'Cause Even Doves Have Pride

This dove aviary was the fruit of a long contrived plan of mine to have pet-wild birds. The cage will always be left open for them to come and go as they please while they still get used to my sunflower seed handouts. It's also the first thing you see as you walk up my front steps, so don't be startled by my mockingbird and cardinal friends...strangely, no doves yet.


These stringed-up, colored beauties are some Tibetan prayer flags that my friend Jacqui gave me. Traditionally, they're meant to be hung on Tibetan New Year, which coincided this year with our Valentine's Day. (If you don't get them up in time for that holiday, then you're supposed to hang them on a sunny, windy day.) They have Sanskrit prayers woven on to them, and are not seamed, so that when the wind blows, their colored strings (symbolizing our prayers) drift into the wind and away to the world. Pretty romantic, isn't it?

My summer hideaway "writing gazebo" is all frosted over in this picture...when the red curtains flap and flow on the wind's breath, I immediately think of some of my favorite scenes from the film Chocolat, when the strange wind picks up and she knows it's time to move on. Donning the red capes I covet, she and her daughter pick up and move to the next place. (Until they find they place the wind can't take them away from...)

This one doesn't move around much anymore, but when this year's snow came, he was dashing around like a pup. It was nice to see there was still some life left in him yet. I love the contrast of this photo...black and white, life and death.

This little titmouse friend has grown accustomed to the click of my camera. He trades a cute expression for a meal everyday of his little life.

Now filled with moss for a spring nester, this little blue house on my back porch was a flea market favorite of mine.

This is the gate we installed when our son was only two and gates actually worked with him. He's now a "don't fence me in" six-year old, and gates don't even slow him anymore.

My kitchen window and my pink tulips, thumbing their little petals at the cold outside...

I wish you only colors, prayers, and freedom winds to take you softly into spring...