SUNNY DAYS
During mid-winter there is a cheerless absence of yellow. Then the sun seems to display a more pellucid white than it does a rich yellow. Winter yellow only makes a brief diluted appearance on freshly fallen snow to proclaim the dominion of dogs in the suburbs.
I always associate the colour yellow with carefree sunny days and with brilliant Rudbekia surrounding the base of a white-washed lighthouse that stands as a sentry on the crest of a cape-escape to overlook a complementary blue ocean vista, accompanied by the soundtrack of crashing waves on the talus far below the brink, but a slow rhythmic foley not quite loud enough to drown-out the music of the Canadian band Lighthouse’s titular hit song.
The early arrival of neon yellow warblers in spring and the later appearance of the black-topped burst of yellow by a Wilson’s warbler would strike us as burnished gold if they were present in the winter, but are now almost over-looked by the less common visitors and by those rare gems that pass this way. In a tribute to the sun-yellow warblers I offer four candidates: Common Yellowthroat, Wilson’s, Yellow and Canada. When these gems have resumed their journey north there will still be sunny yellow days to enjoy. I think I’ll play Sunny Days once again!
