’s really no other word for how he moved but scampered!).
I knew the feeling.
Any loons out there?
But the light was fading and I hadn’t made it out to the bay with the nesting cranes and loons yet. So I left him and walked as quickly as I could until I saw the crane on her nest.
“Midway through my shift and I’m getting hungry, I wonder if I can get something delivered.”
Then I moved slowly, to a better position, and stood for a long time, another photographer nearby, silently shooting images of her as she moved around her nest.
“I need to stretch my feathers a bit.”
And, as she stood up, I gasped quietly in delight. She had an egg!
“That egg was pressing up against my breastbone!”
Then another crane on the other side of the lake began to call. Our nesting mom stretched her neck and called back…
“Hey you! Be quiet, you’re stressing the baby!”
…and then was joined by her spouse who was standing nearby.
“Hey don’t upset the Mrs! It’s quiet hours now!”
It was pretty amazing to be so close.
Then she got back to work cleaning the nest and checking her youngster, still in the shell.
“There, there, little one, mama’s got you all warm and safe.”
In between watching her I tried to see if there were any loons out in the bay. There were a lot of ducks, but they were all far away and the light was fading fast. There were probably a couple loons out there, but I couldn’t be sure. What I was sure of was the spouse of my nesting crane stalking past me headed for quieter dining.
“You can’t get a quiet meal around here.”
Eventually I moved back to the main path where I saw the spouse of the nesting pair strutting his stuff. I guess he had had enough and needed to get away for awhile.
“I hear there’s a new bar and grill down this way,”
I found him shortly after, having a drink at the local pub.
“And another thing, ever since she had that egg she ignores me. It’s always all about the egg!”
He was sharing tales of woe and his fear of becoming a father with the local bartender, this muskrat who was munching on bar snacks.
“I know what you mean man, sometimes it’s just easier to hang out alone.”
In the end I never did see the loons up close, though I walked all the way around the lake.
Toward the end of my walk I was focused on capturing the moon in the branches of a tree, almost back to the car, when suddenly two cranes flew low right over my head and landed on the path directly in front of me.
A nice evening was coming to a close.
That was startling, and I was kind of worried about getting past them in the growing dusk. They seemed intent on me paying some sort of passage ransom.
Notice this one is missing his or her right foot.
So I threw some seed toward them and inched by. As I was doing that I heard rustling in the reeds right behind me. Turns out there was a third crane walking back there, perhaps a distant family member of the two who had just dropped in.
“Just toss us the food, lady, and nobody gets hurt.”
Regardless I bid them all a good evening and scurried back to the car. Night was closing in on the rookery and it was time for me to head home.
Thus ends another beautiful day at the rookery.
I didn’t see the loons, but I had such a wonderful walk and saw plenty of things that made me smile. And now I hope you’re smiling too!
Wednesday afternoon the sun came out and temperatures rose into the 50s F (10s C). The snow began to melt, birds were singing, and spring felt within reach.
“Can we please go outside, mom?”
Little Penny, experiencing her first spring day, was ecstatic. And, because she wanted to be outside exploring her yard, she began to ask to go outside.
Our first picture together.
And just like that a corner has been rounded in our potty training effort.
Wednesday afternoon she began going to the back door and whining softly. Once, when I didn’t move fast enough to suit her, she pawed at the door.
Trying to engage the puppy in the reflection.
I’m pretty ecstatic too.
We’ve gone a whole day without a potty accident in the house. She’s napping at the moment, exhausted by all the tours of the yard, the grasses pulled, the gardens explored.
“Hey mom! This grass smells great!”
I’m grinning as I type, because I can tell she’s going to be an awesome dog.
Oh, I still miss my Katie-girl. I will always miss her, and Bonnie before her, and Daisy before Bonnie. As I walk around the yard, little Penny dancing on the end of her leash I talk to Katie.
She sits when she’s interested in something. We didn’t train her to do this. I spent years trying to get Katie to sit when a car drove by.
“See your little sister, baby-girl? See how she’s running and grinning and having the best time in your yard? Isn’t she cute? She’s got so many adventures in front of her, doesn’t she, sweetie. You keep watch over us, Katie-girl, and thanks for guiding us to this little one. She’s going to be special, just like you.”
“I think this piece of grass needs to be pulled up, mom. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.“
Yep, this one’s a fire cracker, all bundled up energy, bursting into zoomies at the slightest instigation, never complaining, always happy, and definitely smart.
“Can we please go out again, mom?”
There’s going to be some stories to tell, no doubt about it. I can’t wait to get started. I think she’s pretty amped up too.
A week ago yesterday the sun finally came out. We’d had weeks on end, it seemed, of nothing but cloudy skies, cold wind, and sleeting rain.
A pretty day for a run. Or a walk if you’re not a runner.
It is, after all, Michigan in February.
This week’s artsy-fartsy image.
But when the sun broke through all the grey I couldn’t help but want to get out and see if I could find any color.
There was still ice back in the wetlands.
I went to my local Metropark, Indian Springs, because it’s close to home and the bike trail meanders through wetlands, hills and woods. Perfect for testing my spring thesis.
Red twigged dogwood
What spring thesis you ask? Well…I think about February around here Spring starts flexing her muscles and if you look and listen carefully you’ll know she’s right around the corner, just waiting to burst through the last bits of winter.
Light shone through last year’s beech leaves
My husband saw a red-winged blackbird this week, though we haven’t heard them yet. If they’re here, than it’s officially spring, no matter what the skies drop on us.
Flying free in the sun.
Oh, to be sure, I know this winter has not slunk off into history yet. There will be more snow. More cold. More windy sleet. But on that Saturday, just eight days ago the sky was a brilliant blue, and it was warm enough take pictures without wearing gloves.
You can’t beat sunshine and woods to lift the winter doldrums.
I thought you’d want to know, especially those of you even further north than me, that it won’t be long now. Nope, check your gardens, especially those near your house. You might find some hope poking up, reaching for the sun, ready to put a smile on your face.
Skunk cabbage poking up, a first sign of spring around here.
And if not, go for a walk in woods near you and keep a sharp eye out for hints that we’re almost out of the deep freeze.
I know, I know. Every year, every single year, I go on and on about spring being near, that we’ve almost outrun the cold, and then we get slammed with a blizzard.
Last year’s teasel.
I know I’m being foolish (again) by believing that this year will be different.
These leaf buds are bound to pop soon!
This year we won’t have those last winter storms, when buds are opening and fruit trees are vulnerable. This year we’ll head straight into warm summer afternoons, we’ll bypass the last salt trucks and snow plows.
That blue sky just has to be a hopeful sign!
Yep. This is the year we jump straight into spring. I’m sure of it.
Aren’t you?
Head on out for a walk, you never know what you’ll see!
