The garden might be in hibernation mode, but the neighborhood birds are active. They love that we didn’t get to the deadheading last fall. After dining on the seed heads, they play tag with each other before resting on the branches we didn’t prune. One of my favorites is a tiny green Anna’s hummingbird that loves to drink nectar from the Sarcococca Confusa (Sweet Box) outside our kitchen window before perching on the weeping Maple. It’s almost enough to keep me from my reading. Almost, but not quite.
I didn’t read quite as many books as normal in 2024. I noted down 52 titles, one for each week, though I know I read slightly more than that. I lost track when we were travelling. I hope to surpass that number this year. Here’s what I’m reading this month.
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
One Way Back by Christine Blasey Ford
Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto by Kolei Saito
Books read to date in 2025: 4
I love watching the Anna’s this time of year too. I marvel at how they survive the winter here.
Me too, Debra. And I always wrestle with whether or not to put out a feeder for them, especially when the temperatures fall. I don’t, preferring instead to make sure there’s enough plant material to support them. But I marvel at their endurance!