Yard Secrets

We're having such a nice visit with my mom. The weather has been spectacular. We can see both mountain ranges, east and west, Cascades and Olympics, from just about everywhere. It's quite intoxicating and seductive. Visitors are often fooled by such sultry temperatures and heart-stopping blue skies. We try to remind them that it doesn't last. Still, it is magnificent.

When the weather is like this, every weed behaves like it inspired the simile. Where once we could discern cedar bark, now it's green everywhere, abundant, tenacious, unwanted.
The pirate went out to whack weeds and thistles. They're easy to pull right now because the ground is still soft from spring rains. He was whacking away, when he saw sudden movement and a bird fly out from beneath the thistle and tall grasses. So, he went to investigate.
What was he seeing? He stood and stared through the thistle and weeds trying to see what was there. Then he saw it. A nest. Really small and well-hidden, on the ground, with four bluish speckled eggs. As beautiful and simple as every promise in spring. He called my mom and me over to show us what he had found. I ran for the camera and took two photos. We worried that we had upset the momma bird with our five minutes of activity, but the pirate went and checked a little while later, and she was back on her nest.

Is it safe to say all is well with the world? Well, at least in this very small part of it, yes.