Spring Chickens

Everyone seems to be talking about spring but we still have four feet of snow on the ground and icicles hanging over all the windows.

While I wait for my crocus to bloom I've been knitting little chicks, blue birds and cardinals. They bring me a touch of spring.
A lovely woman in upstate New York bought four of the cardinals and shared a wonderful story.
She has had a pair of cardinals living in her yard for two years. The female has a broken beak so the male cracks open the seeds in the bird feeder and feeds her. That is my idea of a great marriage!

Lilacs

Lilacs are the state flower of New Hampshire. I grew up in Southern Connecticut where lilacs bloom in April but here they don't bloom til the second week of May. They are welcome at any time; it is impossible to imagine a New England spring without the scent of these beauties.
I like the newer hybrids with their huge blossoms and rich colors but for aroma I don't think the old fashioned lilac species can be beat. Old lilac trees can be huge and unless they are pruned you can end up with blooms across the top that can only be enjoyed from a second story bedroom. But an old gnarled lilac bush is a lovely site even without bloom.
Be careful if you do prune because the blooms are formed on old wood, if you prune too much there will be no flowers in the spring.

Find of the Day:

Landing in Flowers is a ttv (through the viewfinder) photograph by Barbara Carter from her bird series. It has a beautiful subdued painterly quality, tranquil, elegant. Ttv photography is difficult with stationary objects, amazing with this living creature.

Visit Barbara Carter's Etsy shop to see all of her bird images.