Friday evening musings

I spent a half hour earlier today looking at birds in our backyard.  Magpies, yellow-headed blackbirds, sparrows, robins.  Our cat is really liking the scenery these days.  I believe she might be thankful that Tim's weeding efforts stir the bugs which in turn attract the birds.  Several hundred yards away from our house, there is a green hillside where we are also seeing a small herd of pronghorn most evenings.  They graze and move along.  We're hoping to see some fawns soon.  

Magpie with a mouse

Yellow-headed blackbird

The sights and sounds of nature have fascinated me for as long as I can remember.  My older sister and I spent many weekends at my grandparents' house when we were young.  They lived on an acre or so, and we thought of this as "the country."  We saw deer in their yard.  I watched caterpillars crawl along the bark on their apple trees, mesmerized by their dots and stripes and furry-looking bodies.  We found robin's nests on occasion, and we laughed at my grandfather every time he raised his fist in anger at the rabbits in his garden.  I once found a walking stick and was absolutely gobsmacked that such a critter actually existed.  

We often spent week-long vacations in the Adirondacks during our summer breaks.  My mom and her best friend would rent a rather dilapidated but cozy cabin in Speculator, a small town on Lake Pleasant.  Those weeks positively sealed the deal on my love of the outdoors.  Between ogling mallard ducklings, collecting snails and swimming in water clear enough to see fish, I couldn't get enough time in each day to take in everything.  I was hooked.

I will forever be grateful that I was exposed to nature starting at a young age.  It has led to a lifelong passion for simply being outside.  Tim and I may take a drive this weekend to look for wildlife and some scenery that is new to us.
  

Penny's view from our bedroom window

By the way, the jewelry blog hop I am due to be part of was postponed by a week.  The reveal of what I've made will be next Saturday, May 10th.  To be honest, I am happy to have the extra week to tweak and photograph.  Please stop by next weekend to see what I've managed to create with some lovely gifted beads.  

Hope you have a great weekend.