Penny Sanford Porcelains: Oh, for the Energy of a Hummingbird!

Actually, the hummingbirds have been here on the farm in Mississippi for about a month, I think. The days tend to blur in the spring when the farm is jacked up on chlorophyll.

One day the daffodils are breaking through the cold ground, then we are out pruning and primping the trees and setting out more, feeling like THIS year we will finally get on top of all the outdoor work we need to do.

Then a drop of rain comes to nurture the trees we have just set out as well as the flowering shrubs or plants we have moved. That first rain give us such a cozy feeling of accomplishment as the rain "sets" the plants in the soil, almost guaranteeing their survival for this year.

Then we blink, and there have been dozens of rain showers (or rain storms), and the farm explodes with growth.

Weeds and good grass overwhelm us, growing faster than a bush-hog and riding lawn mower can eat. I annually long for a small herd of sheep or a few beef to fatten on the abundant growth.

This year has revealed itself beautifully. The blooms have been especially luscious, and the plants have invented concocted thousands of new shades of green. The color show makes me want to break out my oils and canvas...but there is never enough time.

I've resumed my affair with Mr. Roundup, and I find myself even spraying the gravel driveway because the grass and weeds threaten to reclaim even the driveway and parking areas.

Soon, the summer drought will put the brakes on this surging growth. When the heat drives us inside for the majority of each day, we will continue to watch the hummingbirds feed and marvel at the power in those tiny wings.

I wish I could borrow their metabolism for a few months...or permanently.

These pictures were shared with me via email a couple of years back. I ran across them again and saved them to share with you when our hummingbirds returned. I don't know who took these pictures or who posed with the hummingbirds.

Then dear friend Honey Johnston in Columbus shared this site which has photographed a hummingbird nest from egg to first flight. This site chronicles several years of the life in a hummingbird family.

We have a hummingbird nest that was blown out of shrubbery by a storm. It still held its precious cargo of eggs. The parents would not return to the nest, so we saved nest and eggs.

I'll share that picture with you later. I also want to share a picture of our first peony of the year.

May your day be blessed with the energy of a hummingbird!