We’ve been fattening ‘em up for years in our backyard. There are the usual suspects… red-winged blackbirds, tufted titmice, northern cardinals, mourning doves, a few grackles, and lately a lot of grey catbirds.

But the ones I like most are the painted buntings. Especially, the adult males. An absolutely beautiful explosion of blues, greens, yellows, and reds. It looks like what used to happen when the kids could not decide which color to choose when coloring something so they just chose whatever was handy.

The French name for this bird is nonpareil (look it up… it’s an appropriate name in my opinion).

Central Florida isn’t a year-round habitat for the buntings. We generally see them when it starts to cool down in November thru around March.

They have a very pretty song repertoire but I have yet to catch it on my Merlin app (GREAT app by the way… highly recommended). AND, the males tend to be a little camera shy at my feeder (not sure how they know, but…) so here is a picture from the people at CornellLab.

I greatly enjoyed MegaCon 2025. I was not able to enjoy previous years because of job issues. But this year, I had enough time to experience all of MegaCon.

The event had plenty of things for me to do. There was the shopping district, where I bought fandom clothes, a few pieces of artwork, some prop replicas, and even bags/boxes that are related to a specific franchise, but it’s a mystery as to what’s inside it. 

There were plenty of photo opportunities. Many people at the convention were in costumes that they made, and would usually let you take a picture with them. There was a mannequin of the Adam West Batman in his surfing attire, which I took a picture along with the shark repellant spray. There was also a big area where you could take pictures with sets of The Never Ending Story movie. I took one of the dragon.

Panels were also popular. Here I saw celebrities and asked some of them questions. I met the voice actors of the anime One Piece, some of the cast of Legends of Tomorrow, and I even got to see Andy Serkis, among other people.

And more!  Areas for video games with other people, Lego sets, a BattleBots room. Fun!! 

In Conclusion, MegaCon 2025 was amazing as always. It’s a wonderful experience every year.

Ah spring! When the weather warms and the flowers bloom. I love flowers, don’t you? I love their bright, happy colors and their fragrant aromas. We have jasmine in our backyard that is heavenly come spring. The gardenias down the road fills the air with their vibrant perfume. LOVE IT! Spring makes me think of the dogwoods and azaleas dotting the South. 

I also think of the Smoky Mountains, beautiful in each season, waking up from winter’s sleep with beautiful wildflowers. Gorgeous. If you love this section of the country, check out the Tyler Family Legacy Series. And this month watch for special deals on The Vow, the first book in the series.

M.M.