How you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have. – Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler, American Children’s author (1970-)

How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental focus of nature. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer & Physician (1859-1930)

Wilhelmina and I had stepped out onto the porch and into the cool of the morning. The fisherman had left hours earlier before dawn. The only sound was the singing of starlings settling in the treetops. It could be starlings returning from cooler habitats north of us. We seem to get a glimpse of their relocation habits each spring and fall; always coming and going. From the distance of the porch to the treetops the birds look black but to see a picture of one up close they are multi-colored with purple, blue, and teal feathers. Though they are loud and plentiful it’s lovely to see them on their migration journey. Within the hour they were gone.

The day before we were blessed with a long, gentle, and pleasant rain, a rain that was so welcomed. There was no need for watering as the cracks in the ground and the flowerpots and baskets were refreshed. Wilhelmina is not as fond of the rain as the plants are. She tipped around and checked out her surroundings before she beckoned to go inside. She curled up on the loveseat and took a nap. Even though she is kept indoors at night I think she’s a night owl.

I suspect the hummingbirds have moved on from the cooler temperatures. Last week I took in three of the five hummingbird feeders; washed and put them away. I refreshed two feeders and saw a couple of hummingbirds taking a drink. I would imagine those might be passing through as well. I’ll leave them up a little longer as it’s suggested the feeders remain outside for two weeks after seeing the last hummingbird should there be a strangler or two.

There were some hummingbird houses for sale on the internet. I fell for them. They are about three inches long, carved in a beautiful wood with a scroll design and a tiny opening. We purchased six of them and hung them along the porch. Afterwards we googled hummingbird houses and found hummingbirds like to build their own houses. Even so we left them out to look at and enjoy. They turned out later to be somewhat useful though not as we had planned. We also have several orb spider webs along the porch as well. We coexist amicably as we don’t bother them and they don’t bother us. Their webs are clinging from the outermost edge of the porch ceiling so you couldn’t possibly walk into the web. The spiders are also shy so if you walk by, they will hustle up the web. On that cool morning Wilhelmina and I were enjoying, I passed by the spider in his web and watched him shimmy across the web and into the hummingbird house which I suppose is now like his people shelter.

Speaking of spiders, we have a funnel weaver spider in a rock pile near the driveway. This fellow has a highly toxic venom so we don’t ever hang out with him. They are also called “Hobo” spiders. Perhaps he’ll see the need to pack his back and move along.    

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].

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