It’s spring here for a minute and that means so many things. What trees are left here have tried to bloom. The Arbor Vita I had hope to get trimmed has some new guests, so the trim is on hold until my guests are fully checked out of their suite. I hope they are finding their accommodations adequate. Then I can get on with the pressure washing of gutters and other outdoor chores.
This is also the time of year we are all working on our own nests. I’m shuffling around and cleaning out. Washing windows and curtains so looking outside is clearer. I have been spending a lot of time watching the tree trimmers doing triage on our broken jungle here.
The clean up truck checking every home here.
They are getting the widow makers and anything that can cause damage first before coming to take away the piles of debris. I’m hoping the birds I see in those piles are only getting material and not building nests in there. I worry for their safety.
Sizing up the job
Can you see him working his way to the dangerous limb?
This is the time of year for a breath of fresh air, to fluff the Chi and take stock of what’s possible. We had a beautiful sunny day on Saturday. A trip to the local Farmer’s Market was so refreshing for far too many people. We shopped quickly and left.
flowers from Farmers Market
I showed my daughter, who has lived here more years than I, a new way to get to a favorite bakery for a takeout sandwich and dessert. We laughed a lot and enjoyed the long absent sunshine. There were babies to see in the line and puppies as well. Nothing could be better. Everyone seemed to feel a sense of hope and joy. I’m hoping to see new baby Blue Jays. I won’t peek.
Hyacinth working to make spring
Are you doing any nesting or seeing new life around you?
“God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.” ~ Josiah Gilbert Holland
From my heart to yours,
Marlene Herself
insearchofitall 
Comments on: "Nests" (54)
I love it when we get Blue Jays nesting nearby. But the cat has to be careful outside until the babies leave.
Birds are a lot of fun to watch. There was a study recently that concluded that birds give as much pleasure to people as money. Amazing. And all they want are some nesting materials, some food, and privacy.
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I’ve been supplying a few peanuts but maybe not the privacy they would like. I’ve never seen them in the Arbor Vita before so I’m surprised to see them this year. But of course we have lost 1300 trees here , at least. I do feel very peaceful watching them. I hope the cats don’t kill them. There are many who leave their cats outside here. I don’t have one. Thanks for stopping by.
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1,300 trees are so many to lose!
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That’s just the trees in this 500 home park. I’m sure the loss is even more significant in the surrounding communities. It’s like a tornado went through and took out a several mile swath.
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So difficult to see that.
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Isn’t that interesting about the findings of the study, Lou! Birds give me more pleasure than money for sure. Money is needed to buy the necessities of life, but that’s as far as it goes.
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As your season moves to spring – mine on the other side of the world moves autumn(fall) – today I’ve been trying to fathom out the wordy instructions for my new heat pump, which I don’t need quite yet. But I’ve put on the dehumidifier because it’s raining (badly) which means it’s a bit humid and that means molds!
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I don’t have a dehumidifier on my heat pump It’s hard to manage the mold here too. We have very wet winters here. I hate summer so I always look forward to fall. Thanks for stopping by.
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SPRING HAS CONE! YAYAY!!!!
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The flower arrangement is gorgeous, Marlene. We’ve had great bird action lately with doves, cardinals, blue jays, titmice, chickadees, pineskins, but we’re still waiting on the hummingbirds. I’m happy you showed your daughter a new way to get to your favorite bakery. It sounds like it was a nice outing. Take care! xo
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My daughter was tickled to avoid the highway that has been backed up for weeks as they take down at risk trees. You can’t even imagine. I see it and still can’t grasp it. We haven’t been to the bakery in a year so it was a great treat. I hear the humming birds but have not seen them yet. Soon, I hope. The robins are everywhere. We don’t get Cardinals and I don’t know many of the other’s because they are so fast and I can’t see them. Looking forward to your new book. Thanks for the visit.
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If I receive some large print copies from my publisher, I’ll be sure and mail one to you. xo
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Thanks so much, Jill.
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Oh, do keep us informed on the Blue Jay family’s progress!
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I’ll let you know if I actually see any little babies. There are so many Blue Jays around here and many are looking for homes. Thanks for the visit.
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Nice update on your status, Marlene. The birds are so active now on the east side of the country, as well. I’ve noticed the nasty mockingbirds have returned. They were fun to watch last year but they seemed a bit aggressive by summer’s end. Take care.
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Thanks for stopping by, Steve. Jays are not my favorite bird but I can see them and they are in a family way so I’ll be a silent witness. The fact that we have lost so many trees is what’s bringing them in my field of vision. A nice distraction in quarantine.
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No spring for us yet in the Granite State. We’re still drying out from mud season. I have the desire to clean and nest, but I lack the energy at the moment. My husband keeps the downstairs tidy, but the upstairs is an awful muddle with my stuff.
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Don’t push yourself until the mood strikes. It will be wasted energy until you are ready. It took me forever to get to it. More to go, as usual. We get a minute of spring, back to freezing and then 70 degrees in one week. You got hit very hard too in a different way. Weather has been the news this year. I’m happy ours isn’t as bad as so much of the country. Thanks for visiting.
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Thank you for the sound advice, Marlene. I shall heed it!
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I have both the true blue jay with the gray and lighter blue and the Stellar’s jay like you have visiting throughout the summer. How lucky to have a nest so close, and much more interesting than my Starlings I think! Your little community seems to do a great job in taking care of everyone, especially when safety is a concern. It takes calling and complaining to get my landlords here, for anything.
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The insurance is taking care of much of this. I understand it’s about $300,000 in damage. Other than the common areas, they take care of nothing and if we don’t, they can evict. Home inspections start April 1 this year which is way too soon. It’s not dry enough to do any work outside yet. Like paint and pressure wash the mold off. Maybe my daughter can see the nest when the wind dies down a bit and get a photo. Hang in there with the landlord. Frequent calls may be called for to get the job done. But I know you’ve done that already.
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I’m glad you were able to share the video. Those jays are huge.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around that number of damaged trees. That is a sad state of things. I suppose the brighter side is that the trees were damaged BEFORE nesting started. I’m glad you are seeing signs of spring, Marlene. xo
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It’s hard to see so many damaged trees but they were fragile already. We don’t take proper care of them. Now I’m really concerned about the hot dry summers we’ve been having. But a little spring goes a long way these days. 😉 Hugs and love to you. My sister showed up late afternoon. I have no idea what’s next.
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You’re right to be worried about the hot, dry summer ahead. Dead trees provide fuel. Missing trees can no longer provide shade. What a mess our poor planet is in.
As for your sis, you deserve sainthood.
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You make me laugh.
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Yikes! Marlene, that is a lot of work for the tree fellas to sort out! I’m glad your feathered friends are returning in force. I love your joint theme of their nest-making to the one carried out by us humans! Springtime is where one feels truly alive again and the urge to sort, organise comes upon us with a vengeance. After three months of building work etc it is now a reassuring comfort to settle back to normal housework and cleaning, the dining room curtains going in the wash today as the sun is out! Oh, it feels unreal to read about your farmer’s market etc – everything apart from essential shops closed in the UK – it will be amazing to go out ‘pottering’ in town once again when possible. A lovely post and such beautiful flowers you’ve shared with us! Take care, my friend! xx
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It seems that all shops are deemed essential here. 😉 Everyone wore a mask but it’s hard to stay far apart in a limited area with many people. Thanks for appreciating how the theme carries to everything this time of year. My nest is getting a fresh look too. Window washing to see the world more clearly is always a good place to start. We get so few sunny days that they are cherished. I’m sure you are feeling much the same way. Maybe soon this will all be behind us and we can go our merry ways again and travel. Lets hope there are shops to go to when it’s all said and done. Thanks for visiting. XX
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Good morning Marlene! It does seem like hope and joy are in the spring air. We spent a good part of Saturday working in our yard. It felt good to have the sunshine on our backs. Take care, my friend, and happy Springtime!
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Thanks for the visit, Missy. I’m sure the sun felt wonderful in the yard. I’ve had my share of time out there cutting up tree limbs. Yay for Spring!
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If reorganising the entire household, cleaning everything in sight and giving loads of stuff to charity is called nesting, then YES, I am nesting. In fact, I have nested so much today that I’m probably going to be in bed by 6pm. My nest for the night!
Fluffing your chi – cracked me up. Thank you for that.
Take care xxx
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My daughter has always called it Fluffing your Chi. 🙂 The more you move the more good can move in. It’s a Feng Shui basic. We both studied for several years and it does make a difference contrary to stodgy schools of thought. I’m glad you nest will be ready for you at 6 p.m. Don’t you feel so good when it’s all done though?? 🙂 Thanks for the visit.
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I love that quote–and your description of spring by you! So evocative and reminds me of my springs in Michigan. Nothing like a bird’s nest to signify hope. At one time I wanted to put a nest as cover image on the memoir I never finished! We mainly get hummingbird and mourning dove nests around here. I wonder where the other birds build their nests?! My son and DIL have a hummingbird nest with two babies on their balcony right now. I hope they get to see the babies take off, but we will see! Happy Spring, Marlene!
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Thanks for the visit and your kind words, Luanne. I hope I get to see baby Blue Jays but the parents have them well hidden. Most of our humming birds nest in the tall pines. Finish that memoir. I’ve got to get mine going too. Hope you are doing better.
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I’m glad the birds hide their babies well. The harder for the predators to get to them! xo
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Such an important time of the year!
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Agreed! Lots of decisions to be made. Thanks for stopping by.
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How joyful and lovely when spring finally arrives! I so enjoyed your post with all the hustle and bustle of birds and tree work and seeing babies when you’re out and about. Spring is not far behind up here. Best to you, Marlene.
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Thanks for stopping by, Jennie. We get spring so much ahead of many in the country. I feel for those still struggling with hard winter weather. I’m just darn lucky to be here. This is the time of year when the work load increases for me because outside always needs more work. I’m looking to hire some help though. Maybe for the inside part. 😉 I hope spring pops in to see you soon. Sending lots of hugs.
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Always a pleasure to visit you, Marlene. We have to hire for some of our jobs, too. Spring will be here soon. This weekend we put the snowblower away. Hooray! Hugs to you, my friend! 🥰
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Ah, “nesting” in so many ways. That’s a LOT of work to clean up the tree debris. And birds are still needing to find material for their nests, and to not nest in a tree destined to be cut down. ACK. I found a neat thing at our local wild bird store. A ball of white string all rolled up (into a ball, of course). I placed it on a tall shrub in the side yard, and birds pull a string at a time to help build their nests. Pretty cool. Your flowers are lovely. Hyacinth – one of my favorites. But it will be a month before we see them here. 28 this morning. But. Still. Daffs are blooming!!! xo
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The Daffs always come up first, even in the snow!! First sign that winter is almost over. I love the smell of Hyacinth. More keep popping up every day. 😉 The birds have been finding plenty of nesting material in my gutters. They are on the list to clean out too but I’ll wait awhile before closing out the birds home depot. 🙂 I filled 2 green waste bins this afternoon. My neighbor loaned me hers. I’ll fill them again next week unless it rains all week. My own nest needs attention too. ;( Been thinking about you all day.
I forgot to send this yesterday!! I’m really slipping here
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Great to see things getting cleaned up in your community. Preventative maintenance is a must you don’t have something fall onto your house. I’m no out much, except to hobble to the car to get to physio, then home again. The snow has just melted though and I’m hoping to hire someone to do the yard clean up. Our spring might be 3 to 4 weeks away. Hopefully we’ll start to see some green. Happy Spring lovely xK
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Happy Spring to you as well, Kelly. Sorry to hear you are still hobbling. PT is good to get you moving easier again. I miss reading your posts so much but do understand how life takes more time than we have so often. Struggling with that myself. Summer means I have work to do in more areas in the same space of time.
If I owned my land, trees would be cared for but since it’s owned by someone else, I just hope nothing comes down on me. You get such hard winters and I’m grateful that ours are so mild. As soon as the rain stops here, I will be outside doing so much of the cleaning of the outside of the house. They start inspections this month. I hate that too. If the market was better, I’d sell right now. Keep getting better and take care of yourself. Hugs and love. M
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Good to see those birds Marlene, and yes I hope too they were not nesting in the debris… So much clearing to do..
And Spring must be in the air both sides of the Pond.. I too mid week had a great spring clean.. Washing everything in sight.. All my covers and doilies, along with curtains etc…
I am enjoying watching the blackbirds nest here.. and sparrows…. They are busy gathering nesting material…
They have been given a taste of warmth and now temps set to plummet and snow on the cards again.. Tee-shirt one day overcoat the next.. no Rhyme or reason…
Hope all is well with you Marlene.. sent a note back the other day…. And Hope you are having a peaceful Happy Easter.. ❤
Much love your way my friend…. ❤
Sue ❤
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Thanks for stopping by, Sue. I have your note and hopefully will gt to the answering during this week. Weekends are quite difficult to get to such things done. Our weather goes back and forth too.. It’s natures way of getting us ready for the hot summer. We never really get a good balance but I’ll take cool over hot any day. Very cloudy today and not too cold or hot. Perfect for Easter. We haven’t celebrated in years. I’ll get a note off soon. Hugs.
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No worries in your own time Marlene…. My emails sometimes go into Junk… lol… Maybe the topics I speak of hit a server nerve lol… 😉
We had snow falling this morning… Wild crazy up and down weather… Thankfully tender plants and seedlings under a fleece blanket in greenhouse… As there is no heat on in there..
Sending LOVE and enjoy your week… ❤
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How kind of you to look out for your new guests in the tree!
We are still only at the blooming snowdrops stage of spring, but I keep looking for crocuses as they have a way of popping up and blooming. Daffodils have budded up. Rabbits are eating the poppy leaves. My favourite sight is the stream behind our house – wide and clear, it’s such a pretty sight when the sun hits its surface. Soon, the elderberries and dogwoods will leaf out and obscure the sight of it, so I’m relishing every chance to see it now.
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Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia. You have cold for so much longer than we do. Daffodils and Hyacinth are already bloomed and gone. The first signs of spring. I’ve not noticed any recent activity in the nest outside but the activity inside is increasing. I pruned my dogwood last fall and so glad I did as many here lost theirs in the ice storm. The larger more mature trees were hardest hit. You have an especially lovely garden area. Enjoy every minute possible.
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Yikes! You remind me that I really should get a grip on spring cleaning this year! I haven’t done any of that yet, and really don’t know why – lazy I suppose! Hehe! Anyway, I have been busy planting a few spring flowers on the window sills and sow a few herb seeds, so that’s my way to welcome spring here. It’s still quite cold though and I still have to wear my winter coat – brrr! Also going to cook a stew this weekend instead of enjoying some spring potatoes and asparagus because it’s just too cold for this kind of food right now. Love your little video of the bird, lots of nesting around here too. 🙂 Take care!
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When spring fever hits you on a warm, sunny day, you will begin fluffing your Chi. Until then, it’s futile to force it. Never works well that way. Just wait. It’s not lazy, just marshaling your energy in a way that it’s most useful. I don’t like to do certain things when it’s gray and cold either. Like today. 🙂 Stew sounds so very good. That was my first ever video. Glad you liked it. Stay happy, Sarah. That’s all that matters.
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Okay, I’ll marshal my energy in eating cookies and reading books then. 😉 Stay happy too, Marlene!
P.S. Just out of curiosity because I used my laptop to write them this time and not my phone from which I’ve deleted the WordPress app for the moment – did you get my messages regarding your other blog posts as well?
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It looks like they came and trimmed in your back yard too, is that what I see there with the workers in the tree? I’m so glad your property got inspected for danger and a limb was taken out. One of the best things about your post is how it inspired so many people to comment on Spring where they are. I have so enjoyed each person’s view of the world, even when this time of the year means Autumn. I love it that you got to visit the Farmer’s Market, even for a moment. Wish it wasn’t so crowded, but I can tell that during your brief visit you soaked up some of the joy of the others. It happens like that around here: when the sun finally shines we are all so happy. I enjoyed your video of the jay, too. It’s neat that you caught it working away at a nest.
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They went to every single house here and checked for damage. Lots of people complained about so many aspects of this. I was just happy to see anything being done. They were working in priority order. I have no branches on my back yard tree and it’s slated to come all the way down. I think the farmer’s market was so crowded because it was the first sunny day we’d had in months. I love the diversity here too. hugs.
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