Five for Friday, Home, Nature

Looking Up

30 Comments

Despite having a very slow start, spring is here, and things are looking up, both figuratively and literally.

On a practical level, I can now hang laundry on the line, and I know this might sound a little silly, but this brings me great joy. On every sunny day, blankets and quilts as well as other laundry have been hung outside. Here is the picture I take every spring, of a blanket made by my mémère—French Canadian for grandmother.  This sturdy, colorful blanket is nearly forty years old, and I use it on my bed in all but the hottest weather. For me, nothing says “welcome, spring” the way this blanket on the line does.

On a literal level, when I look up, I see that the trees are budding. Such sweet, tender little leaves.

Then there are the birds. Starting and raising a family is hard, hungry work, and the birds flock to our feeders (pun intended). When I sit on the patio—another spring delight—I watch the birds fly and flutter from the trees to the feeder. Occasionally, my wee camera even gets a fairly good shot.

This male goldfinch is resplendent in his yellow summer feathers.

This goldfinch looks pensive, perhaps thinking of how much effort goes into to raising a healthy family.

Then there is a male cardinal playing peekaboo.

Never, ever a dull moment in the backyard. Looking up is sheer delight.

And for blogging friends who don’t have hummingbirds where they live, I promise I will do my best do get a decent shot with my wee camera. This morning, I saw the first hummingbird of the season as she zipped to one of the feeders we have by the patio. An exciting way to start the day.

In the spring, looking down at flowers is also a delight, and as more of them come into bloom, I’ll be posting photos of them, too.

Spring, spring, spring!

30 thoughts on “Looking Up”

  1. Yay Spring! It is so lovely when we can dry our washing on the line again! Your photographs of the goldfinch are beautiful – I love the pensive mood especially ☺💖🐦

  2. My great aunt made me a much smaller version of that afghan, same pattern and color scheme, to keep my knees warm in my chilly Volkswagen beetle as I drove to college – again over 40 years ago,. i still have mine in my car and many happy memories. Still no hummingbirds here but hopefully they are on the way.

  3. You’ve given me a good reminder to get out my hummingbird feeder! If you have some arriving, mine can’t be far behind!

  4. We have a couple of lines strung on the deck for laundry, and have not been able to buy one of that style of clothesline, although I want one. I will keep looking. Enjoy your birds! We have tons of chippies and squirrels, Pegleg the raven with one foot, some red birds–orioles? cardinals?, some little fast ones, plenty of mourning doves, and the big bluejays come by now and again. We scowl but do not yell at the falcon that comes by once in a while to try his luck and send him on his way without eating our friends. We have some deer that come by, and I have seen a red fox twice in the last couple of weeks in our yard. All this plus forsythias and gorgeous flowering crabapples and lilacs nearby are so great. Enjoy!

  7. Such a beautiful blanket…like a rainbow!
    I love the birds. We also have lots of bird activity. My husband is currently nursing several sick birds that people have brought him…so inside my house there is chirping as well as outside!🐦

    1. Thanks, Betsy! Hope those sick birds make a full and speedy recovery.

  8. I love your quilt and your birds! The male Goldfinch is very summery with his bright yellow feathers & the male Cardinal is very striking too. I look forward to seeing the Hummingbird… We’re a bit short on well behaved birds here in Australia!

    1. Oh, but you sure do have some beauties, even if they are not well behaved.

  9. What a fabulous blanket – so good to see it out in the sunshine. You have some wonderfully colourful birds in your neck of the woods Laurie. No hummingbirds here, so I look forward to seeing yours.
    Once, when I was in Colorado (1994), meditating on a rock, a hummigbird came to see if it could get nectar from my ear! One of the most magical things that has ever happened to me. Their sweet tinlkly sound is what I remember so clearly.

    1. The whirring of tiny wings, so fast that they are a blur. I do love that blanket. Colorful, sturdy, and warm.

  10. It seems that everyone here, 15 miles from Quebec, has a mémère! How lucky for you, to have that beautiful blanket! Is it crocheted? Such a pretty pattern. I hung towels and pillowcases out on the line yesterday, even though it was about 38 degrees here. Your wee camera does a great job.

    1. Yes, it was crocheted. Nice to think of how folks in other parts of the United States have a mémère.

  13. That blanket is lovely. I took a long morning walk yesterday reveling in the emerging baby leaves and birds. It was heaven.

    1. Thanks, Brenda. Spring, even when it is slow to come, is such a glorious time.

  14. I love your blanket! May it be found on your washing-line for many years to come! I also find hanging out washing on the line a joyful occupation. I love to watch it flapping in the breeze and the smell of it too, so fresh and sweet! It is 8.15 in the evening and still light and there are towels hanging on the line yet! Your photos of your bird visitors are excellent!

    1. So glad to learn I am not the only one who is enthralled with laundry on the line.

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