Sundays Are Made of These

Sundays are for Sunday Mass, no compromise on that! After the service, Sundays here @ Birdsong are made of these ....

Sundays are made of vegetables and flowers harvested from the garden.

Sundays are made of sweet snacks from mother nature.

Sundays are made of long afternoon naps ... unfortunately it was not us who's taking the nap!

Sundays are made of leisure drives.

Sundays are made of sun-dry-sweet-smelling laundry.

Sundays are made of cookouts.

Sundays are made of a sulking cat because she was not allowed to go out.

Sundays are made of  a happy cat chasing the afternoon shadows.

Sundays are made of shrimp tacos and mango salsa.
Sundays are made of husband who loves shrimp tacos and mango salsa.

Sundays are made of chilled strawberry and citrus sangria.

Sundays are made of wishes for more beautiful Sundays to come!

Memories of My {Spring} Peonies

August is just a round the corner. Summer is almost half way through. In my garden,  day lilies, phlox, daisies and coneflowers are in full bloom. The Rose of Sharon are budding telling me that the last batch of summer flowers will come very soon. It seems only yesterday that my lilacs, hyacith and irises were the star of the show. And oh, how can I forget those spring delicate peonies that smelled so sweet and heavenly! 

Still, I remember ....

.... that kind of excitement when I saw the buds starting to blossom.

.... that sigh of relief when most of the buds turned into beautiful blossoms before a heavy spring rainfall!

... that everyday I harvested blooms we can't get enough of, yes even our Muning shared our daily peony fix!

.... that almost all vases in the house were filled with peonies. It was truly a lovely spring and thanks to these gorgeous peonies.

Come September, I will start dividing and replanting some of them to make sure that next spring will once again be as gorgeous, colorful and elegant as these peonies!

Linking with : The Scoop

Wet {BUT NOT} WIld

The weekend was lovely! It was sunny and hot on both days so we ended up hanging out by the poolside either enjoying a meal, drinking margarita or swimming. I guess we are not the only one waiting for this summer perfect weather. Our two adopted Muscovy ducks, Katniss and Peeta had a great time in the pond as well. I swear, I can spend a good hour just watching them bathing and having fun in the pond under the willow tree.

Bathing in the pond must be the highlight of these ducks' daily activities. It is more like a ritual if you ask me. As soon as I open the door of their home, they would make that happy sound as if telling me "OMG! what took you so long?". Then they would start the 230-duck-step {yes, I counted it!} journey from their home to the pond.

The first thing they do as soon as they reached their oasis is  quench that thirst brought by the "long" journey. Then Peeta (the white one} would almost always dive into the water while Katniss (the one with the brown highlights} prefers to wait a little bit just in case I have some treat for them. If she realized that the treat will come later she will join her buddy in the water.

These two can stay in the water for hours depending how humid the day is. The best part for me is watching them dry themselves after frolicking in the water. The moment they spread their wings is truly a sight to behold. Truly divine!

Thanks for dropping by .... and spread your wings everyday!

Linking with : WEEKLY TOP SHOT

Country Living | |The Joys of Spring Forward Weekend

This weekend, we "lost" an hour to Spring Forward. Although I know we are going to get that hour back in the fall, I still feel that I was robbed. But hey, instead of  focusing on what could I have done during the lost hour, there were plenty to smile about this weekend.

FRIDAY

There is that JOY of driving to church for our first Friday devotion under this beautiful sky at sunset. Nothing beats God's work of art!

SATURDAY

There is that  JOY of seeing the temperature on the plus side {it's been a long time, baby!} telling us that spring is just around the corner. Never mind the the two feet of snow in our backyard!

There is that JOY of watching our "girls" getting excited over new straws and pine shavings in their roosting boxes. There is nothing more exciting than the JOY of counting their eggs for the day!

There is that JOY of hearing Katniss' and Peeta's quacking as if asking us when are they going to take a long nice bath in their pond. Oh yes, they too are tired of the snow! I know spring is coming soon because the small birds are happily chirping every morning while feasting on this bird feeder.

There is that JOY of watching Muning {our princess cat} patiently waiting on the window sill while we are working outside. Double that JOY when she finally expresses her happiness {by jumping on our shoulders and embracing us} of being with us again after just a couple of hours of separation! Priceless!

SUNDAY

There is that JOY of  tasting the first run of the maple syrup at our local maple farm's Sugar Shack {Cabane a Sucre, as we call in Montreal}. Another nature's sign that spring is on its way is when sugar maple farmers start tapping the trees for its sweet sap. Spring's sweet revenge is seeing the maple trees wake from their sleep. Cold nights and warm sunny days cause the sap to run. The harvest season can run anywhere from 10 days to a month, until the trees start to bud. 

There is that JOY of feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces while the wind is still blowing air at below zero temperature making our lips blue! Ah. soon. spring. will. come! 

As another beautiful sunset signals the end of this year's Spring Forward weekend, there is so much JOY to be relished. I lost an hour but gained countless memories that I will recall when I get that hour back in the fall.....