Dave and I were sitting in the living room yesterday evening when he pointed out the window to show me a parakeet on the bird feeder. As we watched a second one landed, and I went to get the camera. By the time I got back, we had a third! I don't think I've ever seen so many on our feeders at once. They were chowing on those suet balls, and all in the middle of a sunshower.
I had to take the picture through our windows, which are a bit on the grimy side, because of course if I'd tried to open them, the birds would have flown off. Photography dilemmas!
The candytuft is blooming again...
...as is the aquilegia, or columbine. See the little ant on the middle flower?
We got some news yesterday about major changes coming to the library for the next school year. Basically the school is taking some of our space to make a classroom, and the head librarian has decided to change the arrangement of the collection as a result -- so we're going to need to pack up almost every single one of our 27,000 books and move them to different shelves. We'll do some additional weeding and reorganization as needed. It's going to be a gigantic job, and we can't begin until at least June 1, because we've got students using the resources until then. I get palpitations just thinking about it!
We got some news yesterday about major changes coming to the library for the next school year. Basically the school is taking some of our space to make a classroom, and the head librarian has decided to change the arrangement of the collection as a result -- so we're going to need to pack up almost every single one of our 27,000 books and move them to different shelves. We'll do some additional weeding and reorganization as needed. It's going to be a gigantic job, and we can't begin until at least June 1, because we've got students using the resources until then. I get palpitations just thinking about it!
That photo is fantastic! I love it! What a job it will be to make changes to the library. Should keep you busy for a long time.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yeah, it's going to wear us out, I think!
DeleteThat is going to be a huge job. I don't envy your back.
ReplyDeleteNormally by the time I grab the camera, the birds fly away.
I miss a lot of shots, believe me. It's physically impossible to have the camera hanging around my neck all the time!
DeleteThe photo, even through glass, is charming. Your garden is an oasis. That library renovation does NOT sound like fun. And it's the kind of thing, once known, you'd want to jump right into so you can feel in control. Fortunately, June isn't far off, but I don't envy you all that work.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we're already starting work on it, but there's SO much to do.
DeleteWell if the windows are grimy, they certainly don't show! I enlarged the picture as big as I could get and I am sure everything looked like raindrops! Great picture. On the other note, moving 27,000 books sounds like a horrendous job. I don't envy you.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the dirt on the window was successfully disguised to look like rain! LOL
DeleteYour Candytuft and Aquilegia are much further on than mine ! Shows how much warmer it is in the big city! ( you must only be about 20/25 miles south of here!)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we are a bit ahead -- and it feels freezing here. It was 37ยบ F last night!
DeleteWow! Changing the library like that sounds like loads of fun! A bit like a visit to Disneyworld.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be extremely tiring, and in that respect it's JUST like a visit to Disney World.
DeleteThat's a gorgeous picture of the ringneck parakeets in a sunshower! The title intrigued me and the pictures didn't disappoint. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do like the little sparkly raindrops. The light was just right.
DeleteI didn't know that you had parakeets there! I thought they were a tropical bird. Your columbine are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are tons of wild ones. They're an introduced species but they're amazingly adaptable and seem to be doing very well here.
DeleteBeautiful photo of the parakeets! Just stunning, and I would not have known that you shot it through a window if you hadn't told me.
ReplyDeleteYour task of moving 27,000 books was just the motivation I needed to re-shelve our 100 books back into the newly-painted bookcase in our den. Thank you for an all-round inspiring post.
Excellent! I'm glad I was motivational! Oh, I forgot to mention your Korean translation -- I'll do it in an upcoming post.
DeleteYou've got your work cut out for you! I wish I could move to London and work there with you in the library for the summer --
ReplyDeleteWe'd love to have you! (But actually, I won't be working all summer -- just a few weeks at the end of this school year and the beginning of next year. We think we can get everything done in that time frame. Fingers crossed!)
DeleteThe parakeets in the rain is a great shot!
ReplyDeleteThat will be some job, moving that much stuff around, no matter how much you weed out.
Yeah, it's going to be a drag, no question.
DeleteOh, those parakeets! How very weird it is that you get parakeets in London and yet, I've never, ever seen one in Lloyd. Or Tallahassee for that matter.
ReplyDelete27,000 books?! Good Lord. Are they going to pay for your chiropractic care?
There are TONS of wild parrots down in Tampa and environs. I believe they're monk parakeets there, as opposed to ring-neck parakeets here.
DeleteI get Curiosity Stream as part of my Roku programs. I paid for it. On it was a program titled, Parrot Nation. I hope that's right. It was a discussion of recent, last few years, parrot migrations. They pointed out that places like London where you can get snow, have parrots now. Some they can trace to pet shops that were turned free, but many more flew there on their own. No one knows why. London is not the only city that is experiencing that. Climate change? No one knows but it was odd to see large parrots in the trees in the snow.
ReplyDeleteTom
Interesting! I was under the impression that our parakeet flocks are the descendants of released pets. I didn't realize there were also parrots migrating more widely.
DeleteYour pictures are simply beautiful! Growing up, we had a green parakeet we named Joe and he could talk up a storm! LOL
ReplyDeleteAs for the Library rearrangement ... take a deep breath and just do NOT make a job [any job] more difficult then it has to be!
The Columbine is Colorado's State Flower!!
The library move is definitely a good example of a task that requires a bit-by-bit approach. If we think about it in its entirety it seems overwhelming. Is Colorado's columbine the same as ours? I wonder!
DeleteThey sure look like the same flower, Steve! Being the State Flower here, they are protected ... they grow wild and no picking!!
DeleteThose parakeets are so beautiful! I would love to look out the window and see such a sight.
ReplyDeleteOy, the library rearrangement sounds like a lot of work. I hope it doesn't get too crazy.
It still surprised me to see such exotic birds here!
DeleteYour photos are amazing! The parakeets look like a portrait painted! Cool!
ReplyDeleteCan you get some student or parent volunteers to help with that work? We always had helpers come in when we did big jobs like that. We rewarded them with food usually or they could pick a book from the removing pile. Good luck!
Yeah, we have students working at the school over the summer and I think they'll help move some of the books. But we have to get everything packed up and labeled correctly.
DeleteGorgeous flowers and I LOVE the parakeets in the sunshower. It sounds like you have got a big job ahead of you. I've been putting off the need to either replace my carpet or have it stretched. The amount of stuff I have to move to do that is a bit over whelming so I think I know how you feel.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had to have her carpet stretched a couple of years ago. I didn't even know that was a thing, but hers was getting ripples in it.
DeleteGreat photos. As for the library rearrangement/rebuild, would you normally have had the summer off when school closes? By the sounds of it, you won't get much time off once this reno starts. Don't envy you that gargantuan task. Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteActually, we're still getting our summer vacation, believe it or not. We're planning on spending a couple weeks packing everything up at the end of the school year, and it will be physically moved within the library during the summer by school workers. Then, in fall, we'll unpack and re-shelve it all before school opens. That's the theory, anyway.
DeleteParakeets in the wild? In England? I thought they only lived in warm climates or in captivity. Love the flowers but do NOT love the idea of moving all the books. By their nature, you're looking at many heavy loads. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteParakeets can tolerate much cooler temperatures than most people think! We have tons of them in London and they seem quite happy. They're an introduced species, not native to the British isles.
DeleteLove your parakeet photo! We have the same dilemma re: windows - but ours are grimier than yours (I am a slovenly housewife).
ReplyDeleteWell, your big project totally eclipses mine (new personnel database, possibly, maybe, at some future date).
I clean the windows once a year and it's one of my least favorite tasks.
DeleteThat is a great photo of the ringnecks. They're very adaptable birds, and have flourished many places.
ReplyDeleteThey certainly seem happy here, and they love our suet balls!
DeleteWhen we had our bookstore we tried to keep the books in alphabetical order by author. It was nearly an every evening job to reorder them after a day of customers. I grew tired of it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, organizing is a constant process in the library, too.
DeleteAdministrators don't seem to have any respect for Our turf.
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure! LOL
DeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI loved your post today and the parakeets are definitely doing some strange migration patterns but I don't mind if they don't lol, but last evening I was outside watching our geese head back to the near by lake/park and a blue parakeet flew straight over my head and landed on the rooftop of the apartment building across from us. I watched as it sat there until it became to dark to see and I sent him good vibes as I bid him goodnight. I think that he must have either escaped or been freed. He was a tiny little thing.
By the way your photos are just gorgeous and I think that I would not have ever thought that you had taken the photo thru your windows unless you had told me.
It has been a rather quiet day for us here in Nevada. My granddaughters uncle came and took her for the day to play with her cousins so I have been doing the relaxing thing.
Wouldn't it be delightful if the school employed a few students to help with the packing and moving of 27,000 books plus??? Extra credits or community volunteer programs or something to be of help.
I would have had a huge anxiety attack because that is going to be a heck of a job and a hard one at that. I will be thinking of you. Hugs xxxx
How strange about the blue parakeet! If you see him again, try to coax him down with some food. He might come to you if he's tame. As I understand it, freed pet parakeets very rarely survive in the wild, because they're so small and defenseless. (Unlike these big ol' parakeets in London, which are quite large.)
DeleteWe are going to get some student help with the actual, physical move, as I understand it.
Parakeets Photo, Flipping Amazing!!! Thank You
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it! :)
DeleteI love the photo of the parakeets on the birdfeeder. Nice shot! Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDelete