Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Wishing on the Sky

My wee toddler (almost three!) has a new saying. When he sees a bird he says, “There’s a bird. She’s wishing – she’s wishing on the sky.”


I think he may have gotten this idea from the enchanting picture book he so loves, Starlight Sailor, which plays off of the old poem, “Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight…”


Well, I think the birds must have something going on with that wishing on the sky.


I wish I may, I wish I might, see a sign of spring tonight.


Ah! I see catkins emerging in the late afternoon light.


On behalf of all northern gardeners, Thank You, little birds. We are thrilled you thought of us. Best wishes to you for a wonderful spring!

28 comments:

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

What a beautiful saying! Children are wonderful. :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Ms.S, What a delightful posting. Children always have such a magical way with words. Your pictures are lovely, and one really does now feel, half way through February, that the winter cannot go on for much longer.

Victoria said...

Beautiful post..with a magical feel! Whta a sweet story! I make wishes all the time...everything is magical ! Gorgeous dreamy pictures too! lovely!
Kiki~

sweetbay said...

The Pussy Willows are emerging up there already?!

When I was a child I loved birds. They are magical. :) I had a thing about wanting to fly.

Kyna said...

I love listening to kids, they always say neat little things lol.

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

OK, I am going to go wish on the sky, I really need spring!

miss m said...

Kids say the cutest things ! :)
(Wouldn't it be great to go back sometimes and see things the way they do).

I notice bird activity is picking up around here and that is so inspiring and up-lifting ! We definitely are getting there ! (Your catkin shots are great. Just look at the bokeh on the second pic !)

mmrilla said...

Ach! That's so adorable I can barely contain me squees. I'll never look at birds the same way.

The Ginger Darlings said...

And he will know that the reason the sun comes up into the sky each day is because the birds sing it to rise and in the evenings they sing it to sleep again.
I am working with James Mayhew on another book soon and then we hope to do 'Over the Hills and Far Away'.
Keep wishing.
best wishes
Jackie Morris

Anna said...

Out of the mouth of babes - much wisdom from your little man :)

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Rebecca: Aren’t they just! This is a magical time.

Edith: You are right, now that we are past the halfway mark of February I can feel spring softening things up. Yay!

Kiki: I still love wishing on stars – always will!

Sweetbay: Yes, pussy willows already! I am not sure what these trees are. They were along the southern edge of the woods and looked to be young Aspen Poplar (Populus tremuloides), although I could be wrong. About birds: Yes, I always thought they were magical as well. I tried to whistle like them (however awful I was at it, it was still fun!)

Kyna: It really is a fun time to hear what they come up with. My little guy has also begun saying, “No thank you, not today.” – to offers of breakfast, to getting dressed – you get the idea!

Deborah: Me too!

Miss m: I love bokeh! Especially when it sparkles. I hope eventually to have more control on how it looks. For now, it surprises and delights me when it really works.

Rilla: I tells ya – they keep getting cuter! It’s amazing how they put things together in their little universe.

Jackie: Thank you for stopping by! I look forward to any new projects you and James are working on. We are all completely enchanted with this most recent book. Best wishes in all your endeavours!

Anna: He continues to delight and amaze me. I think these truly are the wonder years. :)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Ms S ! Now that is going to be something I will think of for now on .. wishing on the sky (do you think it might work for the lottery ? LOL)
I don't have any pussy willow shrubs around us here .. you have me wanting to hunt some down and bring them inside to watch them unfold to those furry beauties : ) a scent that will take me back to childhood and how excited I would be thinking , after the pussy willows .. the amazing peeper frogs will start .. I miss them terribly .. your little one as deep thoughts at such a young age : ) that is precious !
Joy

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Dear Joy, I think I should follow-up with the chickadees on the lottery! :-)

It's amazing how we associate seasons with scents and sounds. The year may have passed and we couldn't say what colour our walls in our house were...but ask us what the season smelled and sounded like - and well - spring comes rushing back!

Diane said...

I love that he has taken that saying to his own heart. Gosh I hope a real cold snap doesn't occur or those poplars are going to be in trouble. Maybe we need to keep wishing upon the birds and the stars!

OF SPRING AND SUMMER said...

What a lovely story! Kids are so sweet! I love the close-up photographs of the branches! Well done! We are all longing for spring by now. Let it soon be here!
Have a lovely weekend. Love, Ingrid

kate smudges said...

It's always fun to try and figure out where kids come up with these cool sayings. They are priceless. It looks as if your birds are wishing harder than the ones here. I haven't seen any catkins appearing ~ but then again, it's hard to tell when everything is covered in yet another fresh coat of snow.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos & sweet sentiment Ms. S! Also in the north, spring can't get here soon enough for me!!

Naturegirl said...

Pussy willows! Surely a sign that Spring is in the air!!!

RURAL said...

Did I read that right? You live in Alberta, how did I miss that? Blogger has been hoarding my comments, and not showing them to me lately.

Jen

Unknown said...

So glad to see you have some signs of spring. We're still buried in snow, but I know spring will make its way here sometime in the next several months. There will be mud...

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Diane: I am going to keep wishing! Spring does seem early this year so I just hope we continue to drift into it – peacefully. :)

Of Spring and Summer: Thank you for your kind words, Ingrid. A lovely weekend to you!

Kate: I was so amazed when I saw them from about 10 ft away; little white specks. When I got closer (off the path and through the deep snow) I was so glad I had my camera with me. So far, it is just that south-facing patch of trees but the other Aspen seem not far behind. Let’s hope for the best!

Anartistsgarden: It is a long winter for us northern gardeners…we need all the hope we can get! :-)

Naturegirl: They are my favourite early sign. I hope to get to the farmer’s market soon and see if they have bunches for sale. I like to fill my vases with them and put them around the house. They just cheer me right up – and they do remind me of kitty cat toes!

Muddy Boot Dreams: Jen, for the most part January and February have been relatively mild – by Alberta standards – so here’s hoping it stays that way!

Jodi: Yes, there is the mud to think of…after the slush. :) Here’s wishing you see some soon!

Muhammad khabbab said...

What a lovely story. And what a lovely thought. Your photos are excellent. I

Esther Montgomery said...

I'll be wishing on a sky from now on.

Esther

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi. I wandered into here from Liz at Gwirrel's Garden and have had a lovely time reading your posts and admiring your lovely photos!

I live in the next town to where Liz lives, but we're higher up. It's been very cold and snowy here this winter...in fact it's snowing again now, so our plants are even further behind than Liz's!

I do know that spring will come .....it just seems like it's still a long way off!

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Mhuammad: Thank you. Full credit to my little guy’s imagination for the topic. :-)

Dirty Girl Gardening: Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words!

Esther: Me too. I will remember to tell my little guy about this when he is older so he can carry this new family tradition on. :)

Nutty Gnome: Welcome! We too have lots of snow so spring does seem a long way off. I am finding the most subtle of signs right now – another of which, I think, is an increase in bird songs and the activities of the local deer. I don’t think we will be seeing flowers and such any time soon, but I will take what I can get and any soft days are most welcome.

Anonymous said...

Ms S~~ Thank you for visiting my blog. I see from your weather sidebar widget that you're above freezing today. Hopefully this will lure those tentative buds from their hibernation. Ah yes, the heart of a three year old, so tender and innocent.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Grace: Hi, and welcome! Yes, it is a particularly warm February this year. It makes it so much nicer for getting outside to find the little signs of the imminent change of season - as I will not be seeing them in my garden for some time yet. But I dream! :-)

Ruthie Redden said...

How very sweet your little one is! that is so cute and what a wonderful book to be inspired by, aren't jackie's illustrations just perfect x