Spring reminds us that we will be reborn~
That thought makes me happy.

Walking the yard with camera in hand is the only way to capture the fleeting images to keep.

The full azaleas grace the split-rail fence line ~

Lazy morning or late afternoons are spent in the Amish built swing.

Our Garden Club Vice Chair reports to be a photographer with her work shown in our local Backyard Boutique.

Well....this is one little shop I try to avoid

as I want one of everything they have for birds and backyards.

I found myself drawn there to see Jeannie's photography ...

however...once in the door,

my feet took me right over to a new finch feeder. My old one is crowded this year...

and the newest style is the mesh wire to accommodate a crowd.

This morning...we see only 3 feeding, but later, the feeder will be covered.

I did check out the photography. Images of birds were beautiful, no doubt. Another artist has taken her photography of birds and digitally altered them and their surroundings.

Was a fun hour and I LOVE my newest finch feeder.

First Watermelon of the Season

Two unseasonable hot days together here in Northern Virginia, it just seemed only right to have cold watermelon to savor. I returned the grandchildren from a "spend the night" and dropped by the green grocer. There was a large table of seedless and seeded melons to make my choice.
I stood and remembered another time over a stack of watermelons when I learned a very interesting lesson.

Years ago, I stood be the melons testing each with a thump. A man came up to me and said, "You are from Alabama, aren't you?"

I reeled backwards as I had not lived in the Heart of Dixie for 40 years. Did I know this man?
I looked at him for a clue and he smiled. I acknowledged to him I was actually born in Alabama and then he told me something I REALLY didn't know, "Only people from Alabama thump a watermelon."

I was thunderstruck.... Isn't that how you test for ripeness?
He was tapping the melons as he talked. I laughed and he gave me a wink.

I walked away with a wonderful melon that he selected for me with three taps and a new awareness that the world shared the love of watermelons, no matter where you were born.
Some of us thump and others pat. It really doesn't matter, the melons respond with the same sound.

Springtime in Virginia

Early morning view from one of the kitchen windows~

AHHHHHHHHHH ~ Spring has come to Virginia~ The golfers are out early...notice the tracks in the dew behind the cart.

Early morning view of upper deck which offers splendid views for photos.

Yellow wild finch are males and brownish are female.

We have a big group each year~ both purple and yellow. They stay all winter and all become brown to blend in with winter colors in nature.

The fish pond is full of tadpoles~ The grandchildren enjoyed catching them to move down to the lake.

THEY HAD A BALL !!

Koi Spanning

So much is going on right now for us when suddenly

another event takes front and center of our attention.

Our

wonderful white Koi had become very

erratic. Her usual behavior is graceful, gentle and mindful of all her pondmates.

I could see her from my

kitchen window ~

she was in the shallows and

seemed to be trying to

beach herself by thrusting and coming out of the water onto the flat rock. Once with her head on the rock, out of water, she would take in large audibly gulps of air.

WHAT was going on? I watched in fear.

Pondside, I wondered if there was a "fish doctor" I could call...seems

she was dying. I don't know fish CRP or anything except how to feed them.

Two of the other Koi were with her as if harassing her. She doubled and thrashed...and I stood by thinking, knowing there was nothing I could do for her.

"Let nature take it's course," I kept thinking to calm myself.

Came to the Internet to discover, she was spanning. It explained the behavior of the males around her ...again I am thinking and will let nature take it's course.

I placed an artificial thick greenery over the place where we spanned to give the little guys a chance....and then made "safe houses" for them as well.

I cut little doors and a bunch of little windows (about 1/2 in sq)

in a couple of discarded black plastic flower pots that have the holes in the bottom and have submerged them here and there in the pond.

Our fish are beloved as they are so interesting.

Isn't she beautiful? Her head is shaped like a 747 and she has eyelashes. Disney could make a movie about her.

Do you have experience with Koi?

Treasure Chest of Memories

Fourteen of us went to dinner last night~ the chatter was lively and fun even when it came to swapping stories of mishaps involving traffic tickets. If you drive at all, seems everyone has at least one. Right?
Misadventures are always funny in hindsight as they reveal our naivety as well as kick you in the wallet to help you remember.

Dave said his simple, seemingly easy and safe U turn in North Carolina cost him $150.

One of my stories was how I had a little disagreement with a nice young policemen about just how red the traffic light was ~ and told him I would see him in court.
Well~
He happily obliged and with that, didn't fail to show up. What I didn't know was that the Judge ALWAYS sides with the policeman.
I didn't have a chance.
Cost me the ticket PLUS court cost~ took all morning to do all of this ~

When out to the parking lot and had a ticket on my car~ FOR PARKING IN THE WRONG LOT!
I mailed this one in~
This story has a moral~ Never attempt to fight a ticket.
It's like Wiley Coyote~
we laugh hardest when our dumb little misadventures blow up in our face. Right? (smile)

Easter Morning

Beautiful flowing tree at our door~

And the Easter Bunny at neighbors door for the 2 and 3 yr olds there...

can you see the eggs on the lawn?

The Evening Before Easter

Couldn't resist this photo as I joined the group. which soon tripled in size.

Our cul-de-sac neighbors are our extended family.

We started doing bonfires last Halloween~

a great way to enjoy the coming of seasons.

Later, the darkness brought us closer and more wood went on the fire... the children roasted marshmallows for all of us.

Nothing like lazy fireside chats, food and warm friendship~
Life is so, so good.