Getting Buzzed

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When I stepped out on the porch this morning, it wasn't long before I got myself buzzed....by a hummingbird, that is. They're back! (Sorry, I can no longer remember what movie that is from, though I can see the picture of the little girl in my mind.) WTIP is very good about reporting regularly on the hummingbird migration. As of Monday, I heard that some had been spotted at various locations throughout the county, but I hadn't been home long enough to notice any here.

I chose not to hang out my feeder after hearing that, mainly because I knew that I would be gone for a few days. It's best if I am around when I have it out....I tend to notice more quickly if it has gone empty, or if the ants have invaded it. A second reason for waiting was because I had heard that we have a bear making the rounds this week. He was a little guy last seen on the porch at Cedar Point. He helped himself to the cooler, removing a loaf of bread from it. Aptly, he earned the name Boo Boo by the owners of the cooler. Now I need to remember each evening to bring in the feeder, so that we don't add to our collection of claw marks on the post where it hangs.

So after this little bird informed me of her return, I searched out the hummingbird feeder. Not surprisingly, I couldn't find our usual one. So I tried a substitute--a very small feeder meant to be stuck into a planter. After filling it and hanging it up, the little lady returned. She hovered a moment, and then took off. I could almost hear her harumph.

I dug a little deeper, checked a new location, and sure enough, found the old familiar feeder. It now is hanging in its usual spot. The male has been back, as I watched him come to sip some of the sugar water. He then did a hover near the newer feeder, and he, too, gave it a feather's down. In fact, he barely gave it a sidewards glance. Could they really be that smart and discerning?

I believe that the ravens can be, but I guess I should give those hummers a little more credit. After all, they can make it all the way from Mexico to here, and they don't carry much in the way of luggage.

Driving the Trail at Night

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The older I get, the more my desire to drive the Trail after dark diminishes. In my younger years here, I thought nothing of evening meetings or late drives home from Duluth, after running a day full of errands. Oftentimes, I had a baby or a kid, or two, in the car with me. We would get home close to midnight, and after getting them off to bed, I would then need to unload the car. It just didn't bother me.

Now it has to be a very good reason for me to plan a night like that. You may notice that this is being posted rather late on Thursday, the reason being that Addie and I just returned from our trip to Wisconsin. All of those hours on the road gave me lots of time for contemplation. One thing I decided is that if I am driving the trail at night, I like it best in the spring and early summer.

First off, the sun goes down so much later. At 9:20 on the North Shore, it was still light enough to drive without using the bright setting. The sky held streaks of faint light, but the reddish glow had faded. By the time we were on the Trail, the stars were out. And we had a half-moon to shine down on us, all the way home.

I thought about other nights out there, when I had the good fortune to see shooting stars through the windshield. Occasionally the Northern Lights have been dancing a good show, making it difficult to keep my eyes on the roadbed. Of course, there is always the need to be vigilant for wildlife. Tonight was a quiet one in that respect. Several insects filled the air, and some dark animal scooted across while I drove down our side road. I still am wondering what it was....small enough to be a pine marten, but it didn't run like one. Quick enough to be a fisher, but too small. Larger than an ermine, very dark in coloring. Mink perhaps?

Hands down, though, the very best reason for driving the Gunflint Trail after dark is this:

Don't worry that the picture doesn't show up...it was too dark out!

Hit the Road, Jack

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With the trek to Morris fresh under my belt, Addie and I are ready to hop back into the car for another short road trip. She needs to register for fall classes, so today we are headed to the lovely state of Wisconsin.

This is such a treat for me, to be able to travel in the summertime. I get to see all of the spring colors, and in particular the Green of everything! April, our usual travel month, is generally not very green for sightseeing. This year, of course, was an incredible exception with our trip to Hawaii. But for the most part, I haven't been on a summer road trip for nearly thirty years. That makes even the smallest parts exciting for me.

During my college years, I would experience three separate blooms of lilacs. In mid-May, they came out in southern Minnesota, right around the end of the semester. Then as I was headed home at the end of May, they were blooming in the Twin Cities. Once I got to Duluth, the lilacs would come out about a week later. It is full-bloom time in Morris right now. I had a moment when I could bury my nose in a large and beautiful lilac bush, loaded with flowers. I had to take a picture of it.

Now that I live in the far north, my lilac bush blooms really late. Here is what it looks like right now, as compared to the ones in Morris. It definitely looks sparse, and I still don't see buds. Most years it produces at least a few purple flowers, and that is enough for the lovely scent to waft onto a breeze. It's enough to make me happy.

As we are driving southeast, it will be fun to see the progress of flowers and trees, and how things compare to home. I'll probably get to experience some other plant life cycle twice 'round, kind of a double pleasure, just like Doublemint Gum.