Nests

We found a nest out back, likely knocked out of a tree by a dastardly blue jay (I've seen many, we must have a large family of them nearby).  The occupants of the nest did not survive the fall, and the kids buried them under the tree that their nest once resided in.  Once the somber mood of the occasion passed, reassuring words spoken to calm little fears ("Why would he do that, Mama?  There were babies in there!"),  interest got the better of us and we all took turns examining the nest.  Grown as I am, with many nest-findings under my belt, I can't help but marvel at these amazing creations.  Homes built, a new one each year, by expectant parents.  Fresh from my own recent nesting experience, I feel an odd sense of camaraderie with these little feathered parents.  The workmanship on this tiny home is just so amazing to me - and the inbred knowledge of how and when and where to build an amazing testimony to the greatness of creation.  Each twig placed with precision, the inside thickly insulated with mud, it is a snug little home, perfect for raising babies in.  It must have taken weeks of full time work to create such a masterpiece.

Just a little bit of magnificence in our backyard.  Every day, a new adventure - with new opportunities to learn.

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Peacefully Knitting {Yarn Along}

We've been experiencing a bit of a heatwave here, strange weather for the week before Memorial Day in Michigan.  As a result, we don't yet have our house summer-ized, and things are a little toasty in here.  Still, I find myself knitting.  Rosie is 7 weeks old and has begun smiling and cooing in earnest.  She would much prefer to sit in her little chair and be chatted with when awake then held.  This all results in me sitting nearby, needles in hand, indulging my littlest Miss.  I'm working on a pair of shortie overalls, customs for a friend.  Lately I've been thinking of getting back into the knitting-as-income game, and how that may play out.  I'm hoping to list a few pre-made items on my facebook page, so if you are interested in being notified when those go up, please like my page here.

With all the knitting and planting and outdoor playing and peek-a-booing going on around here, I haven't been reading much.  I still haven't finished "A Circle of Quiet," but during a recent nursing session, I reached out and grabbed whatever was handy - "Peace Pilgrim," it turns out, was just sitting in the right place at the right time.  It is a very interesting book about a very interesting person, someone I had never before heard of.  I find myself making mental notes and wishing I had a highlighter handy (where did those disappear to?).  She has a lot of wisdom in her book.  I cannot say that I agree with all of her views or ideas, but I find her to be absolutely charming.  I am so enjoying this little book!  (Thank you to my sister Hannah for sending it to me! You are right, it's wonderful!).

Joining up with Ginny today for her lovely yarn along!


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(Micro) Container Planting

After years of fighting groundhogs, it's really amazing that I found myself back at this little farm market on the corner of two busy roads on a sunny Sunday in May.  I tucked Rosemary in her carrier and Fiona skipped ahead, still in her church dress, talking nonstop.

"Can we buy these?  Can I pick?  Can I put everything in the cart?  Oh look Mama, that one already has baby tomatoes on it!"  When I mean talked nonstop, she really did.  A man perusing the basil plants glanced my way with a raised eyebrow and a smile.  I smiled and shrugged back - followed that babbling brook of a 6 year old girl right down those isles lined with plants.

After years of fighting groundhogs, there's still hope on a sunny day in May.  A link offered by an old friend, suggesting raised container beds, sparked an idea in me.   Those flower boxes on the deck just might do the trick.  Sure, groundhogs can climb a bit, but maybe...maybe not?  Another friend carried old hanging baskets to my car after church in response to my pleas for help on facebook.  If I can't plant greens in those 12 boxes out back, then I'll hang them - salad bowls right outside the kitchen door.  Micro-gardening for sure.

Fiona finds a slug on a plant and carries him like a beloved pet during our shopping trip.  After ringing up spinach and bean seeds, ruffly kale, basil, lettuce, chard and a few tomato and pepper plants, the cashier gives her a dum-dum sucker that she stands on tiptoe to accept, popping it in her mouth and stopping her chatter for the first time since we arrived

The next day dawns grey but we're out there anyway.  There's always optimism in spring, no matter how misguided.  Always the hope that maybe, just maybe, this year will be the year we figure it all out.  Or maybe not.  But no matter what, we'll have a great time trying.

After all, we haven't tried coyote urine...yet.


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