The Bluebird Emergency

Creatures let you know when you have screwed up.

The bunnies throw their metal pan if their breakfast is late.

Hummingbirds buzz my head when the feeder is empty.

But this was my first scolding by a bluebird.

It started by his looking in the windows while I was cooking.

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He was very vocal as he fluttered around the windows.

At first, I thought he was talking to his reflection.

But he followed me across the front of the house.

He repeatedly flew from the windows to the deck railing and back.

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It finally dawned on me that the bluebird house attached to the deck pole just below where he kept landing had fallen apart over the winter.

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I found a different house and got out the ladder to pop it up in the old house’s place.

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I waited. The scolding continued.

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It did not want a new house, it wanted its old orange house.

The one that had fallen apart.

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Out came the hammer and nails. The ladder was dragged back out.

Up goes the newly reconstructed old orange house.

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Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird are pleased.

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I don’t appreciate being bossed around by a bird.

 

FLOWER

Coffee Scales

I have a Coffee Tree in my living room. I have petted it for two years now.

It has doubled in size due to careful feeding and watering with “banana water.”

I was excited to see little buds forming at the base of each petiole.

Future blooms for the first time!

My joy quickly turned to consternation when upon closer examination

I discovered scale on several leaves and branches.

Scale insect at the base of the leaves.

Those nasty scale parasites had invaded my precious Coffee Tree.

So out comes the Q-tips and alcohol. For another scale massacre.

The dead bodies were appropriately collected in a coffee cup.

I sang my “Killing Them Softly” song as I murdered the flat sticky foe from leaf and stem.

https://floweralley.org/2017/02/11/killing-them-softly-with-q-tips/ ‎

I am happy to report that my Coffee Scales are gone.

I had two other emergencies last week. Stay tuned for these.

FLOW

Inside a Book

It’s warm and dry inside a book.

I have a winter stash that I only allow myself to look at when the weather is bad.

It is raining again today. Hooray!

I finally get to enjoy the two books my friend Joyce gave me in June.

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They are Flora Forager books. Both by the brilliant Bridget Beth Collins.

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She does magic with flower and plant pieces.

Some of her art is mosaic pictures.

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Some are replicas of famous paintings.

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Many are mandalas made of natural materials.

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The seasonal journal has plenty of room

to write that poetry I have been putting off putting down.

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I plan to lose myself in these books on this dreary day.

Oh look. There I am now!

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FLOW

 

Spring Peeking

My muddy shoe collection has started by the door.

It’s gotten so squishy here in North Carolina that I purchased a pair of mud boots.

I cannot stay inside, no matter the weather.

I had to go out and check on spring.

I was glad to see it peeking out here and there.

A few little purple anemones were blooming on the bank.

Some yellow crocus were lighting up the path.

My new Quince is budding.

The peonies are peeking out of the ground. too.

My new Sweet Betsy plants are emerging. (Thanks Marian.)

The wet Tete-a-Tete’s are trying to brighten up the garden.

I must be patient.

Me and my muddy shoes will keep making the rounds.

FLOWER

How to Build a Fairy House

I learned a lot last weekend at the Fairy House Festival at Latta Plantation.

I had no idea that fairy architecture was so complex.

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It seems that they like to have paths to their door.

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Bark is their favorite roofing material.

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Pine branches and pine cone are decorative accents.

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Stones are stools and acorns are bowl.

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Wisps of grass add flare.

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Some like the teepee style of house

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while others feel safer under ground

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or inside a tree stump.

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I must start gathering building materials to build my fairies a new house under the fig tree.

Stay tuned for updates.

FLOWER

The Storyteller’s Hat

I have many hats, but none compares to the Storyteller’s hat.

It seemed to store stories in its castle.  There was even a draw bridge on the front.

The storyteller’s name is Wisha Granty.

Storytelling is her part-time gig.  She is also a fairy godmother and a pirate named Captain Rowdy.

I met her at the Fairy House Festival at Latta Plantation.

I did not get to stay for her stories, but her hat told some tales of its own.

It seems that Bugs Bunny is friends with Tinkerbell who flies with dragons when Peter is elsewhere.

The Red Ridinghood wolf  is the supervisor over the Two(oops) Little Pigs.

Snow White is a security guard who works with a gargoyle to guard the drawbridge.

The wicked witch does advising atop the castle, coaching princesses to be more assertive.

The hat even had a Halloween side with a Jack-o-lantern, graves stones a ghost, and some gargoyles. I sensed some dark magic coming from this side of the hat.

The hat was so full of magic I was afraid to touch it.

Wisha Granty must be one heck of a storyteller and godmother if she owns a hat like that.

It was nothing short of a work of art.

Wisha had a hat like that.

FLOWER

 

 

Fairy Fashion

I learned a few fashion tricks this weekend at the Fairy House Festival.

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I need to keep up with the trends while dressing my own fairies.

I was happy to see that sensible shoes are in.

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I found an assortment of hats to accent any outfit.

Wings come in all shapes and sizes.

Hair embellishments are a necessity.

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There was a wide variety of wands.

Those fairies have a magical flare for fashion.

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I must pay closer attention.

Flower

 

A Whole Lot of Magic at Latta

If you were wondering where all the fairies had gone yesterday,

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they were all down at Latta Plantation for the Fairy House Festival.

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I have never seen some many fairies.

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All colors, sizes and ages came to construct a magical fairy colony along the wooded paths in the Faylinn Village.

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In additions to the construction of dwellings,

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fairies could also get their faces painted, make crafts,

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play games, listen to stories,

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plant flowers, blow bubbles and learn about nature.

There were even flying lessons available for the bravest little fairies.

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My next post will be on Fairy Fashion.  They have a flare for fashion!

FLOWER