Random 5 for May 2, 2021 – Front door, walking, hugs, change, birds

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It’s been a little too cold to fill the planters but here is the new door!

The fruits of my labor – Here is a picture of my freshly painted front door. The brass door knocker wasn’t installed yet but it’s on now. It’s the third house I’ve had with a red door. I also had a teal door on one house and I loved that too. I avoid white like the plague!

Finally! – This past week I got out to explore the neighborhood. I didn’t go far as I didn’t have a lot of time. The streets are narrower than my previous neighborhood making walking a little more dangerous. I also lived on a cul-de-sac so the traffic was almost non-existent. There are no sidewalks so you have to be careful. However the bursting glory of spring more than made up for it.

Hugs! – I got my first official hug yesterday from a friend. We have all been vaccinated and the feel of soft cuddly flesh was delightful (and I’m not even a touchy-feely person!). Deprived of something long enough and you will miss it.

There’s something about spring – It’s been a tough winter. Moving, snowstorms, bizarre weather patterns all made it less than ideal. Just when I thought I had made the wrong decision, spring burst forth with a beauty all her own. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who take gardening seriously and their yards are a joy. My only disappointment is that the birds aren’t as excited about my offerings here. They like the  suet cakes best. I have two sunflower feeders. One the squirrels empty with regularity but the other, which is truly squirrel proof, rarely gets used. I’m surrounded by a lot of wooded areas so maybe the food is so plentiful they don’t need my meager offerings.

This is a northern flicker. It’s a type of woodpecker. I don’t remember seeing them at my old house but they are regulars here.

But speaking about birds – I have seen some different varieties here. I’m not even sure what they are. Multiple species of woodpeckers who LOVE my suet and many speckled birds. At my old house I had mostly cardinals and finches. I will have to pull out my bird book and look up what I’m seeing.

So how was your week?

78 thoughts on “Random 5 for May 2, 2021 – Front door, walking, hugs, change, birds”

    • No one was at the feeder all week. I finally went to check. It’s one of those squirrel proof ones that works on bird weight. Something (maybe a nut) fell out of the bottom so it permanently didn’t let any bird eat. I fixed it but I think I owe them!

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  3. Now, I want a red door and hugs from my friends, too! We’re still in lockdown where I am, so I’m missing them extra these days. I love your content, Kate. (New follower here!) Planning to read your older posts and learn from them, how to write and tells stories better. -Marie

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  4. A freshly painted door makes a huge difference. Thank you for the reminder, Kate. And, yes, I agree with the “bursting glory of spring…” The northern flicker is exceptionally beautiful. I do notice birds more often on my walks. Nothing unusual, so far.

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  5. I always liked the pictures you showed of your last door and porch. Very pretty. I’ve never seen a Flicker, but just learned a few weeks ago that the jungle-like noises I hear while walking at the Park are that of Flickers. I’d wondered – they sounded like chimpanzees to be honest. As of today, I am considered fully vaccinated – though I likely won’t stray far or garner any hugs, it feels good to feel safer in our state which still has high COVID stats.

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  6. I’m glad you’ve got some charming birds in your new neighborhood! I love your door. So interesting that you had a teal door. I don’t remember if you ever read a post I wrote a long time ago about my mom’s turquoise door. It was her pride and joy, but as a kid I wasn’t that fond of it on that house that was pink brick. Teal is darker, though, than turquoise, right?

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  9. That woodpecker is beautiful. Overall I’m not a fan of any of them having spent hundreds of dollars to repair the damage they caused to this house. Your front door is lovely. I’m a sucker for red doors. Very nice.

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  11. Love the Elizabeth Arden look of it!!!! And the cat puts it over the top. And I love the Flicker. I haven’t met one of those yet, but maybe I will. I get a lot more bird friends at this house.

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  13. I love your red door, Kate. It’s really beautiful. I hope you might share another photo after you get those lovey planters filled. I can see that your entry will be very welcoming. And it’s interesting to hear that you have different birds in this neighborhood, as I think you indicated you didn’t move that far from the original home? How fun to find new feathered friends.

    When I gave my niece the first hug following immunizations, I cried! It felt so wonderful. 🙂

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  14. Your door looks inviting like it’s just waiting for someone to knock.
    The flicker looks like it’s wearing a crocheted vest. Give the birds some time, they will find your feeders.
    Remember, when there are no sidewalks, walk facing the traffic!

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    • I’m hoping the birds will come. We got the bigger birds for the suet but I stopped putting that out for the summer. I used to fill my feeders (3 of them) every day at the old house. Now it’s maybe every third day and one of them doesn’t get much traffic at all.

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  15. That flicker is amazing. It looks like it’s wearing armor with holes punched in it. I like your red front door. I chose the same color. We had a few hugs son my sister’s birthday. It felt good. It’s good to be vaccinated.

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  17. Your red door is beautiful…my favorite color door. Looks warm and friendly. Like you, my plant boxes aren’t replenished yet. You’re a good painter.

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    • I like it best. The siding is painted a dark charcoal and I can’t change that so I have to work with the brick colors. There are some black, yellow and purple doors but I liked the red the best. Makes the brick pop.

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  24. Oh lucky you……I have always been a hugger……and I’ve been hug-deprived for so long I can’t WAIT to get into that again! Your door looks fabulous – perfect shade of red…..I bet you can’t wait to have something in your planters – they will perfectly frame that door. Funny how birds visit one place and not another even if they’re in the same block. Our neighbor sees birds at her feeders that don’t come to ours. I think it may be the food on offer but the squirrels around here love EVERYTHING no matter WHAT it is!

    Hugs, Pam

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  25. Looks like you’ll be featured soon on a Tuesday’s Door post from someone! Great color. Congrats on the hug; I’ve seen some “safe” ones on TV that involved lots of padding between people (or plastic) and it sure didn’t look like a hug to me. – Marty

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  26. Your hug from your friend sounds wonderful! The last week of this month I get to hug my long time dear friend all through grade school, high school and college. She will be visiting here from Missouri. I can’t wait after hearing how delightful it was for you! Your door is a beautiful color of red! Can’t wait to see your planters filled with happy flower faces!

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    • I was at the garden center this week for something else and they didn’t have their HUGE supply of flowers yet. I’m going to try the big angel wing begonias. They did well at the last house and I think I have the same sun orientation and shade. We’ll see. It’s always a challenge as to what works and what doesn’t get eaten.

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  30. There is a very cool, easy to use app for your phone called Merlin, from Cornell University. It helps identify birds with pictures or descriptions. I love it. They use the data to keep an eye on various species, etc.

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  31. I envy you the beautiful birds. We have a wren, robin, blackbirds, starlings, sparrows, the occasional tit, fieldfare and pigeons, so a lot better than when we first moved here. The flicker is stunning. Love the door.

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  32. Very cool flicker. We have almost exclusively cardinals and sparrows. A little variety would be nice! Enjoy exploring your new neighborhood. I’ve been a bit of a slug on walking since my foster dog got adopted. Gracie isn’t a huge fan of walks, but Buddy was ready to get out any time of day. I may have to get another foster dog to get me moving!!

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    • We had sparrows and chickadees but by far more cardinals and finches than anything else! Occasionally we’d get a flock of robins come through. They would muddy up the bird bath and strip any berries off of trees.

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    • At the old house every once in a while we’d get a strange bird flying through that we didn’t normally see. One summer we had a parakeet that must have gotten out. He’d come to my feeder every day at 4 until he didn’t come anymore. Often wondered what happened to him. He wouldn’t have survived the winter here.

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  36. I love your flicker. I had not heard of them before. We had the driest and frostiest April on record, so Spring is late here as well. It is fun exploring a new place and seeing if people match their gardens..

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