`Spring is here....

Just last week they were very tiny.....

I've resumed the feeding of the birds....but at a distance.    We still hear the occasional 'thump' against a window but no visible signs of injury or death to depress me.   This house finch is typical altho I did see a bullock oriole at the orange/jelly feeder..... will try for pictures.   

And the hummingbirds arrived on schedule.    We have both blackchinned and broadtail.   

When we go to CT, I love the wander in the forest.   I have read several books on trees, lichens and fungus and their important role.    And, I have sketched them.    And then, a box arrived and this was inside !!    Jon remembered and shared some recent finds....always love the turkey tail.    They will last (with some loss of color) for as long as I want them as models.    I attended a Zoom talk by an artist who concentrates on painting lichens..... her preparation and complex approach to capturing the detail was truly amazing....I'm content to admire my sketches.   

An evening sky......

And then we went to Front Range to celebrate Lizzie's big achievement.    We had wonderful family times with a big gathering of grands and great grands..... 

 And so we are home for a couple weeks before we fly East to celebrate Mason.     The neighborhood is busy with construction on every empty lot it seems,  including across the street.   And soon new neighbors will build next door.   I keep up on my morning walks.   

Golf is going well.   I indulged  in some shopping when we were in the land of stores this weekend.    I'm between sizes so finding  golf clothes was time consuming.    And, I'm buying more long sleeves to protect from this searing sun.  

One of my favorite books is "Cutting for Stone".    The author came out with a new one last week, "Covenant of Water".....so far it's very good and I'm actually reading it instead of listening to it.   And almost done listening to John Irving's "The Last Chairlift".    It's strange, as are all of his and I'm not sure I would recommend it unless you are a fan of his style... plus it's very long.