Quartet

These columbine buds and blossoms reminded me of childhood, youth, maturity, and old age. 

And the eternal question: When I'm taking macro photos in the garden, why does a breeze always spring up just as I'm focusing on my subject?

Addendum: Here is an additional eternal question: Why does a new species of bird suddenly appear at our feeder after I’ve posted the day’s blip?

This happened to me right after I posted today —  I noticed a new bird jockeying for superiority at the feeder, where Mr. Downy Woodpecker was having a mid-morning snack.

And thanks to LoisBiz, I knew exactly what the newcomer was — a Black-headed Grosbeak! I’d commented on her Tuesday blip that I’d never seen one here, and two days later, this one appeared. I had the wrong lens on my camera to take good photos of it, so the two extras are not high quality, but you can get an idea of this male in breeding plumage.

 Blip 1546