The butterflies are arriving. This is a painted lady, who tend to show up here about this time of year during their migration process. Add this to the menagerie that is developing around here.

I had a woodpecker on my chimney the other day-tap tap tapping on the tin cover-it sounded like a machine gun-I think he had OCD, because he couldn’t stop! The other night I went outside to take pictures of the full moon. A rustling in the trees made me think it could be bats, and sent me rushing back into the house, startled. Not to mention the spider in the downstairs sink where I wash out my paint brushes!

The robins have begun dive bombing the cats, who are intensely watching the nest. The robin, when startled, hops out of the nest, does a little dance on the railing of the deck, and his head feathers stand on end, while he takes great pains to stand his ground.

When threatened in the nest, the female sits with it’s beak open. Amazing how the parents take turns sitting. They are ever so quiet at night. Not sure how many eggs are in there, but there seems to be one small one who has just learned to fly. I want to peek, but that may cause distress. Robins in the yard is no longer a rarity, now they are just part of the family.

I didn’t make it to Fish Creek Park this weekend to paint. Instead, I took my portable easel out onto the deck, and stayed close to home. Rain was threatening, but never came, however the wind did not disappoint. So I was pleased to be working on this new landscape, close to the comforts of home. Working from a photograph, this one is acrylic on canvas, 20 X 24.

It was such a lazy weekend-enormous effort was required for the smallest of tasks, but I puttered away and got a few things done. My neighbor graciously dug up a couple of her ferns, for me to plant under the pines, where nothing else seems to grow. As well, I was the recipient of two shoots from her mature poppies, the huge crepe paper kind, which take a long time to get to that stage.

The peonies I planted last August are coming up, as are the other perennials. Once growth begins it picks up momentum. Hoping this is true for all life forms including the human variety.

I am seeing positive signs everywhere of new beginnings, expansion, and abundance, yet how it is all going to go down is the puzzling part.

Apparently, the orchestration, and the how of it all is not my part to play. I just need to clean and clear to make room. And some days, the resistance to doing that is enough to cause inertia. However, baby steps will do fine, until I can travel in leaps and bounds.