March 19th....Remembering the Swallows

I love swallows. I think they are such a beautiful bird and they are really fun to watch when they are after insects for food. We used to have them swooping by at our home, but sadly, they are gone. When Jim and I go over to Idaho, we like to sit on the little cabin deck by the Clearwater River and watch them feed in the evening. I found this sweet plate on an Etsy site in England...tempting.

When I was in the 4th grade, we lived in California. We studied the history of the missions and got to go on many field trips to visit them. One of my favorites was Mission San Juan Capistrano. Every year, on this day......March 19th.....St Joseph's Day.....the birds would return from Argentina to the mission.

The skies would fill with the birds returning to build their nests and start the next cycle of life for them. I think of it every year on March 19th!

There were several singers who sang the famous song. When I was little, it was Pat Boone with his lovely voice. I'm not sure who this artist was...a bit before my time.

This is the type of swallow that made it's home at the mission....a cliff swallow. They would stay until October and then fly back to Argentina. They are a pretty bird.

Sadly, the birds haven't been back to the mission for awhile. Efforts are being made to try to get them to nest there again. They do come back to the area, but not to the mission. I hope they can figure it out!

St Joseph's Day is celebrated big time in Italy. I sure would like to find a bakery in my area that makes these famous goodies for the day! They are called zeppoles. They sure look yummy!

I adore these dishes with swallows...how fun would it be to own these and have tea and zeppoles on March 19th!

Thanks for coming with me down memory lane~many, many years ago!