Each morning I look out, staring into the darkness, checking for movement…expecting, wondering, hoping.
A single question is uppermost in my mind: Is today the day?
I try to not be too discouraged by the empty moments. It is, after all a bit early.
Cold, too—48˚F according to the big thermometer just beyond the breakfast table window. That's getting down there. And the weather oracles are calling for a low of 38˚F tomorrow night, which has to be the—
Wait! What's that? A tiny moving shape among the shadows. Yes! The rubythroats are still here…at least one, though who knows for how long. Tomorrow is the last day of September. The weather has been rainy, windy, and decidedly cool for the past week. Surely the little hummingbird now sipping from the feeder is one of the few lingerers remaining.
The earth turns, time moves on, summer has given way to autumn which is following the endless circular path toward winter, a new year, another spring. So it has been; so it will be. To everything there is a season.
Nevertheless, I am blessed. Today I still have hummingbirds!
———————
12 comments:
There are times the Gods smile upon us, looks like you just enjoyed one of them.
Arija…
True, for sure. There are now TWO hummers zipping around the feeders and flowers—plus I have sunshine!
BTW, good to hear from you.
HI GRIZZ - I love that there is still a hummingbird in view. Ours have ALL gone around the 17th was the last time I saw any. Sure sign of Autumn/Winter, although we are still pulling out of this humidity and warmth - I am so done with Summer weather. Today is rainy and dark, with a tropical humid wind - and should be the last day. I am feeling sorry for myself today - boo hoo, ick.
Love you
Gail
peace.....
Mine left yesterday, but today I do have sunshine!
Gail…
It's pretty nice here today—warm but not too warm, sunny, a little breeze. Still plenty of flowers in bloom. Lots of birds around the feeders, but only a couple of hummingbirds; I expect another day or two at most and they'll be gone.
I just had lunch (chili and slice of cranberry/banana bread) and Moon and I took a brief amble around the yard. The river is up a few inches yet, and murky, but sparkling and noisy, as happy about the afternoon as I am.
Be good, take care, follow your heart…
Jim
Wanda…
Sunshine here, too; a lovely fall afternoon. Only a couple of hummers remain, working the feeders and canna lilies—and they won't possibly stay around more than a few more days, if that.
And we still have swallow and house martins here in the UK Grizz. Our weather is so blissful at the moment that I don't think they are in any hurry to go - just honing their flying skills before the great trek to Africa.
Weaver…
Local fields, blazing yellow with goldenrods, still have monarch butterflies fluttering their way toward Mexico. And the turkey vultures are hanging around, though they're roosting a bit downstream from the cottage this year; they probably won't leave for at least another month. Autumn's change, however, is underway, and I'm starting to see lots more woodpeckers at the feeders.
I took my feeder down about a week ago (cuz it was attracting more bugs than birds) in hopes that the hummers had flown south. Alas, the next day I saw one buzz by. I hope I was not depriving it needed nector for its journey... Haven't seen one since, although I haven't been looking. (I want to avoid the guilt of taking the feeder down too soon.) I hope yours get south safely!!!!
On a another note, yesterday I watched, with my very own two eyes, for the first time ever, a monarch caterpillar shed it's skin in favor of a chrysalis. Until then, I could not conceive how this transformation happened, but now I know. Amazing. Nature is just so fantastically amazing.... I now await the butterfly....
Giggles…
Nothing like figuring out ways to avoid our own self-induced guilt. So you're the one to blame for all those stacks of tiny rubythroat bodies piling up along the Eastern Seaboard?
Okay, I'll let you off the hook…
But only because you took the time to watch a monarch caterpillar become a chrysalis. "Fantastically amazing" is about my take on such a transformation, too. In fact, the whole butterfly cycle is just a series of miracles. Mankind has not even come close to creating anything so wonderfully awesome.
Agreed. Another stunning photo, btw....
Thanks for letting me off the hook. The magical thinking gets me in trouble often....
;-)
Giggles…
Yeah, too much magical thinking can either land us on CNN as heros or else have beefy guys in pinstripe suites stalking us in the WalMart lot. There's a fine line there you gotta hit…
BTW, it gray, rainy, and 51˚F here this morning…but I still have at least one hummer at the feeder. Today is NOT the day.
Post a Comment