With apologies to my northern friends, yesterday was a fabulous day on Pollywog Creek. Though it will take time for our tropical flora to recover from recent frosts and freezes, harbingers of spring filled the air and the fauna on display was more than delightful.
The warm fresh air and sunshine was the perfect remedy for my back -- which has kept me off my feet and nearly immobile since Sunday. I spent hours outside on the swing -- with books, and coffee, and music, and a nap.
And my camera - which was a very good thing. I'm sure that I must have stopped breathing when I caught a glimpse of a green painted bunting (my first ever) - then two of them together - on one of the feeders. Even with contacts, my distance vision is awful, so you can imagine my thrill when I downloaded photos and discovered that the male painted bunting was also at a feeder with one of the two green ones.
Before the afternoon was over, the painted buntings made several visits to the feeders. At one moment in time, both the male and female cardinals, a mockingbird, a loggerhead shrike, dozens of goldfinches and the painted buntings were all in my backyard -- and at least three different fox squirrels climbed the fence to feast on the leftover seed on the ground under the feeders.
What good gifts God brings to me every day. I'm still moving slowly -- nursing this sore back of mine -- so I've given myself permission to spend yet another day leisurely basking in the gifts of today.
