To The Birds

     When I was a child, our kitchen was a galley style.  Long and narrow, with cabinets and appliances on one side and the table on the other.  Our table was long and narrow too, and hung on the wall atop two fancy wrought iron brackets.  Back then I thought everyone had a table that was fixed to the wall, I later discovered this wasn't true. 

     Anyway, since most of the seats faced the wall, Mother figured we needed something to look at while we dined, besides an empty wall.  She commenced to decorating the wall with birds.  Not just pictures of birds or bird plates, which would have seemed rather appropriate being in the kitchen, but three dimensional birds. 

     I'm not sure where she found all of her birds.  Most were ceramic or plaster but they were all protruding from the wall like a flock that got mixed up in a wind storm.  No two were alike and just about all the species were accounted for. 

     Many people commented on our wall of birds in the kitchen.  The most common question was if she had to wipe the bird poop off the table every morning. 

     She carried her love of birds throughout her life time and as much as I would like to not admit it, she passed it on to me.  No, I do not have a wall of birds but I have her bird feeder pole outside my kitchen window and my trusty field guide bird book in a near by drawer.

     I've just about worn the book out by flipping rapidly through the pages to discern what bird is at the feeder.  One day I looked out and there was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sitting on the feeder.  I was so excited because it's just not everyday you get to see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  I called to my husband, "Oh!  Come and look at this!"  He glanced up at me over the top of his paper, those brown eyes, that have vexed me from day one, without emotion.  I said quite emphatically, "Have you ever seen a Rose-breasted Grosbeak?"  He shook his head no.  "And you don't want to see one?"  Once again, the negative head shake.   Sigh, he just doesn't share my enthusiasm for birds.  I bet if I'd told him the bird had on a NASCAR hat, he would have knocked me down to see that bird.  Oh well, on occasion I can impart my bird wisdom to my grandkids.

     Just yesterday while contemplating using a pair of garden nippers, by the way, they last much longer when you just contemplate using them, I looked up in the sky and there was one of my favorite birds in flight.  The Great Blue Heron!  He's a majestic looking bird especially when he is flying and as he soared out of sight I thought  "That is as close to a pterodactyl as I'll ever get."  It was much more satisfying than using the nippers.

     My trusty binoculars sit next to the back door so I don't miss the opportunity to check out a newbie on my bird bucket list. Why even this week I persuaded my daughter to look at the Northern Flicker that has been in the neighborhood.  She complied but she too has her father's eyes and they began to get that glazed look.  That's ok,  I believe I still have enough time left to pass the love, the bird love, on to the next generation.