A Story- "The Page Turned" - April Posey , Chickadee at Feeder

The Page Turned

The story had been moving along in a fairly mundane manner. Minor difficult disturbances and small pleasant surprises dotted the pages.  The overall curve of the plot proceeded along predictably, and glimpses of foreshadowing hinted at the probable denouement. 

But life can be special. You meet your soulmate in the most unlikely place.  You suddenly have a wonderful job opportunity that you never imagined you could get. You travel to a place that you always dreamed of visiting.

Yesterday does not predict tomorrow.  In the blink of an eye, the page turned for me and new excitement and life came streaming in. A new home full of family.

 

Some sweet April flowers.

In order to enjoy the frilly snowdrops, primulas and blue scillas, I put them in a glass bowl.

The small winter birds are still coming to the feeder although they aren't eating as much.  This feeder is squirrel-proof. The pegs that the birds sit on are spring loaded and will close access to the seed if a squirrel gets on it. Sometimes the squirrels try to stretch from the top down but the tube is just a bit too long and they end up falling to the ground.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, they go back to picking up the dropped seed on the ground. 

We will only feed the birds for another week. Feeding them in the summer is unnecessary and can attract mice and other undesirables.  In fact, a raccoon has been coming the last few nights and taking the lid off the metal garbage can that stores the seeds. We have tried tying the lid on with bungee cords but that doesn't stop the raccoon one bit. Surprisingly, he (she) doesn't spill all the seed on the ground - quite tidy about snacking on the seeds.

A Story - "One Way to Get Paid for a Painting" and Snowdrops, Gerbera Daisy, and Vegetables for My Eyes

A Story

One Way to Get Paid for a Painting

Humming a cheery tune, Rebecca sauntered over to her photography studio that was tucked into her backyard. The sun had finally chased away the rainy weather and she couldn't wait to get going on her latest project.

But when she got to the door, she realized that something was very wrong.  The door wasn't fully closed. Apprehensively, she listened with prickling ears and when she didn't hear anything, she gingerly nudged the door open. No one was there, but someone had definitely been there. Several pieces of expensive equipment were gone. Her fear transformed to anger and frustration.  Gritting her teeth, she took out her phone to call the police and the insurance company.

As she spoke to her insurance agent listing what items had been taken, she glanced around the studio, and suddenly she smiled and gave a little giggle.

The thief had stolen her acrylic landscape painting that she had never been able to sell at any of her shows.

She wished the thief luck trying to sell it on. 

After a long dull winter, there is nothing sweeter than seeing the little snowdrops.  This little patch was under a few inches of snow one day, the next day after some warmth, they were uncovered, already blooming.  Amazing. Snowdrops are very hardy and will slowly spread.  So far nothing has been eating them unlike the crocuses that chipmunks like. This patch is a double variety which you can't really see unless you tip the bloom up. 

Another gerbera daisy bloomed. This is the third one out of the six that I have been over wintering in the basement that sent up a flower shoot. All six plants have survived.  I kept them barely moist.  They look scraggly right now but they will perk right up when it's warm enough to put them outside.

Because macular degeneration runs in my family, I am making a more concerted effort to eat food every day that contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients that are suppose to help keep the macula healthy. In general, dark leafy greens, orange and yellow vegetables and fruits contain lutein and zeaxanthin.  So in my garden I will include beets (for the tops that I eat as greens), lettuce, peppers (Just Sweet in the photo), squash (butternut,  yellow and green zucchinis), cucumbers, broccoli, and hopefully cantaloupe.   Other vegetables that are good but that I can't grow in my garden are corn and sweet potatoes.