{"id":22051,"date":"2026-05-17T20:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=22051"},"modified":"2026-05-17T20:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T02:48:55","slug":"joy-in-nature-openbook-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=22051","title":{"rendered":"Joy in Nature #OpenBook Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

May 18 2026<\/p>\n

Stolen from Deanna Martinez-Bey and Writer\u2019s Digest: What is on your joy list?<\/h3>\n

How do I possibly make a list of all the things that bring me joy?<\/h4>\n

It’s endless. But let’s start with today. It’s springtime in Western Pennsylvania, and to a lover of Mother Nature like me, that provides moments of joy everywhere you look. The annual spring migration of birds passes through here, and many varieties stop in the area on their way to their summer homes.<\/p>\n

Some stay here. The hummingbirds arrived this week, and I attracted one to my feeder within an hour after I hung it. I’ve never had one sit on my finger, but I have two of the feathers preserved in a plastic bag on my desk. Hummingbirds are joy in motion.<\/p>\n

But I don’t have to see any birds for magic to happen. I can sit outside and listen to the chorus of songs from the trees and lawns that surround my home. I may not know which type of bird produces which sound, but I don’t need to. Pure joy in song.<\/p>\n

The saying “April showers bring May flowers” was written for this area. When I moved in, I didn’t make any major changes to the yard. I wanted to see what came up as a volunteer. So, with no intervention from me (except for the addition of daffodils and black-eyed Susans) there are over twenty varieties of flowers here. This evening, forget-me-nots and buttercups are taking over. The Japanese iris (purple) are about to break into bloom. Add the baskets of flowers I got for Mother’s Day, the fresh green of the trees bursting into leaf, and its joy in color.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That’s just today and only a start. I could go on forever about finding joy in nature. How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.<\/p>\n

As always, until next time, please stay safe. And have a joyful moment!<\/p>\n

Goal update: I’m sitting at 56,400. I didn’t realize this story would go this long. It threw another twist at me.<\/p>\n

\r\n

\r\n

You are invited to the Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\nClick here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n