Spring and other things

With Spring in the air and the lack of moisture and unusually warm weather, I have been able to get out of doors and peruse the grounds for signs of life.  Wow!  There is so very much green everywhere.  All of the flowers are up and the trees are leafing out and the blooming trees are showing off their new duds. ( I have been quilting and off to Rawlins to see lots of old friends while the Mr. was playing in a tournament.)  And did I mention the green dandelions?  Yuk!  Comes with the territory.  Also with spring come the birds.  Although the birds which migrate are showing up, we have had some residents all winter.  Above is a crow, one of a pair that has visited our yard nearly every day for bits of food and water which we keep available all winter.  What is unusual about this crow is that it has only one foot.  It has both legs, but the left foot is gone and we have watched this bird with it's mate for months now, gather whatever it eats (we feed chicken scratch to the birds), drink from the water source and perch on the fence above.  It is always accompanied by it's mate and they keep watch often from the top of a light pole near the corner of our backyard. When we first spotted it this winter, we had doubts that it would survive, but it seems to be doing just fine.  So with spring here and summer fast approaching, we will continue to marvel at mother nature and how she provides in spite of the struggle faced by some of our fellow creatures.