These Boots Were Made For Bluebells ...

“Sacred watcher, wave thy bells!

Fair hill flower and woodland child!

Dear to me in deep green dells ~

Dearest on the mountain wild.”

  ~ Emily Bronte

   ~1818-1848

  ~ “To The Bluebell”

This little girl may well be thinking, “These boots were made for bluebells!” as she merrily rambles through the beguiling bluebells blooming in early April near the banks of the Swabia Creek at Lock Ridge Park and Furnace Museum, Alburtis, Pennsylvania in this candid capture. She traipsed happily but carefully as to not crush the bluebells, also called grape hyacinth.

The blooming of the multitude of Lock Ridge bluebells is a clarion call of spring in the Lehigh Valley, drawing many people to photograph and glimpse their beauty in the span of the few weeks they bloom.

 

Lock Ridge Park is a park built around an historic iron ore blast furnace just outside Alburtis, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley. The park preserves portions of the former Lock Ridge Iron Works, which dates back to 1868. The 59-acre park was opened in August 1976.

 

 

 

Mergansers On The Eve Of Spring ...

“It is about five o’clock in an evening that the first hour of spring strikes ~ autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.”

     ~ Elizabeth Bowen

      ~ Irish novelist

      ~ 1899-1973

In the waning hours of winter, these common merganser drake & hen ducks dream of the arrival of spring in the early evening of the last day of winter ~ March 19, 2021 ~ in the waters of the Jordan Creek along the Jordan Creek Greenway at Covered Bridge Park, Orefield, Pennsylvania.

The common merganser or goosander is a large seaduck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia & North America. The common merganser eats fish and nests in holes in trees.

 

Think Spring ...

“For the winter is passed. The rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up. And the time of the singing of the birds has come.”

         ~ Song of Solomon 2: 11-2

I spotted this painted rock, which paints the hope and joy of spring with a canary songbird, nestled in a bird’s nest on a mid-March afternoon along the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania. With spring just around the corner, the winter is almost passed, hooray!

I’ve been lucky to see a good number of painted rocks along various trails, but I’ve never seen one so creatively presented in tangent with its meaning as this one, placed in a bird’s nest!

The sight harmonizes perfectly with the words from the Song of Solomon 2: 11-2 in the Holy Bible.

This painted rock is likely part of the The Kindness Rocks Project, which was founded by Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who wanted to spread encouraging messages to strangers by writing them on rocks she found on the beach. The practice spread and launched similar projects across the United States.

The grassroots project encourages people to leave rocks painted with inspiring messages along the path of life. People are encouraged to take one, share one or add to the pile. You can see just how much impact she’s made when looking up #TheKindnessRocksProject. Learn more about how to join the movement at http://thekindnessrocksproject.com.