The Mute Swan

Sometimes the Seasons get really pushy with each other, anxious to exercise their clout with Mother Nature. Saturday was one of those mid-winter days when Spring seemed to be testing the Mother's patience to see if she could sneak in a day or two ahead of her appointed time with her own idea of how the weather should go. I must say that Spring has spent an entire week with us, with, I think, her main goal to melt all of December's snow. Goal accomplished. The TV weather lady reported the other day that we have gone 18 days without moisture. The weather map for this new week shows Winter flexing her authority once again with more snow on the way.

Spring won't give in easily as March approaches either, for she will bring with her a cousin, Wind. I don't much like Wind. Not a weak maiden this time of year, she flexed her own muscles last week with a fierceness that she proudly uses. Tree Hugger Heather with her boss off on a ski trip, spent one evening sending alerts to her tree crews to be on stand-by for Wind's damage the next day.

While the week was quiet, there were some exciting moments. On Thursday while in Greeley running errands, I caught sight of large white spot on Bittersweet Lake, located in the middle of town, the center piece of a wonderful park. I knew instantly that is was a lone swan. So after tutoring Friday, I stopped by the park to photograph the swan.

He floats gracefully, elegantly, nonchalantly on the rough water, bouncing on the waves driven by the breeze. By the time I parked the car he was on the other side of the lake. I took this photo with the iPhone, but I had my Canon with the 300mm telephoto. While the breeze was chilly, I lingered pond-side to wait for him to come back across the water, and he did.

And while I waited, I watched the geese and the mallard ducks coming and going. As you can see, the lake is still iced over, so some of the fowl float on the the waves, while others rest on the ice, standing on one foot, heads tucked under their wings, resting, soaking in the sunshine.

I ponder the dormant cat-tails and listen to the red-winged blackbirds jabber. Childhood memories of our farm pond stream through my mind. We had a small pond that the wild ducks and geese made home. I was always asking dad to buy a pair of swans. He always said "no" because they would eat his prized water lilies. The neighbors had a pair of swans. Now I am content to visit the lone Swan on the lake in town. In this part of the country, he is a rare bird.

 After doing some research on swans, I am discovering that these swans here in northern Colorado are an anomaly. According to Audubon Society's web page, this swan is a mute swan and is not native to North America.

Instead, these swans were imported from Europe by parks and wealthy estates as curiosities. As other animals that have brought to the continent as pets, these birds established themselves in the wild; now Audubon refers to them as feral in large enough numbers to become nuances. They re hardly a nuisance here in northern Colorado.

In parts of Northeastern USA, they are even pests, probably much like the Canada geese which populate our parks by the thousands, some never migrating away. They like it here.

A lone male mallard duck. I do wonder where the ladies are.

So is this fellow a young bachelor, waiting to find his life's mate or is he the old boy who was here a few years ago with a mate? I don't know that this bird is male or female, but it is a wonderful, magical bird either way.

I've not given up looking for the pair of swans on the river yet, but they may be hard find as the river goes on a ways.

Saturday I loaded up the SUV with 3 rascally granddaughters and their mother and drove to Denver to miniature show. It was located at Jefferson County Fairgrounds, my childhood stomping grounds. The Lakewood Westernairs were holding the regular Saturday morning drill practice. As a kid, I belonged the Westernairs for a time. Perhaps you might have heard of them. Formed in the 1940s as an organization to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble, they rose to fame performing in parades and rodeos all over the country. They are known for their precision drill team work on horseback, having performed literally all over the world, including Calgary, Canada and Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, CA. So we lingered for a bit, watching the kids ride, taking instructions as they learn how to maneuver their horses into positions. More sweet memories for me.

The miniature show was a bit of a disappointment. No need to go into detail here.

It is rare that I get both daughters and all 5 grandchildren together in Denver. At Heather's suggestion, we visited a roadside park located west of Denver dedicated to my grandmother. I blogged about her some time ago, Visit Colfax Avenue web page to read the background on the Blue Star Memorial Parks, rest areas across the nation, honoring American Armed Forces.

Here is Abbie Duston's legacy: Jacob, 13; Lucy, 8; Elinore, 9; Lily, 3; and Nathan, 6 (proudly smiling to show that he has lost his first tooth). We did get pictures of all of us, but they are on another camera. I'll share when I get my copies.

These ladies show the formality, grace, and elegance of the flower shows of the past.

This week's mosaic honors my Aunt Margie who posed for an article in a local newspaper on the park and my grandmother. As the article explains there are actually two memorial parks joined together. I have written before about Abbie Duston's gardening expertise in the Denver area and nationally. She was a certified national flower flower show judge and coordinated the flower show at the Colorado State Fair. I have fleeting memories of the flower shows. I do remember she encouraged me create little flower arrangements to enter in the Lakewood flower show. I keep thinking that I should recreate this arrangement with the daffodils and pussy willows. I think I'd use artificial flowers so that it would be ever lasting. She wouldn't mind. In the next photo she is the lady on the right. I don't know what the occasion was or who the other lady is, but look how they are dressed in the mid 1950s. Proper ladies with purse and hat.

One of the many flower shows that Abbie Duston judged

We are getting itchy around here to get out in the Garden Spot. I noticed today that we have garlic coming up where we planted it last spring with not such good results since it should haven been planted in the fall. We are wondering what we left behind to sprout. It is very exciting to see how these new shoots will grow and develop--hoping that the Head Gardener does not forget that the sprouts are there and till them under. 

Thanks so much visiting. I hope you enjoyed my meandering. I appreciate your visits so much and enjoy reading about your adventures, too. 

Linking with Judith @ Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday. Join us.