Northwoods Journal 5/6/2013

Monday, May 6, 2013

The leaving is the hardest part

Another picture-perfect up north morning.  I got up with the dogs and let Mark sleep in a little.  It was chilly enough to turn on the electric heaters but by our second cups of coffee it had warmed up enough outside to enjoy them on the porch as the birds flitted about.  We had a surprise visitor this morning – a northern cardinal!  We don’t typically see them this far north and we have never had one at our feeders before.

Northern cardinal

First thing after breakfast Mark ran into town to pick up the cabinet we bought last trip up.  While he was gone, I started on the packing.  It was a bit of a shock to see the cabinet in the back of the truck.  In two pieces it looked a lot bigger than when it was in the store.  We are going home with a full load.

After Mark returned, we took the dogs for a short walk back to the lake.  I took my camera this time, hoping to see the swan and get a few pictures, but no such luck.  We did, however, get a pleasant surprise back at the cabin – a red-bellied woodpecker on the suet!  The female rose-breasted grosbeak found the feeders this morning, too.  We also had the other regular visitors: blue jay, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, goldfinch, purple finch, chipping sparrow, chickadees, red-winged blackbird and male rose-breasted grosbeaks.

Packing up is tedious and always a tad depressing.  The hardest part for me is bringing in the bird feeders.  I always try to do that last and heap seeds on the platform feeder before we go.  I know God is perfectly able to care for the birds, but I don’t think He minds my help.

My heart always sinks as we pull out of the drive.  We will be back for Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start of summer.