Signs of Change

 

As in last post, do not click on double underlined links. I did not insert them. I do have links to information, and they are regular-looking links. This problem is one of the reasons will be leaving Blogger soon. Sorry for any inconvenience or confusion.

 

 

 

 

Last week I saw this American Robin sitting on the outside ledge of my sewing room window. It was extremely cold outside, but the sun was out in full force and warming up the south side of the house.

People think of spotting robins as the first sign of Spring. Although these red-breasted birds are a welcome sight, actually they hang around all year. A robins diet is bugs, worms and fruit. In the winter they do not visit bird feeders, they are busy foraging for fruit in hedgerows. In January a flock completely stripped the berries from my Hawthorn tree, which not only provided nutrition for the robins, but also supplied me with welcome entertainment. How hardy are robins? They even live in Alaska!  So, no. Robins are not harbingers of Spring.

A few days later I saw a true spring-bringing bird; a Red-winged Blackbird at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Erie. Yep. It was another cold day and the bird might have been thinking it had been duped by the lengthening daylight which brought it "up North", but seeing it was a thrill for my friend and me.

Then, just yesterday, I saw a Turkey Buzzard gliding over a snowy field, looking for something dead to feast upon. Year-round residents in southern Ohio, buzzards are another sign of spring where I live. Legend has it that they return to Hinckley, Ohio, every spring on March 15. Jim told me that my buzzard had ignored protocol by daring to show up early. I think that the buzzard is as hungry for spring as we are.

Even though I am looking forward to spring, I am a *little bit* sad to see winter, with all of its challenges, go. Why? Well, I had a ton of projects that did not get done (as usual) and would relish a bit more time to work on them before outdoor work takes over my days.

But the biggest, most exciting change for me is moving.

No, not moving locations; moving forward with said projects. Growth is a good thing. I've decided to move my online presences to one location. Blogger has been a great tool, but I need a bigger space to hold all of my blab and big ideas.

To reach this goal, I am meeting with JoAnn Snell, of Jo's Graphic Design today to work on a new website; to build a home big enough for OCJ and The World According to Marcheta. Everything tucked into one URL.  Won't that be tweet sweet?

Marcheta *bob-bob-bobbing along