Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Hummingbird Lunches

One of the best things about living in Iowa is the change of seasons. Of course, one of the worst things about living in Iowa is the change of seasons...

So -- like so many things in life -- it really is all about YOUR ATTITUDE...

Sure -- our summers can be brutal. We have many steamy days with temps over 100 degrees...and the winters -- well -- I'm not even going to think about the winters...

The GOOD THING about having seasons is that there is always something to look forward to. We look forward to the first fluffy snow, then in the spring we look forward to the first yellow daffodils. In the summer, the kids look forward to the swimming pools opening and the adults look forward to the first tomato out of the garden...

One of the biggest events of the year at our house is the return of the hummingbirds.

As soon as the weather gets warm, John hangs up a single hummingbird feeder. We see our first hummingbirds in May. By June, John's entire flock is back...and by the time July rolls around, John is hanging five large feeders off the porch...and filling two of them every day.

After their second hatch, in August -- he uses more than ten pounds of sugar a week. There are so many hummies, and they make so much noise -- it can be hard to have a conversation at the porch table.

I have always loved entertaining on the porch. At a recent hummingbird luncheon -- my sister Ronda, my Aunt Ada, and her daughter, my cousin Linda...

We all enjoyed Ronda's 6-year old grandson Landon -- you can see a few of the feeders hanging just behind his head. The hummies were putting on a great show!

Another hummingbird lunch -- with special guests traveling across Iowa -- Rhonda Pierce and her husband Dick stopped on their way home to Chicago...

Rhonda and I posed next to the mural Linda and I spray painted last summer...

This is my very favorite picture from a hummingbird lunch. When Landon comes here, I tie my camera around his neck (so he won't drop it) and encourage him to TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES. He gets some very interesting shots. This is his self-portrait...

I'm telling you -- life just doesn't get any better than this...

2 comments:

  1. Everytime I put up one of those feeders it leaks sugar water all over the place. What's the secret to keeping the feeders from leaking?

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  2. After you fill it, be sure to carry it UPSIDE DOWN, until the moment hang it. Because as soon as you turn it right side up, the sugar water rushes into the bottom area, with the spouts. Good Luck!

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