Kay – Page 313 – Sequim Daily Photo

Backyard birds

We’ve enjoyed a little kildeer in our backyard for the last couple of weeks. They often browse in our grass but this one sticks around and got rather upset when my husband mowed behind our septic mounds. Within a day or two our suspicions were confirmed: there was a fluffy little chick that was soon pecking in the grass too. It has moved too fast so far for a photo op.

This Canada goose marched through the yard last week. They’re very common around here but not in our yard. I know they’re not often welcome guests but I rather liked seeing this one goose stepping around…and then he disappeared.

Springtime favorite

These enchanting fairy slipper flowers (calypso bulbosa) are gems I’ve found each April since I’ve lived in Sequim. This year only one has bloomed where I’ve typically found two or three. But a peek around the trunk of a tree revealed these.

The blossoms are less than an inch in size and the tallest of these plants is probably six inches high as it leans toward filtered sunlight. As you can see, aside from stems and blossoms, there is little foliage to herald these diminutive plants.

Red-winged blackbirds

The local red-winged blackbirds are adept at staying just beyond camera distance. The males, shown here, are black with a red shoulder patch edged in yellow. They’re common in marshy areas this time of year.

Females of the species are much less showy, brown and white streaked and smaller than the males.

Still life with toys

I’ve mentioned before that our dog has many toys. He considers the entire house his toy box. Usually they are scattered singly, randomly. These two landed together, happily cuddled.

Earth Day 2014

Today is Earth Day.

If Earth Day is not a big part of your consciousness, please indulge me. Before Earth Day in the U.S. we had rivers that were so polluted that one actually caught fire. Air quality in some cities was so bad warnings were issued and inversions settled in areas that caused serious health hazards and deaths. Companies responsible for toxic waste sites walked away when they were done.

Earth Day was a response to all that; the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts were passed in the early 1970s; the Environmental Protection Agency was formed.

Political polarization today promotes gridlock, the economy is pitted against the environment and the term “tree-hugger” is sometimes used as a pejorative. I happen to think that Planet Earth is a pretty beautiful and spectacular place. I’d like to keep it habitable for humans and the other life forms here. I do what I can. I hope you do, too. Happy Earth Day!

Saturday night rainbow

This is the sort of thing that postpones dinner in our household. It was actually a double rainbow, but the second arc was almost too faint to see.

Happy Easter!

Nearly 20 years ago at the Marin County Farmer’s Market in California I stumbled across a captivating display of decorated Eastern European eggs called “Kraslice.” I’d never seen anything like them before. A mother and daughter sold them each year around Easter and over the course of several years I acquired a small and treasured collection.

These decorated eggs in different styles come from the Czech and Slovac Republics, Ukrane, Poland, or Lithuania. The eggs are first painted and then intricate patterns are etched into the shell. Although primarily associated with Easter, Kraslice have been given on other occasions to communicate love and hope of new life.

Kraslice art techniques are largely passed through families. Click here for more information about Kraslice eggs. I believe this website belongs to one of the women who sold the eggs pictured here.