It's the beginning of a new month. One of my favorites. Not because it holds my birthday or, often, Easter. I love it because it is usually a better tell of the first true signs of spring.
I love spring in full swing but there is something special about the first few weeks (not the random and annoying surprise snow storms).
There's something new, fresh, and wonderful when you get your first whiff of a new season. Spring smells green and earthy and newly damp.
I love the warmer days that are still cool.
I love the puffy clouds that hold the promise of life giving moisture.
I love the first flowers and the songs of birds and frogs as they blend together in a symphony of new life.
I even love transitioning from thick hearty soups and rich, winter food to pasta salad, green salad, fresh ingredients, fresh herbs and veggies. Berries tasting more in season.
And something new I've come to love are the mountains covered in snow but feeling the sun shine on me down below.
I think mountains were meant to be clothed in snow. They are nice in their own way in the other seasons, but late fall, winter, and early spring is where they really shine.
While I personally have made it my goal to move out of Utah after several years and start trying to head for new England again, I find myself falling for the mountains.
And with my goal this year of hiking all the peaks in the Ogden area by the end of the year, I fully expect to love them even more.
They may be the undoing of my plan and I might just find myself unable to leave them.
We shall see, mountains, we shall see.
Along with the nicer weather has been this insatiable urge to get out more. No more snuggling against the cold and telling myself it's ok to be lazy because it's dark and icky outside.
Two weekends in a row I went to Tracy Aviary, my old summer stomping grounds. It was wonderful and I loved being back there. Allow me to share some pictures of the first week.
American White Pelican
Green-naped pheasant pigeon
Hooded Pitta
American Avocet
Kia learning a new trick. They are SO SMART!! This was something he had never learned before. They call it "clean up". She dumped out all these toys and started by just setting them around the edge. He was able to figure out that what the trainer wanted was for him to knock the toys in the hole and he would get a treat.
Once he got all the toys in she then scattered them on the ground around the bin to make it more challenging and he got the hang of it immediately. He didn't have to be shown how or anything. I love these birds.
Couldn't pass up a chance to snag a picture of the peacock displaying.
There were just a few from the first weekend. (Two weekends ago).
That same day I got to attend an eagle court of honor where we bring our eagle Des Ta Te in.
Des Ta Te means "may the sun shine on your face and in your heart in a good way". It's an Apache name.
It was cool to get to see her out of her enclosure and to see how Bryce (the guy holding her) handled her. It was also neat to hear all the stories he has about her.
It was a neat experience.
Below are just a few pictures of the deer we see all the time on our property. Not the healthiest herd, to be honest. There isn't a lot of genetic diversity since they are all family and mostly stick to the property so end of breeding with relatives. I actually learned that usually over Christmas Break the wildlife service comes and helps cull the heard to help it not get rampant and even more unhealthy.
ANYWAY. The point is the babies are always cute and it's cool for kids to get to see wild animals in the wild.
And, since I don't share enough about them (except when I'm telling gross stories), here's a cute picture of Bones and Lily during a recent snuggle fest we all shared.
So last weekend I went to Tracy Aviary again with Kirsti and Alice which was a treat. I hope Alice had tons of fun. I had tons of fun watching her be cute.
Here's anoter trio of some of my favorite birds. Roseate Spoonbills (you can find them in Florida). They get to go on walks sometimes and are super used to humans and are really chill. And a lot of fun! They are named Rizzo, Frenchie, and Marty after The Pink Ladies.
Another Kia picture because I love them so much.
Not a bird but forsythia is one of my favorite early springtime flowers.
Great Green Macaw
Long eared owl. How cute is he???
Alice looking simply precious as a barn owl.
And again as a toucan.
And after knowing most of the birds at the aviary I cannot for the life of me remember what this one is.
Who want's to give it a name?
Anyway the last two weekends have been great and April promises to deliver a lot of Fun.
Between a visit from Mom and Dad, a fun birthday weekend with Kirsti, Fan-X, Easter, etc. there is a lot in store.
Tis the season to get out and do things!
And I can't wait.
