The Sound of Birds Is a Sign of Spring

Listening to the singing of birds makes hearts happy.

Colors (pink for me) add to the joy of life.

So when I saw the adorable pink bird shown in today's post, she had to come home with me.

Today snow is falling again and a lousy mixture of snow, slush, and ice is predicted for tonight but I'm not going to let it weigh heavily on my heart.

Just a couple of days ago, while depositing two garbage bags in the apartment complex dumpster, birdsong reached my ears.

In a leafless nearby tree, there was a group of robins!

It took every ounce of restraint to keep from screaming a welcome at the top of my lungs. 

The red (or orange) breasted robin is a harbinger of spring!  

Yes, less than three weeks away, spring will be here,  sooner than we think. (We all hope.)

Never was I so happy to be depositing trash into the big bin since I could look at robins and hear their precious chirping at the same time!

In the meantime, I'll rest my eyes on the little pink bird that doesn't sing but still brings joy, just by sitting on the kitchen counter.

New Month, New Week

A new month always brings new hopes and dreams into our lives.

Today also marks the beginning of a new week.

There's always so much to think about, to do, to finish, and to hope for.

Being a writer, it's easiest to write down in a notebook all the things that need to be done.

That helps to prioritize items and keep things a bit organized in my mind.

Here's to a good day and evening for everyone reading this.

DO YOU PUT IN WRITING THINGS THAT NEED TO GET DONE?

Friends Are Gifts from God

 

Among the greatest blessings of life are dear friends.

Sometimes, when loneliness threatens to envelop a person, a phone call or note from a friend can mean a lot.

As we age, we begin to lose friends so those who stick by us are extra special.

As much as we cherish the friends in our lives, it's important to be a good friend as well.

Caring and kindness go a long, long way in this crazy world in which we live.

So today, be a good friend.

Make a phone call to someone you haven't spoken to in a long while or send a couple of texts to let people know you are thinking of them.

It may mean more than you will ever know.

Okay, friend, I hope you have a good Sunday from dawn til dusk and then some.

Sugar Cookie Heaven

One never knows where the next cookie recipe will come from or how good it will be.

Recently, while grocery shopping at Aldi's, instead of the regular market, I came across many items with bargain price tags.

Pure vanilla extract , as opposed to artificial, was one of them.

A bottle cost less that $5 so I put two into my shopping cart as I love baking.

The side of the box the vanilla came in held a recipe for sugar cookies.

Because gifts of lots of cookies are given for all occasios, I decided to give the recipe a shot.

It was simple and quick, both pluses in the baking world.

There was no call for chilling the dough for hours before baking.

The pleasant fragrance of baking cookies filled the apartment.

The extra heat from the oven warmed things up. 

All cookie recipients sent their praises for the sugar cookies. 

That surprise trip to Aldi's was a good call.

The cookies were a hit this round and will be made again in the future, all because of the purchase of a box of pure vanilla extract.

Short Month, Long Winter

                 Two candle-climbing angels, without candles, guard a glass Valentine heart.  

February is inching its way to the month's end.

A glance at the calendar noted there are only
28 days in  this month.

A memorized elementary school blurb from childhood flashed through my mind.

"Thirty days has September, 
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31, except February, that has 28."

Yup.  That little ditty is still stuck in the brain after seven decades of life and that's amazing.

So it's time to take down the beautiful Valentine's Day cards, strip the dollhouse of hearts and tiny Valentines, and put away other telltale signs of the day of love.

More snow fell on top of the many inches we had already received this week. 

However, it was not half as bad as some parts of Massachusetts that got whomped.

Here's goodbye to Cupid. 

Hello to more thoughts of the spring, including gorgeous flowering plants and heavenly bird song,  to come!

Hope springs eternal!