Seasons changing are bittersweet for us. Spring turning to summer means the beginning of relatively reliably beautiful weather, summer fruits and vegetables and the coming of the hummingbirds to the Colorado mountains.
Watching hummingbirds any summer is good for the soul. Watching the aggressive ones chase away the docile ones or battling for position. Watching the quiet ones swoop in without being noticed to feed. Watching their wings and listening to their purrs, whirs and chirps brings a smile. This particular summer, observing them has been even more therapeutic with all the world around us seemingly gone awry, astray and askew.
It’s been a long, dry and beautiful summer in the Colorado mountains (too dry unfortunately, bringing high fire danger and several large fires clearing swaths of pinebeetle killed trees from our landscape along with a lot, lot more). As summer begins to wane and days grow shorter, some of our hummingbirds have already left, venturing south for the season. There are holdouts lingering or perhaps new arrivals from the north on their way southbound. Nonetheless, we’ve enjoyed their brilliant greens, blues and occasional reds and oranges this year more than ever.
As those colors fade we will embrace and welcome the bright greens and golds and occasional reds and oranges of fall.
The Traveling Ridleys: Sunday Journal 