“if you like bluebirds, there can’t be much wrong with you.” maxine manees
i have to meet this brilliant maxine gal! our bluebirds have returned!
oh what a pleasure to see!
i have my wonderful dad to thank for that.
when our kids were little, he made bluebird nesting boxes with them.
they spent so many hours together in his fabulous workshop... it was a special winter!
spencer drilled holes on the drill press and margo glued twigs to inside pieces for the baby birds to use as a ladder.
in the spring, they helped put them up around the farm.
they had to be placed in a very particular way...
a precise height, facing the right direction and
a certain distance from other bird houses and trees.
we were so thrilled to eventually see the bluebirds use them!
they have brought us joy for many years!
the swallows have been known to move in to a few of the boxes too.
those scallywags!
each autumn they clean out the boxes together...it’s a tradition.
i am so grateful for their time together! lucky kids and lucky us!
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one year, there was a tree behind the barn that the bluebirds also loved....
there are so many beautiful, endearing quotes about bluebirds! i have to share a few…
“the bluebird carries the sky on his back” henry david thoreau
“this beautiful and singularly lovable bird divides with the robin the grateful mission of bringing to its northern friends the welcome news that spring is at hand.” george gladden
“is there any sign of spring quite so welcome as the glint of the first bluebird?” neltje blanchan
“his soft warble, beautiful blue coat, warm waistcoat, and gentle manners make him the most welcome herald of spring.” birds of america 1917
“who does not welcome the beloved bluebird and all that his coming implies?
his cheery warble, heard at first as a mere wandering voice in the sky, heralds returning spring” john b. may
i hope you are lucky enough to see a bluebird this spring!
warm farm hugs,
laura
