This one's for the birds...

(...and Traci)

Things were going along rather smoothly this spring, once the gloom cleared, but then things hit a bit of a...

...which I guess is sort of like a bump, but with more promise? Unless there are other issues, like...

...problematic indeed. Yet my ill-fitting bras and I were set to persevere. We were enjoying our new airbnb guests...

...allow me to introduce the Dynastys...

...they typically waddle the late afternoon away partaking in the bird seed scatterings and not caring much about our interruptions. They just move about five feet further away and lay back down. Am sure they are eagerly awaiting a chunk of this guy to fall...

...my bird feeding enthusiast husband was concerned that this food owl was scaring the birds due to his owl-ness. Obviously some very brave frequent flyers came by and left him looking far more terrfying in my opinion. Speaking of scary things though, the sound of these little friends always startles me.

And then I feel like an idiot because of course it's a little hummingbird and not the largest dragonfly ever. I mean, even if it was a dragonfly, that would actually be pretty cool as well I suppose. I am surprised every time the hummingbirds visit and stop to stare in awe.

I guess it's time. I suppose I've buried the lead far enough in here. Do I need to link to the past or does it just go without saying? What time is it then?

Time to foil unto others as they have foiled my swoop free spring. Oh, I saw a barn swallow the other day. It was not pooping and barely swooping, so I figured - bygones. My husband mentioned he had seen one. I figured as long as he didn't mention it two more times, we'd be ok. At 7:24 this morning though, on my way out for a walk...

...so I turned around to compose myself and when I looked back...

...nope. And certainly not so close to that beautiful hanging basket my aunt just gave me! I still took my walk, and saw an egret land on a neighbor's roof, but was obviously a litle off my game since there is no photographic evidence of that bit of coolness! (I mean he looked so crazy up so high being all tall and stuff.) I decided I was not willing to let project aluminum foil make me late for work, so I just carried on as if nothing had happened...knowing full well it had happened, was happening, and would continue to happen. I actually remembered the lessons I have learned!

And so...

...it was done. The shiny tack-y thing. I received no visitors during the process this year. It was almost disappointing, very lackluster. To mope about celebrate the job done, I grabbed a book and sat down on the porch to read. Then I heard them, all three of them,come swooping onto the porch in a flurry of disoriented complaining wonder! They circled around once and left, making a large arc around the yard before they tried again...

...nope! I will not be tolerating your shenanigans this year you diabolical winged creatures! (But thank you for letting me see you get foiled!)
 

Just in case you do need to revisit some of the history...

Here is the first series from 2010: part one, part two, part three

Here is the 2015 series in which I let them have their way: part one, part two, part three, part four