Extraordinary Happiness

We had a freakishly warm day yesterday. I had the lovely opportunity to sit outside (yes outside at 8:00 a.m. in my pajamas) in my favorite outdoor spot. My husband took the kids to school (also somewhat unusual) and when I realized how incredibly nice it was outside, the sliding glass door flew open and with a quick spritz of windex, my perch was ready for a morning hour of tea, breakfast and new books. Emails and phone calls were abandoned. I cannot tell you how extraordinarily happy this made me. It must have been 70 degrees, really. It has been hovering in the 40 – 50 range with crappy wind (or our other friend, snow) for weeks. And then yesterday we got this little gift of a summer day, very early.

I sat and read and just listened to the open space meadow behind my house. There is something very special about the early morning and this meadow. I’m a morning person and I just love waking up and simply walking outside, in the comfort of my jammies. This was my M.O. as a kid and I haven’t lost the feeling of glee it gives me to just go outside as soon as I wake up. And yesterday was a preview of a summer that I am longing for. These two little lovely finches have a nest up in the pine tree. I watched them come and go and wished I could scamper up and have a look inside.

The bird choir was in full orchestral mode yesterday morning as well – my lovely meadowlarks were calling to each other, the magpies were jamming, the grackles were squacking, I saw a robin or two (they usually save their songs until the evening) and a prairie tern when careening by with a lost song from the beach. Lovely. Extraordinary happiness.

A quick walk around the garden revealed many new things bursting from the winter brown.

I hope your gardens are waking up and that you have time for a little tea with a bird orchestra near you.