Saturday, May 9, 2009

I Am a Big Red Flower

Yesterday the rain let up for a few hours, allowing me to finally transplant the last of the seedlings--rosemary, basil, fennel, parsley, spinach, more tomatoes (I mean really, does one ever have enough?), tomatillos, poblano peppers, and eggplant. I played in the dirt until I was as muddy as the porch, but since the clouds started blowing over again, I figured the coming rain would wash my mess on the deck away.

Standing on the porch and admiring my finished project, and while I was talking to my mom on the phone, a tiny hummingbird flew up to check me out. It hovered about a foot away from me, at the level of my stomach. I could see its facial markings and individual iridescent body feathers.

I was astonished that it would come so close and hover for so long. It was staring at me. Then I must have imagined seeing an imperceptible shake of its head, and it zipped away.

It was only later that I realized I was wearing a bright red shirt. The hummingbird must have thought it had stumbled upon the biggest feast it had ever seen.

2 comments:

THIS, THAT AND EVERYTHING said...

OK - so make some homemade stuff and it will come back year after year - clear, not red!!!! I've already had to refill my feeder once.

Hannah said...

And to think somebody told me it was too early for our little buzzing friends! I'd better get my feeders filled.