INCOMING......

RAH, RAH, RAH BOOM BEE AYE!

Ra, ra, ra boomde-aye - ra, ra, ra, boomde-aye...the bees are baaaaack! I'm so happy, I want to organize a parade! I think I'll talk to the mayor about that. If there's a parade celebrating St. Joseph's Day and the Return of the Swallows in San Juan Capistrano, California, then why not have one for St. Patrick's Day and the Return of the Honey Bees in Lakeland, Georgia?! After all, the honey bee is Georgia's state insect. And I can see why! Never have I  lived any place with more bee activity than here.  Even in the winter, on a sunny day, you can find an occasional straggler here and there. There are very few days - even in the winter - when the bees are not out. But, when they come back, they are all here and accounted for.

While I had my head in the clouds, looking up into the tree for bees, I noticed a hawk circling overhead, most likely one of the many red shouldered hawks we see here.

It was so amazing! I unsuspectedly stepped outside to retake some photos of my crocheted Irish lady when I was literally bombarded with all this beauty: the sun was shining (after a few dreary, rainy days) all the bees were buzzing overhead in the ornamental pear tree's blossoms, birds were chirping and playing, hawks circling overhead in the blue sky - it was Nature's Paradise at its best...what a glorious day to be alive!!!

I wasn't going to blog at all this morning, but I knew I had to do it while I'm still overwhelmed with all this beauty.

While I was looking up, I noticed some black birds spying on me...

This is the view from the back of my apartment over the roof to the other blooming Ornamental Pear tree. I'm blessed with having two, big blooming trees near my windows, one in the front and one in the back and the buzzing of the bees in them brings joy to my heart.

Then this fat and sassy Cardinal had the nerve to sit all photogenic in the blooming branches and before I could properly zoom in on him, he flew off into the next tree that's still rather bare.

He then hoped on the ground to collect some seeds from my neighbor's bird feeding station and here he is once more, on the ground, looking at me as if to say:

"What are you looking at?"

Now I owe Gizzy a walk! What a wonderful way to start the day. I just had to share it with you, especially if you're not feeling all that great today, as a little reminder that beauty can be found in the most unsuspecting and smallest things - if you only stop and take the time to look!

REMEMBER:   Take time to enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back only to discover that they were really the big things!