Hope

You may be wondering why I would name a painting of a bluebird house “Hope?” Well I am so glad you asked! Before I explain, I want to welcome newcomers here (“Welcome!) and share the purpose of this blog and post.

Small Spaces Special Places

Each year, I choose a theme to follow for my weekly paintings. This year’s theme is “Small Spaces Special Places.” One of the reasons I chose this theme is I have been surprised, even delighted, with the small spaces in our house that have captured my eye. For example, our hall bathroom has beautiful light streaming in. So the first week of this year, I shared that painting in a post here.

I also love to venture out on walks with our dog everyday. You would be amazed at the glimpses of beautiful moments I see. Sometimes I take a photo to reference. Other times, I just make a mental note. But everyday, rain or shine, I love getting outdoors and looking for glimpses of special places.

This Week

This week I didn’t have to go far to decide what I wanted to paint. Why? Well, lots of people dread January because of it’s post Holiday vibe and dark and stormy days and nights. But, I have several reasons why I look forward to January with hope and anticipation every year. Yes, even this year when we experienced such outrageous and horrible behavior at the Capitol Building, just a week ago.

But first a little bit of a back story. From 2014-2019, my husband, dog and cat(s) ventured up to Philadelphia. I enrolled and attended Studio Incamminati, a top notch art school offering a 4 year, intense training in drawing and painting skills. I am so grateful I had this opportunity!

But everyday I was in Philadelphia, I missed the bluebird house in our front yard. Really? Really! Why?

Why and Hope

I/we have had a bluebird house in our front yard, ever since we first were married and moved to Durham, NC. I will never forget the comment my neighbor made when I was putting the house up in our front yard. She said, “I have lived in this neighborhood for over 25 years and I have never seen a single bluebird here. Good luck with that!”

I figured I might as well give it a try. Guess what? Within days of putting that little house up on a wintry day in January, I had visitors. And, that spring, we had at least 2 broods. That was over 20 years ago. And, we are lucky to have had as many as three broods in one season ever since.

That, dear reader, is one of the many reasons I missed our home in Raleigh. And, it’s also the reason why I love January. Just this week, a bluebird couple did a flyby visit to our bluebird house. Yippeee! We can all be going to h-e-double-toothpick amidst the madness of 2021, and yet Mother Nature and her mighty bluebirds continue to delight and do what they will do. If that’s not a moniker for hope, I don’t know what is!

Audubon

We also have lots of other bird visitors. Such as? At least twice a week for the past three months, we hear our resident Barred Owls. And, wowza, they have done some major serenading this past fall. I heard two calls just this evening around 6:30 p.m. Curious? Here’s what they sound like.

I recently received an old copy of Audubon’s beautiful book of American bird paintings. This gift inspired me to copy Audubon’s version of the Barred Owl surprising a squirrel on a branch.

Here’s my copy of his wonderful painting. I think I enjoyed painting the squirrel almost as much as the owl!

Interested in seeing the original? Here it is right here. And, if you are experiencing the blues for whatever reason (yup, there are plenty) read this fantastic and inspiring article about the incredible life of Audubon.

Predator and Prey

By the way, it’s not lost on me that on a bad day, a bluebird could be prey for the Barred Owl or it’s day time rival the Red-tailed hawk. I would be sad but recognize the ever present need for each of these amazing creatures to eat and sustain themselves. Your house cat, however? Please, keep it inside! I can’t tell you how much data there is on what domestic cats are doing to the wild bird population in the US.

Let’s stay on topic with birds, shall we? If you think you would like to have a bluebird house in your yard, please do so-hooray! Just know that there are certain features that attract bluebirds to this house including the size of the opening and lack of a perch. Here’s a link to purchase and also support the Audubon Society.

Here’s one of my favorite books about Bluebirds. You may be able to check this book out at your local library, too.

Food and Water

Some people ask me what food I offer to our resident bluebird family. We could offer meal worms or suet but we don’t. That’s right! We attract bluebirds but we don’t offer special or expensive bird food.

How do we do that? Let me share the ways. We do not use any chemicals on our lawn or in our garden. Nor do we spray for mosquitoes. We do subscribe to planting native plants and hope to create a Homegrown National Park here in our small yard. We DO place our bluebird house where we can see it and monitor it. (Details on how to monitor bluebirds are outlined in the book I mentioned in the previous paragraph.) And, when I say monitor, I mean -> lift open the door and peak in to see the little baby bluebirds. Eeee! This is such a thrill! Before you do this, please do read about the importance of timing in the book I mentioned above.

We do keep fresh water in a small bird bath near the house (ours and the bluebird’s). And, the bluebird house is near a lovely dogwood tree where male and female bluebirds can dive bomb bugs (much to our viewing delight) for themselves and they’re hungry brood.

Free Entertainment

One of the most thrilling aspects of hosting a bluebird family is ‘fledging.’ We have witnessed the teeny baby bluebirds poking their heads out of the box, testing their wings and making their first flight! It’s a fantastic moment. And, it’s a delight to witness the ‘youngsters’ flourish in the weeks following their fledging.

Bluebird Hope

So there you have it, dear reader. Bluebird houses and their mighty residents equal hope, don’t you think? If you enjoyed this week’s painting and post, please subscribe to get a weekly dose of color and hope.

Here are this weeks’ paintings. The “Hope” bluebird house painting is tiny (~2 inches by 3 inches). It’s available for $10…yay! Just contact me here if you want to buy it.

Here’s a link to a larger image if you would like to take a closer look. And, here’s a link to a larger image of the Audubon copy, too.

Your favorite

How about you? What is your favorite sign of hope? Is it a bird? If so, what kind? Please share your favorite …anything…in the comments below. And, thank you for reading today!