Squirrels and Birds

The squirrels in our northern Virginia neighborhood are quite skiddish. We are reminded of that every time we walk through the park for a morning walk. They don’t want to be seen by anyone. When we lived on Capitol Hill the squirrels were extremely friendly - especially on the national mall. We took a drive yesterday and parked by the sculpture garden. We walked around the mall starting at the Smithsonian castle, down by the Capitol, then towards the Washington monument and back up. Along the way I was hoping to get some photos with a “minimalist” theme but was not having much luck. Then I said to my husband wouldn’t it be nice if the albino squirrel showed up. And wouldn’t you know there he was - where he usually hangs out near the national gallery of art museum. We happened to bring some rice with us and started to sprinkle it around. He was curious, along with the other squirrels, but not very interested. So we watched him for a bit. These are the times I wish i had a telephoto lens. There was another squirrel on the garbage can in the sculpture garden - allowing a close up portrait. Then we walked a bit more and found some birds by the American history museum and threw some rice on the sidewalk. They were clamoring over the tiny morsels. Today in the neighborhood park we sprinkled a bit of rice along the trails. When we returned to the first place it looked like everything was picked up, although we didn’t see any feathered friends there. I always enjoy watching the animals - furry or feathered. It doesn’t matter. 

Squirrels, Birds, Flowers and Sunshine - Spring is on the Way

After an unusually harsh winter we finally had a day or two of warmth - not necessarily sunshine, but warmth! And just after a couple of those days the gardens in the city are coming alive - along with all the hoards of tourists and students arriving on bus loads for spring break. A squirrel was sneaking around and one daffodil bloomed in our tiny patio garden with many more opening up along the Library of Congress. The twigs on the bushes were festooned with new leaf growth along the US Botanic Garden walkways. The little crocus and hyacinths were everywhere and the magnolias tripled in size and ready to explode compared to our last viewing. Robins and mockingbirds were out in full force. All the grounds and garden staff were in short sleeves sweeping away the drudgery of winter and pruning back the dead wood and dried leaves. The vegetable gardens had some fresh cabbage plantings and the succulents in the concrete pots were all coming alive. This is my husband’s favorite time of year along with millions more. When you walk about it’s very understandable. In this town it’s pretty obvious why. 

Fall or Spring in DC?

Cherry blossom season gets all the hype here in DC. It’s also probably the busiest tourist season of the year. It’s hard to navigate around town because everywhere is so clogged. Because cherry blossoms are unique, and the beautiful fall colors are more “common” in a lot of places, the hype just isn’t there. But every time we take a walk these days it becomes better each day. At first it didn’t even seem like we were even going to have any fall color at all. Everything stayed green far too long. But as the weeks passed, it became more brilliant. The oranges, yellows, and reds were everywhere - by all the Smithsonian Buildings and gardens, and in the neighborhoods. The walk towards Union Station was filled with scurrying squirrels and enchanting leaves. The rowhouses were covered in autumn finery. The Supreme Court was majestic as it was framed by the seasonal glow. When we lived in the Midwest the fall season was simply lovely - and it was the time my parents always came to visit. It was my father’s favorite time of year. We like DC because it actually has four seasons. I could still do without winter, but at least it’s a few months shorter here. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2lP9RB1Cq/

Squirrels and Birds and...

I should have majored in something related to animals and birds. I can sit for hours just watching them do whatever they do - from the tiniest firefly to the everyday squirrel to my favorite cardinal pairs. Most of these critters I can find on our small patio garden. My husband is very patient when it comes to my taking pictures of all of them, but sometimes just doesn’t have the same amount of enthusiasm for the mundane squirrel. He can’t believe it every time I point out a squirrel to him - like, what’s the big deal? But that doesn’t stop me. Of course I notice every dog that passes by too - but for the most part I’m pretty picky about the ones I like. The Capitol police have Guard dogs stationed about and I have finally begun to match the name painted on the side of the squad car with the specific dog. And of course, there are the fish ponds scattered about. I’ve taken notice of the koi and the goldfish too. Maybe one of these days we will get another dog to satisfy my pooch habit. But until then I’ll keep pointing them out to him and taking lots of photos.