What the world needs now...

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
It's the only thing that there's just too little of,
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
 - Lyrics by Hal David, music by Burt Bacharach, sung by Jackie DeShannon1965


I think I needed a fun image today; this day that started out with such horrid news of yet more violence in our country.  And while this certainly qualifies as a "fun" image, it also fit well with the lyrics of a wonderful old song that some of you may remember (either the original or the 1990's remix by Aretha Franklin.)  When these lyrics were written, we were in the throws of the Vietnam War, political activism was at its highest, and emotions had reached a boiling point.  As I think about this, things aren't all that much different today except that the guns have gotten a lot more lethal and the number of people who have them has grown exponentially.  


And in the midst of all the violence - not just in our country, but around the world  - Paris, Brussels, Orlando, Baghdad, Bangladesh, Dallas...I have to wonder if maybe what we need most is more love.  


That's what was on my mind today when I took my camera and ventured into the garden for some therapy - the kind I only seem to get by having a viewfinder pressed to my eye.  Lo and behold, as I watched, things started to unfold around me... 
I found my first tiny flower crab spider of the year, patiently hunting
I spotted not one but three tiny and improbably odd looking Plume Moths
I watched the antics of a chipmunk exploring the garden
And when I checked on the bluebird nest box... I found three freshly hatched bluebirds!  That made me smile.  

And this photo - well, who doesn't love a little bug porn?  I watched this pair of tiny hoverflies (syrphidae) hovering and flying all around the coneflower patch for at least 5 minutes.  Pretty amazing.  And they didn't really care that I was chasing them around with a lens, either.  You have to give them five stars for enthusiasm.


Big rainstorm this afternoon which wasn't a bad thing since we need the rain - but, boy, was it torrential while it lasted!  I may go back out for a bit now and try to capture some rain drops and reflections...

Sending love - because it's what the world needs more of...

Debbi

And I'm adding a link to this very short video that I just shot of me handfeeding a hummingbird - this is one of the most magical experiences ever, to feel their tiny wings brushing my fingertips ... wow.  Shot it with my cell phone using left hand which is awkward for a rightie - I'll get a better one soon.