Sunday, June 19, 2011

Color is Light

It is well-accepted  belief that light has a direct effect on our mood and behaviour. If we in Newfoundland had to rely on sun light as our only source of light we would be one cranky lot of people. In the absence of regular rays of sun, nature has provided us with an array of other colors that serve to lift our spirits and keep up motivated until a real stretch of sun's light and warmth comes our way. (Forecasts suggest that this may be within the next ten days:)
 In mid-May the early Spring perennials bravely poked their heads above the earth's bounds and began to spread their color around the city. It was on an unexpectedly bright evening during a walk around Long Pond that I came across these beautiful flowers spreading joy.

For a short while I was fooled into thinking that this Spring might be different from the rest. What was I thinking?  Too many years of experiencing extended periods of Capelin weather should have taught me better. (I heard yesterday that the Capelin are already rolling in Holyrood. Maybe, that clears the way for a turn for the better with more sun and higher temps on the horizon.)

 The richness of color of the many Spring flowers touches the soul and washes away the long Winter doldrums. What a much needed boost! 

With time other colorful creatures of Nature begin to show up to spread the joy.
 This cluster of colors reminded me of the parallel of colors between plant life and bird life. Reds and yellows are prevalent light catchers of Spring.
 Never has yellow looked so vibrant as it does on this American Goldfinch feeding just outside my window. Shooting through the window pane I was able to capture the fresh colors. In Winter the American Goldfinch is a dull brownish yellow and gradually over the early days of Spring the dull colors are replaced by this sunburst of yellow.
 It is such a delight to be able to view this from my kitchen table. There is no doubt that it always lifts my spirits.
Even though I am inside, this little bird is ever vigilant making sure that I don't come too close.  It seems to be saying, "Look, but don't touch."
Then, last week I was so pleased to find that I now have a regular visitor of a male Purple Finch showing up on my deck. It is like a rainbow if forming just for me.

The time is now to enjoy all of these amazing colors because as the days go by so will the freshness of the spring burst of color and it will fade into a more dull hue. That is just the cycle of life and by that time, hopefully, the sun will have decided to bring all the light we need. Until then I will continue to soak in all of the colors that Nature brings my way.

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