You are so kind....

It's almost the end of April.  The bluebirds that were actually starting a nest a few days ago disappeared for two days during the cold spell we had.  I saw them briefly yesterday; the female was on top of the nest box and the male was on his perch in the crab apple tree.  I have not seen them today.  I did, however, see a female downy woodpecker investigating the nest box.  I'm still holding out for the bluebirds but I would take a pair of downy woodpeckers because I've never had woodpeckers nest in a box I could get to.  I also have not seen any hummingbirds this season.  My Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle is in full bloom, we have many large patches of native columbine and the Wiegelas are both starting to bloom.  All three plants are hummingbird favorites but I've not seen any so far.  We don't put out hummingbird feeders until late August because we have so many spring and summer blooming plants for them which leads me to my next subject.

Every once in a while someone does something above and beyond for you, something so sweet and unexpected that it just makes your day.  I have lunch a few times a year with an engineer I used to work with.  We've remained friends even though we've not seen each other for years at a stretch.  I recently had some medical problems and as soon as I felt up to it, we had lunch.  She brought me the most beautiful hydrangea to plant in my yard.  She's thoughtful that way.  This is the card I sent to thank her. 

Paper: Beckett Candlelight; Little Miss Muffet Digital Emily Rose Hatter; Spellbinder Labels Four, Spellbinder Grand Labels Four; Copics: [Skin E000, E00, E93][Dress BV0000, BV01, E40, E42, E43][Hair Y0000, Y13, Y11][Hat E40, E42, E43, BV0000, BV01, BV02, BV04, BV00], Karen Foster Rub-On, Imaginisce Rhinestones, Glossy Accents, Stickles Stardust, Prima Flowers, CC Designs Leafy Branch.  I printed the image twice, cut one hat out and popped it up on top of the finished image.