Feeding the birds

Birds may be falling dead from the sky, but in our backyard, they are fat and sassy and very much alive.

Thank goodness.

And the boys help me make sure of that.

One of our favorite Green Hour activities is to feed the birds in our backyard.



Some of those birds that have flown south for the winter? They live in my zip code.

When the boys see me get out the tub of bird seed, they get excited and start elbowing each other out of the way even though there is clearly no race going on. I think part of it is the Junebug wants to be a part of anything that is going on. And the Man-cub loves the feel of the bird seed in his fingers. It's a sensory thing. But that's fine, because he's happy, and the birds are happy.

Except.

The Man-cub encountered a new kind of bird seed (new to him) this winter.



Seed in a cube! Great for the smaller birds.

This "cake" of bird seed couldn't be run through fingers. But! It also couldn't be shared with the baby brother. Heh heh heh.



It's kind of a one-boy job.

The birds don't seem to care either way.

Royal palm

He must like sparkly things

When preschool boys decide to choose an outfit for Mom....



(and no, I haven't worn either of these in five years or more)

Everglades nirvana

Have you ever been in a time and place so perfect you just wanted to stay there forever and ever?


Sunrise over our campsite

Where the horizon presents islands that really seem like more clouds in the sky?


Florida Bay

Where children, bolstered by fresh air and sunshine, are honest-to-goodness happy.





And the big kids risk ruining shoes with mud to inspect their surroundings...





...while the little ones just enjoy the view...


That's not a spare tire, it's a big shirt. Really.

...when they're not tuckered out from all the fun.



Where the locals are really wild.


American alligators




Wood stork


Willets?


Great blue heron


Purple gallinule


Great egret


American bittern

Where the food tastes like ambrosia, or manna.


S'more

And it's not even too far from home.



It's on our list of Happy Places, for sure!

Everglades camp

Look where I camped this weekend.



I can't wait to post about my family's New Year's camping trip with friends, but first I have to mooch pictures off my husband's camera. You'll see, it was legendary....