Missing the Country

We stayed in town this weekend, the first time in quite a while. So usually on Friday nights I am sitting in front of the fire pit or on the front porch pondering the meaning of life rather than squandering my night away on the internet.

I don't think I've posted this dogwood photo here on the blog. I took it a couple of weekends ago. The dogwoods are all through blooming now, as are the azaleas. They were gorgeous while they lasted.

My uncle built this bird feeder for me a while back. I took the photo of the cardinal through my kitchen window. We have since attached flat boards to the top of several fence posts so we can put food out for the birds. They are all very skiddish. I think eventually they will get used to us being around and I can get in closer to photograph them.

Usually this is what happens when I try to get their picture. They fly away. It's very annoying! It also explains why I am not much of a bird photographer. I don't have the patience to sit and wait for the birds to come flying in and then get accustomed to my presence so I can take their photo.

I did manage to catch this woodpecker at the top of our light pole. My lens is not quite as strong as I'd like it to be to get the bird photos.

Now this guy was as happy as he could be to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to pose for me! I'm not the world's greatest biology student. Someone smarter than me told he was doing this to woo the ladies. I think it worked. I saw him later with a friend.

I love this old cypress tree. It is on land that is near where my grandparents' lived. We would often go down there to look at the creek. I always thought it was the prettiest place. It was part of the scenery when I was writing for my "fake journal project" in April of 2011. I kept most of that project to myself.

In this present moment I find it fascinating that I imagined myself being in the house we have fixed up in the country when in reality it was so badly in need of repair. And now, a year later, the house is livable again and we are really going there nearly every weekend and it has been such a peaceful and healing place for us to be. And I am so grateful.

Here is the same scene in black and white. I don't know which version I like best.

I also planted sunflower seeds this past weekend. I hope they will be pushing up out of the ground when we go back. And my cousin's wife had given me a couple of climbing roses to plant. One of them had three buds on them so maybe they will have opened up and I can finally know what color they are. And maybe the wildflowers that I planted from seed will also be a little taller. Perhaps the honeysuckle that we are training to grow on the hurricane fence gate will be blooming, or at least will have climbed to the top of the gate (we put one of the gates from my grandparents' yard in the middle of our flower bed for the honeysuckle to grow on).

And maybe the huckleberries will be starting to show up! I saw a few green berries last weekend. Hopefully we will have enough for us AND the birds!

Ah, Spring is such a hopeful time of year. Though my phone shows it being 48 degrees outside. That doesn't feel so much like Spring and interferes with my Springish hopes!