Does anybody have a recipe for a good robin's egg omelet?

We were going to go boating yesterday.....but after loading up all the stuff for our maiden voyage of the season, we discovered this:

Aaarrrggghhh! What to do?!

I can tell you one thing we didn't do--and that was to go boating!

We are tender hearted animal lovers on the horns of a dilemma. One of our friends told us to "make a 3 egg omelet and go boating!" My brother says it's a no-win situation for them--they'll fly out of the nest and fall into the water and drown. Oh dear....

Meanwhile, the flowers in the back yard are simply stunning. The tropics have nothing over the Midwest on a fine June day--so lush are the greens & so fragrant is the air. There's something very satisfying about picking a bouquet this time of year. This is our dining room table this afternoon:

I was looking through some quotes to find something about flowers....in light of recent events, this one was just too good to pass up....

You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft; a certain free-margin, and even vagueness - ignorance, credulity - helps your enjoyment of these things.

---Walt Whitman

We Must Cultivate Our Garden

Ah, everything is so green and beautiful in the backyard--the triumph of spring indeed!  For instance, take a look at what our dormant fish pond looked like on a glum day in March....O, such a depressing site!  It all seemed a bit hopeless at this point...                                                                                                              

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

                            --Percy Bysshe Shelley

A vast improvement wouldn't you say? Now the fish just have to migrate from the aquarium and a few more annuals have to be added; then all will be as it should!

We've spent a lot of time out here the past few days--much has to be done before gnats and no-see-ums arrive to make us irritable. Hostas have been split and shifted, Coral Bells with deep bronze-colored leaves have been added, and Sedum has  been transplanted hither and yon (locating them all for watering is something of a memory game). A myriad of different Coleus plants await their fate. Who knew there were so many different colors?--this is but a fraction of what was available!: 

While doing all this, we were repeatedly serenaded by some very melodic Baltimore Orioles, of which we seem to have many this year.  We often joke that Orioles sound like they're desperately searching for a tune--they pipe out a series of sweet, clear notes & trills, but it never quite forms a melody. We must have a very precocious flock this year, as I swear they are singing the first six notes of The Mexican Hat Dance.  (Go ahead, run that through your mind--but I warn you, it's an earworm.)  I know Orioles go south for the winter...I'm convinced this group goes South of the Border! Ole!

And on that happy note.....I shall literally & figuratively go cultivate my garden...in a Voltaire-ian sort of way.

And speaking of gardens...

We are back home again to our own garden, which greened up nicely in our absence--including our burned off hillside (see previous post in April). Most of the daffodils & jonquils are spent, as is the magnolia.  (It was kind enough to leave just 2 blossoms so we could get a glimpse of its recent grandeur.)  Bleeding Hearts are bursting, tulips have sprung, red buds are just beginning to pop, and the hostas may unfurl their leaves in an hour or two.

Bird life has returned in abundance; already 4 male Orioles are fighting over the nectar and I lost count after 18 Goldfinches on the feeder.  Every year I note when the birds return and write it down in a gardening journal (yes, I know--but remember, we have to make our own fun out here in the sticks!). It's amazing how often their return engagement is within 24 hours of last year's anniversary.  I would think that weather would be an obstacle for them at times, but the power of daylight seems to override that, thus ensuring their timely presence at our backyard feeders.  Last year on this date, the following birds already visited our backyard:  

 

Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Nuthatch (2 kinds), Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Starling, House Finch, Goldfinch, Robin, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, House Wren, Carolina Wren, Hummingbird, Catbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Bluebird, Northern Flicker, Hermit Thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Grackle, and White-Crowned Sparrow.

 

Phew!  They're all here again...except for the elusive Indigo Bunting.  It's just a matter of time....

I'll end today with a favorite quote, from Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything:

Life will be.

 

And that reminds me of an Australian slogan that was popular when I lived there many years ago:

Life. Be in it.

I better just go do that! Bye!