It is so pretty out side right now. ALl of the tulips and daffodils, lilacs and Rhododendrons, and all of the fruit trees are all in bloom right now. Usually this takes 2.5 months, but this spring, everything is hitting at once. THe tulips are going to all be gone before this weekend when the big celebration in Oak Harbor and the Skagit Valley hit. We will be celebrating Holland Happening in Oak Harbor, for about the 30th year. Now mind you, there are only 2-5 % of the population is still Dutch, but we still gor for it!
We have windmills in the city parks, and wooden shoes nailed to barns, and tulips and bulbs at every front door. Some of the names are still around, but there is not much Dutch blood anymore. They have all intermingled with the Irish, and the Norwegians, and the Swedish, and the Aisians. SO you are very likely to see a Vanderzicht with black hair and brown eyes, and fair skin. We are a very homogenous group here.
When I first came to the island, I was 8 years old, and the Navy had only been here for about 12 years. The Dutch were very antagonistic about losing theirland to the US Government, and I cant say as I blame them, but they took it out on all of the Navy personell that came after the fact. You were not allowed to date a sailor if you were a single girl. If you did, then your family shunned you. It got much better after the 60's, but there was still a stigmatism to being military, and not a native.
Dont know how I got off on that bent, oh well. I was going to talk about the weather...
I woke up this morning to pouring rain, and it smelled so good on the freshly cut grass. I just sat on my bed with my arm on the windowsill, with a big cup of freshly brewed coffee in my hand, and my feet stuck under the electric blanket,and watched it rain. The birds were really enjoying the fact that I had taken all of the windfall out of the birdbaths, and the fresh rain had filled them up again. Mrs. Robin was chirping and splashing, and singing like mad! Mr. Robin was sitting on the wisteria and watching, but he let her have the bathroom all to herself which I thought was very considerate of him. They look like they enjoy their baths as much as a baby does his.
The hummers are back in force, and I need to dig out the other 5 feeders and fill them up, because soon, the babies will be hatching and then I will go through 5-6 feeders full of bird juice every day. It is so much fun to watch them fly and try to defend their feeders.
The Goldfinches are back waay early too. They usually only hit my yard in Early July, but they are here now. I have not seen any colts or calves or lambs yet though. I know they are born now, but they must not be on my normal routes now.
The rain has stopped for now, and I must say that I spent the whole day in my bathrobe, reading a book, and watching the rain and the birds. Lazy ass aren't I?
Felt really good too!
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