7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper
“The daily hummingbird assaults existence with improbability.” – Ursula K. Le Guin
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7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper
“The daily hummingbird assaults existence with improbability.” – Ursula K. Le Guin
paintandsimple 
Oh, wow! Hummingbirds are my favorite birds. This year they flew away, when a ext-door neighbor ‘s talented friend started repairing ATVs on their lot while the owners were in Mexico, several a day and revving up the motors high, from 9 am to 9pm. The decibel level can kill butterflies and birds (not so good for human hearts either). We found a way to welcome this neighbor’s friend, affirm his talents, and see if could talk together about the environmental impact of high decibels, expressing concern even for the future impact on his own hearing. (Not to mention petroleum smoke wafting over the fence into organic gardens). We shared a notice from a national environmental group asking neighborhoods to be quiet during the Spring season, or baby birds would likely not make it out of their shells. Other neighbors had also observed that butterflies were absent from the butterfly gardens this year and appealed to participation in caring for them. The lovely solution was that we all communicated how much we welcomed the new neighbors, and individually shared the good impact in this neighborhood not zoned for industry. The neighbor’s friend continues with his creative repair work, but now takes the ATVs into the countryside to rev the noisy motors high. One new hummingbird couple has returned, and a Cardinal family joins me when I pick figs (they get all the high branches, and I never bother them for more than an hour,)