I was asking Selu about spring birds here the other day. She mentions that it seems like most of the spring birds are also here during the summer, but I guess they are spring birds in terms of spring migration (and not being here in the winter). A few of our common spring/summer birds are Common Yellowthroat ("witchity-witchity-witchity"), Black and white warbler (sounds like a squeaky wheel), Black-throated green warbler ("zay zay zay zoo zee"), Blue-gray gnatcatcher ("spee spee"), Louisiana waterthrush, and Northern Parula ("zeeeee-up" / sounds like filling up a glass of water). I saw a Common Yellowthroat inside this building when I was cleaning after the flood on March 26, 2021. It was special to see him. He looked like he was there to check on me and cheer me up! 

  You can also feel spring through special events like St.Patrick day, cherry blossom viewing, etc. On March 3rd or April 3rd in Japan, we have Girl’s Day called Hinamasturi (also known as Doll’s Day), or in some places it’s called Momo no Sekku (a festival of peach blossoms). When the peach tree was introduced to Japan, it was used to ward off evil spirits and the Hina dolls are believed to protect the young girls of the family from illnesses and misfortunes. Usually, parents or grandparents buy a set of dolls for a new-born baby girl. Centuries before that, people used the doll's for women's health too. So we display the dolls here today for the health and happiness of women of all ages! 

  Can you see the diamond shaped layered mochi in the picture that called hishi-mochi in the hina doll decoration stand? It has three colors – green, white, and pink. The green at the bottom represents grass, the white in the middle represents snow, and the pink at the top represents peach blossoms. Other than that, there is also a theory that green means "health", white means "purity", and pink means to “expel evil". I was impressed by the way ancient people used colors to express spring around March (like warming up, starting growing grasses, and blooming flowers but temperature dropping again and snowing sometimes) and the family's affection for their healthy growth.