Easter Feasters

Kelly spent most of a rainy Saturday in the form of a whirling dervish of food and treat preparation; since we were having my family over for Easter Lunch on Sunday...



Meanwhile, Bloggerette and I thought it best to stay out of the way, and carefully store our energies for the upcoming holiday.



Being banned from the kitchen again on Sunday morning, I was instead sent out on a mission to acquire a replacement coffee maker for after-lunch beverages, since the glass decanter from the old one had met it's final fate in a dish washing mishap.

I struck north in search of a certain-to-be-open-on-Easter-Wal-Mart, but somehow found myself at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. At the nearby Oxbow the water is pretty high and the skies were a little gloomy, and I wasn't sure if I should expect much wildlife to be see on such a cool, overcast and windy morning. But I decided to take a quick look around anyway...since I was here...



Stepping into the main meadow, there's unfortunately still no sign of the tree swallows that habitate the nesting boxes and dart about the skies here every spring and summer...



But the meadow was far from lifeless. Robins dominated the grassy clearing and surrounding thickets, gathered in large flocks and hunting for grubs...



....meanwhile, cardinals keeping watch nearby and above, singing the loudest...



Blue Jays, normally the forest watchdogs that alert everyone to intruders with their own loud calls, were instead quietly darting away into hiding places....



Then while walking down a side trail there was a sudden flurry of wing beats and calls right overhead as a hawk streaked by, unsuccessfully chasing a fleeting mourning dove. The dove veered off suddenly into some thick tree cover, and the hawk gave up the brief chase, indignantly alighting on a nearby branch.



Undaunted, it seemed to shake off the near miss and within seconds it was scanning the area again, and making off for his next target...

Always countering death, comes birth. Most of the bare branches in the thicketry now sport red buds, and are thickening with tiny green shoots.





Low on many saplings the soft bark is showing evidence of young deer browsing.



It won't be long before all is thick with greenery, life and activity for another year...



Time to get that coffee maker.

Driving away now, the sanctuary had one more thing to show me: a flicker of bright blue in my peripheral made me stop, and get out of the vehicle again. A bluebird was feeding among the corn stalks, alternately perching and jumping to the ground.



The Bluebirds are another recurring visitor to Arcadia and if they're here then the tree swallows aren't far behind, bringing true spring with them. Then a little later, maybe some warblers, to mark the summer...

I picked up the new coffee maker, (purchasing the model with a stainless steel decanter to prevent any future mishaps), and hurried back to the house for Kelly's feast. And a feast it was. Kelly filled me, my dad, sister and family with several platters-full of broasted chicken, pork loins, pasta, rice, salads and veggies; all put together single-handedly by the culinary marvel.

After dinner we had some of that new coffee maker coffee, with some old brandy, and my sister took the opportunity for a little moment-capturing of the yung-uns'...



It was good for us. Hopefully it was a good Easter for all...