Feathers and Flurries, Fiction, Market Friday and Feathered Friends Blog, New Digital Art and Photography, Revisited Poetry and Fiction, Spoken Word and Fiction Audio
Three more days to Christmas. I still have some poinsettia photos to fit in from our trip to the Bloedel Conservatory for Market Friday; and since it is also Feathered Friday, I will share some of Gidget, the citron crested cockatoo, housed under its dome.
Gidget was a flirty girl. There is a bench in front of her perch, and she saw fit to inch closer on her branch and pose prettily for my iPhone. I'd share more often on Feathered Friday, but birds in the garden or forest rarely cooperate. The plumed beauties at Bloedel are far less camera shy.
The conservatory is a tropical clime, and so one might immediately associate a visit with Christmas, but they do feature some amazing poinsettia at this time of year, from the warm side of the spectrum; pink, peach, and red, as well as white for some contrast.
Amazing the color that is coaxed out of flowers, or in this case, leaves by botanists, the flowers of the poinsettia actually being the buds in the center. I wonder if it is the leaves changing color that attract the pollinators or the little pebble blooms. Probably a bit of both.
The temperature here is still very cold, but Gidget is safe a warm under the Bloedel dome. The birds outside my window are not as lucky. I do from time to time put out a hummingbird feeder in the winter. When it comes to their food, I am convinced the hummingbirds never forget where a feeder once was. I noted a few doing fly-bys where I have hung it in the past. I took the hint and put some extra sweet nectar out. Generally they recommend 1/4 sugar to water but during cold weather 1/3. Hopefully it will help them get through until things warm up again.
A crow spied what I was up to and gave me a squawk, which I interpreted to mean ... where's mine. It is very cold. I promptly went back in, popped some popcorn, and then coated it with some bacon fat I had in the fridge. I dumped it in the snow and within a minute had a murder in my front yard, with few gluttonous gulls messing with a bad crowd for contrast.
So you can read, it has been a very feathered and flurried Friday. From the point of view of the birds ... a Market Friday too. My front yard being the much needed staple aisle for shivering fowl.
Coming up for your reading pleasure is an excerpt from the Wisp ... the snowier bits. I have added some ambient sounds, so snuggle up, baby, because it is definitely cold outside.
The Wisp
Push play ..
The wind struck her face and Bara shook with a shiver. Why had she left her bedroom window open? She’d keep her eyes shut tight, as though with enough determination on her part, the cold would go away. Another gust shook her further from rest. She reached down for the warm softness of her comforter and felt something wet and cold instead. Then something sharp and thin scraped against her face. With flaying arms, she battled the many fingers of her foe, but she faced no human. Wind-borne branches from a leafless willow tree whipped against her cheek and cut through her hair, grabbing hold and refusing to let go.
None too easily, she tore out of the willow’s reach and looked around. She was in a late-autumn meadow upon a raised bed of moss. Red light filtered through the surrounding forest. The sun was either rising or just about to set. Her luck. It was setting. The wind was harsh. She wore only a light sweater and jeans. It was a dream but the cold felt real, and of course, she wore no shoes. She looked down at her stocking feet and swore from now on she’d sleep dressed for a blizzard, but despite the cold, her mood lifted. She was in the Slip and would have her chance to make things right. A challenge to her boldness rode on the wind. Somewhere a wolf howled.
Fear rose up and Bara fought it back down. She scanned the meadow and its edges. Her eyes settled on a small break in the bush—a trail. She took a step forward and left the mossy mound with a splash. Thick grass had hidden the true nature of the clearing. Here wool socks were of no use. She was shin-deep in water. Not a meadow … a marsh. Wonderful! What’s next? One thing for certain. The Slip insisted on suffering feet.
There was no point going back onto the moss. Her socks would take forever to dry. Waiting would do nothing, and so she ignored her discomfort, waded through the wet to the meadow edge, and peered down the path. The way was narrow and slowly growing over with ferns and bush. She lifted her feet onto the trail. It at least was dry. Somewhere a bird trilled its support. Other than the howling wolf, it was the only sign of animal life. She took it as a good omen, gathered what little she wore around her exposed neck, and entered the forest.
***
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Oh, nice touch with the sound of nature icing me down! :) I have actually never seen a hummingbird in the winter! Perhaps I should pay more attention I take their feeder down at the end of Autumn. Why did I think they all migrated? 😮
I love that these plant museums teach people their irreplaceable value of them and how to care for our fragile ecosystems. It is one of my favorite places to go downtown. Many overlook the Botanical Gardens as a lesser place to visit. Although yours along with the Conservatory is one of the most amazing out there. How fortunate and what a great teaching tool. The little cheeky feathered friend is a bit of a show stealer, but, the poinsettias manage to hold their own!
A delightful tale from beginning to end. Popcorn! Yum!!!
Merry Christmas to the PrydeFoltz family! May it be warm and wonderful! ❤️
I think it is important that you know how much I appreciate the time and effort put into posts. Thank you for your participating in #MarketFriday! I enjoy learning about your world and how it is to live in it. I find it interesting to compare standards, but, more than standards, by how we find the quality of our life with different indicators that the world does.
I have learned so much about all of you and it has been an amazing experience. I can only hope that learning about each other can help us work together for a peaceful world.
Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:
Rules of the Road to Join #MarketFriday!
Take pictures! Be creative!
PLEASE Drop the link into the MarketFriday comment section so I can find it!!
7. You must put #MarketFriday by @dswigle somewhere on your post.
As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!
Don't forget to drop your link! ❤️
Thanks, Denise. I got ahead of myself. Yep ... definitely will drop my link and visit some other posts.
Wishing you the very best of the season:)
👍