This morning I came downstairs, turned off the back porch light and was delighted to see the back filled with birds. There were all the small birds, finches, wrens and sparrows, that I love to watch. Smack dab in the middle was a huge, huge robin hopping about, cocking its head listening for worms and bugs. Soon the gold finches and tit mouse joined in the group along with the ubiquitous doves and towhees. There was a lot of movement with flying and soaring and pecking. As I watched all the birds to the bane of Buddy who impatiently meowed and sat watch at the pantry door waiting for treats, I saw her...yes Buddy, but out in the yard there she was a female cardinal, sitting on the feeder probably after commandeering it from the dove that likes to sit in it and rock while eating. The cardinals have been visiting the front yard feeder more because it is closer to their nest. All the trees here in the back that belong to neighbors have not started leafing out in abundance and most birds like to have that coverage to eat and drink at the feeders and birdbaths. But she was there looking into the bay window right back at me. Oh yes, I remembered that many believe that when a cardinal visits a yard, it is a visit from a loved one...Today would have been my mom's 87th birthday. I don't know if I believe that old wives tale but today the female cardinals visit was a gift from God. It was nice to take a few minutes at the start of my day to think about my mom and to thank God for her life. She was kind and she was funny. She would make silly little things for you. She loved getting letters and cards. When my parents moved to Georgetown TX for several years we would write back and forth with our letters filled with stick figure cartoons telling each other the fun side of life in a whimsical way. In hindsight, she and I both were experiencing circumstances at that time which could have resulted in bitter or sad results, but those humorous letters kept our spirits buoyed with hope and with a lot of laughter. I think it would make her smile knowing that I keep up with my birds as much as she kept up with hers. Happy Birthday Mom! I know you are having another great birthday celebrating in heaven.
I went back to the bird supply store to get another plate for the birdbath that went missing because of the high winds we experienced Saturday night. She was out of extras and just then working on her order to replenish supplies in the store after the weekend. Funny how people do business, she gave me a card and said to call back to see if they had them. I asked when or approximately when did she think that would be? No clue... I think I would have taken my number and called if I really wanted the sale. When I left the store I decided I would Google the replacement plate and see if I could find it someplace else. I went on over to the Fresh Market and did some shopping. Then stopped at Ingle's for regular grocery shopping. When I got home I began searching and did find one place I could order one from. I just needed to go out to the back and measure the rim. And there it was, behind the deck, the part of the birdbath that was missing. I had looked back there before so maybe the wind blew it back. It was breaking my heart watching the birds sit on the rim and not find any water. I put a rock in it to hold it better and so the birds will have to get used to the rock and not think it is something to harm them.
Today an email from Haute Look a Nord company sent out the daily email of merchandise they are offering that day. Dooney and Burke purses are being offered. That got me to thinking because I went through that Dooney and Burke time of life when I was playing tennis. Before that I had a Gucci infatuation. Then I went through the Brahmin stage, that was a long one but those are some heavy purses so I eventually had to give them up. Now I am in the cross body stage of purses and I don't care what brand they are. Here I have found several cute purses at Mast General Store. Who knew? I tend to think of life in stages just like I think of purse seasons. It is kind of like oh yes, I wore that but now I don't. Even though Grandin Road has cute things I think of them as a stage while decorating our home in Katy. I barely even look at their emails or catalogs anymore. Same holds true for clothes from Soft Surroundings. I have found myself even with health issues that my thinking tends toward how we think of childhood diseases, oh I have had mumps, chicken pox and the measles. Of course that doesn't hold true with heart issues or other things I have experienced...it is not one and done but I can think that way. Even with spiritual stages or trends in churches I remember in high school and college I was looking to experience much more out of my Christian life, so charismatic/experience churches held sway early on and then churches whose whole focus is on doctrine, doctrine doctrine! Nothing wrong with that but gee I need a story to go with the doctrine, so that was a short venture. We started attending First Baptist and our experience at the church became even more important when they opened the CLC now known as the fitness and recreation center. My crazy friend Debbie would ask me if the SBC split, cause back in the day it was liberal verses conservative, what church would I go to? I always responded the church with a gym. This whole paragraph is going nowhere and there is not a point to it at all. I have realized I need to change the way I think on this cause life experiences are not one and done. We can revisit seasons several times in life. Well, wasn't that an obvious statement.
I had plans to get out and about today but decided to stick around home and get some things done. I was out for most of yesterday. It is kind of cool today so until the sun hits the front porch I will busy myself with things inside. There is talk of a hard freeze later this week and when I was at Lowe's yesterday in the garden dept I wanted to ask people who were loaded up with plants if they knew this.
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