The Bluebirds are Back Again!

 Guess who showed up this morning?  The Bluebirds are back!!!!  The last time I mentioned the bluebirds was here, on April 20th., when I discovered that the nest was empty and the baby bluebirds had fledged and left the nest while I wasn't looking!  So that is exactly 3 weeks ago...and now early this morning Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird showed up again, checking out both birdhouses, going back and forth and inside and out, one bird guarding from outside on top of the pole while the other went inside to check it out.  This has been going on all morning long, and this afternoon, now around 2:30 pm, they are still going back and forth.  

Thankfully I had cleaned out the old nests so that both birdhouses are clean and ready for action. There was a small nest in the other birdhouse that the chickadees had started in the spring, but they never did stay or lay any eggs. So that had to be removed as well.

Of course, I am elated to think that we will get to watch them again, building their nest, sitting on the eggs, feeding the babies, and maybe even this time we will get to see the babies leave the nest!

I promise to not bore you with too many details, but then again...I think some of you actually enjoy watching them with me, so for those of you who are rather "ho-hum" about bird life, you may just have to skip over the details if it gets too hum-drum.

I don't know about you, but I find being a witness to God's beautiful creation in nature a joy and a thrill! After all, I believe God created the "wild kingdom" for us to enjoy, so why not make the most of it?

Reminds me of 

Psalm 84

1. "How lovely is Your tabernacle, 

O LORD of Hosts!

2. My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD;

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

3.  For even the sparrow has found a home,

And the swallow a nest for herself,

Where she may lay her young--

Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,

My King and my God.

4.  Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;

They will still be praising You."

11.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

12.  O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!"

It was funny to see the Sand Hill Crane family kind of slink on by this morning, not wanting to get in the way of Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird as they were doing their house hunting.

(this is the view looking out our sliding doors to the back porch and to Still Waters Pond beyond)

Even Colt seemed to be ducking his head as he sauntered past the Bluebird house. Maybe they remember how Mama and Papa Bluebird would dive bomb anyone passing nearby while their previous clutch of baby birds was in the nest.  

Even Mrs. Cardinal appears to be ducking her head as she swooped down to get some breakfast from the bird feeder.

She snatched a few quick seeds and was out of there quick.

And now even our proposed site for the wildflower/butterfly garden might have to wait since the bluebirds might not like us working so close to their house. Maybe we can sneak it in while they aren't looking. I was hoping maybe tomorrow morning to pick up a few more plants at the flea market and do some work here...so we shall see what develops.

So that is our exciting news for today!

Meanwhile, what else is new?

Let's see, I got a haircut this morning, but no selfies to show you. I like to let it "adjust" for a few days before I show it off to anyone.  New haircuts are always just, well, too new... 

but here's a picture that I took of myself a few days ago for the Kentucky Derby. If you are a Facebook friend you've probably already seen this, but for the rest of you I just thought you'd get a kick out of it. We didn't even watch the Derby. Couldn't find it on the tv fast enough when someone mentioned it to me on Facebook and asked if I was wearing my Derby hat!  It's a silly thing I like to do every year...put on a hat and watch the race. I never bet on any horse...have no clue about the race. I just love the excitement of the ladies wearing pretty hats for a horse race.

So there you have my last minute grab a hat and take a picture of it for the Kentucky Derby that I didn't even watch! LOL.

Oh, here's another picture you might get a kick out of.  Someone sent me this picture from our Ladies' May Fellowship last week. Now you can see me in my flouncy flowered skirt that I told you about HERE. Actually I love this picture because it shows me standing next to my sweet Daughter in Love Rose, along with two other lovely ladies who attended our gathering. This was our table and we had such a wonderful time visiting and doing what women do best...just enjoying being together and sharing the love of Christ with one another. That's what really matters...not what we wear or eat or anything material...just sharing God's love and encouraging one another.

I Peter 3:3-4 describes it best:

"3.  Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4.  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God"

That's the image I pray God will help me portray most of all...that "incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.."  and oh! to be "very precious in the sight of God!"  What could be better than that?

I know I have a long way to go in the "gentle and quiet spirit" department.  I've never been labeled quite that way as far as I know...especially not the "quiet" part. LOL. Just ask anyone who grew up with me.

I like to think I've improved over the years in that regard, but I've noticed that it's usually my section of the table at our ladies' meetings or Bible Studies that often gets the "look" when it's time to be quiet and pray or get on with the meeting... you know that look..."ahem...ladies...we're praying here, or excuse me ladies, but we're trying to have a meeting here..." LOL.  Yeah, it's still something that could use some improvement. But I like to think that God still finds us precious in His sight...after all, He's the One who created us! 

Okay, I guess it's time to wrap this one up for another day. Tomorrow is Friday, and as of right now I don't have any new photos to share...but as you can see by the activities of this morning...one never knows what might appear here on Still Waters Pond at any time.

So stay tuned, and have a blessed Thursday.