The view out of my bay window is particularly beautiful at this time of year. The rhododendrons and azaleas are in bloom. That means a mix of magenta and orange blossoms. That also means that the hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies, and bumble bees are out in full force.

What fun it is to look out the window at meal time and watch the picture that nature provides! Of course, there are the deer. We have only seen one doe and fawn but I am sure there are others out there. The little fawn was so cute. It ran back and forth just playing while we watched it.

The birds are another story. We have tons of goldfinches that visit our two feeders. They spill a lot of seeds, but oh well, it is fun to see them as they visit the feeder each day. At times the whole Rose of Sharon bush is alive with goldfinches flying here and there and waiting their turn on the branches for a chance to get to the seed. The Rose of Sharon has not yet got all of its leaves so we are able to see the branches.

We also have a bluebird who comes for seed. We have seen him several times, but I think we must have a pair of them because he returns to eat. We also have orioles. Don brought his oriole feeder up here this year so that we can watch them. They are such pretty birds. We have several pairs of them since we see the brightly colored ones and the duller ones each eating.

Hummingbirds circle the feeders as well as the flowers that are in blossom.

This morning as we had our morning coffee on the porch the hummingbirds buzzed around not paying much attention to us.

I am hopeful that there are no bears around to destroy our feeders. I used to feed birds all of the time but gave it up the year a bear destroyed all of my feeders. Last year we saw one bear lumber through the yard, but that was fairly late in the season.

Well, guess what! A couple nights ago a bear took out the oriole feeder and tipped over the hummingbird feeder. We will continue to feed the birds, but we will take our feeders in every night now.

As soon as the rhododendron and azaleas are done blooming, I have to trim the bushes so that we can see out of the window better. They are getting so tall that it is hard to see the cars that pass by. Even as we sat at the little bistro table the other morning with our cups of coffee the burning bushes obscured our view. They will be trimmed as well.

I still have snowball bushes and hydrangeas left to blossom. They are filling out the stalks with leaves at this point and will bloom later. The Rose of Sharon will blossom later as well. This bush reminds me of my uncle. He came over one day with all of the little starters for the bushes. We have several planted at different spots and they are all doing well.

I also have columbines beginning to bloom. Dick bought some pink ones and we got the purple ones from my cousin and her husband several years ago when they pulled them out of their garden. They seem to propagate on their own because I now have plants in nearly all of my flower beds.

Nature is magnificent. To be able to observe it is truly a gift. I enjoy all of the living things that call my yard home. While I am not an expert gardener, I can enjoy what is planted.

The scene out my bay window changes with the seasons. In the fall the trees sport their bright colors for us to marvel at. We also watch the squirrels hiding nuts to be ready for the winter months. During the winter we watch the deer and squirrels play. One squirrel kept popping up as he slipped through the snow. Every once in a while, he came up – for air, I think.

The deer often just lay in the yard resting. It is not unusual to look out and see a couple of them there. This morning I awakened one when I returned the bird feeders. They are not a bit afraid of the dogs. The dogs just kind of co-exist with them not bothering them in the least.

We often see rabbits as well. They seem to know just exactly how far they can come into the yard. My dog has a collar that stops him from going up into the backyard. They sit just out of reach.

In the spring we watch the trees coming into bud with the leaves erupting ever so slowly. By the time the leaves are out we cannot even see our neighbors.

The bay window was a compromise. My husband at the time wanted to change out the two windows that had been in the kitchen. I was all for that because you could not open those windows. They had been painted shut. I rather liked the look of the old windows and hoped to exchange them for new ones with the same look. He did not want that so we compromised. I said we could change them if I got a bay window. The decision was made and a bay window was installed. I am so glad I stuck to my guns and opted for the bay window. There is just so much to see when you look out the bay window at Hickory Heights!

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.