Getting Stitched on the Farm

Swooping Swallows

Tuesday evening, after settling into reality after a long holiday weekend - life, school and stitching, I decided I must attack the weed situation in some of my gardens. The sheep were still on the lawn – I had lots of company. After settling into the routine of bending, yanking and tossing, I began to notice a noise. It was if a symphony had arrived. The evening was beginning and I was at my own private Tanglewood with the BSO playing for me. I sat down amongst the weeds to assess the situation.

Birds came swooping from all directions like little jet planes dive bombing my garden. It was dinner time and they were catching bugs. I ran for my camera and sat very still and tried to take pictures. The swallows were quicker than my fingers and so I just started snapping. (I can’t stand the delay on my digital camera). After about thirty pictures, I lost my patience and decided to just watch and listen. By then, Mark and Julia had joined me. Mark, having grown up on a proper farm, knew that the birds were barn swallows. We all watched as the birds continued singing and diving. A few moments later, Julia picked up the camera and started flipping through the pictures. Honest, as only a child can be, she said, “Mommy – did you mean to take all these pictures of sky?” I responded, “No, honey, I was trying to take pictures of the birds – didn’t I get any?”

It was only later, after putting the photos on my computer, hoping that I had captured some of the swooping swallows, that I noticed the clouds and the greyish blue shades in the evening sky. And yes, those little black specs are barn swallows. No wonder I was taught to draw them like that when I was a child.

It’s funny how sometimes you just don’t notice the nuances of nature when you are amongst it. It takes a camera to capture what is going on around you. When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do in the summer was to lie on the grass and watch the clouds swirl. I must remember to take some time this summer to do the same with Julia.