Who says hummingbirds are always in motion?

A hummingbird rests for several minutes on a tomato cage. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Enjoy the outdoors as the weather returns to normal

By Kathy Morrison

Even hummingbirds chill once in awhile.

I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. When I arrived at my community garden plot Wednesday morning, I happened to look over at my group of smaller tomato plants. On the top rung of the blue cage was a hummingbird, just sitting. 

I expected it to fly off immediately, but no, this bird was settled in for a rest, not looking around, just gazing off toward the east side of the garden. 

The bird sat there long enough for me to grab a couple of pictures with my phone. Several minutes went by, and it didn't move. I finally walked over to pick up my tools, and that was enough to prompt the hummer to fly away.

The air today is much better than it's been in more than a week, and the temperatures finally near normal. It's a good day to be outside, and to take stock of the garden.

Yes, there's deadheading to do, and ash to spray off leaves and blossoms. It's OK now to fertilize the plants that need it. Maybe thin the fruit on the orange tree, or weed the front flower bed, or dig and divide the irises, per Debbie's recent post. An ambitious task would be to list all the bulb and seed planting to do in September and October.

Yes, the rest of the world is still out there. But now that we can again, do take a few minutes today to just enjoy the garden. Be like a hummingbird on a break, and soak it all in.