E and I saw a cardinal scoping out the bird feeder. He was too shy for a photo, so I found this one online. He never did hop down from the tree and sample the offerings in the feeder, but we were thrilled to get a glimpse of him. This was a definite sign of Spring's impending arrival. Later in the day, I could hear him somewhere on the East side of the property, calling out his claim to this territory. It sounded so commanding and confident. I had to wonder what makes him so sure of himself? The weather was still cold and gloomy. It certainly does not look like Spring out there to me. After some thought, I came to the conclusion that he is just doing what God created him to do - getting on with his short life. We humans have the luxury of time and spend way too much of it feeling sorry for ourselves. Consider all of the whining we do about the weather. We want it to be a certain way, and if it isn't what we expect, we complain. I, for one, am the type that just wants to hibernate until it turns pleasant outside. But the birds know it is time to get down to the business of claiming a territory, finding a mate, building a nest, and raising a family, regardless of the temperature outside. I have a funny image in my mind of a group of 2 or 3 birds sitting on a fence, complaining about the weather. I think of the many wasted minutes of my life, complaining about things that I can't control.
So, E and I went to the store and bought seeds, potting soil, and containers. We spread newspaper on the kitchen table and started a garden, which is sitting in front of windows around the house. She planted several types of flowers and I planted herbs. The seeds have sprouted already and we feel like we have escaped winter's grip in one small way. The next project? Turning her bedroom into a woodsy retreat: We made flowers out of felt and pipe cleaners, and she is creating vines out of green yarn and green paper leaves. They hang in her doorway just like the strings of hippy beads people used to put up. None of this has changed the fact that it's still cold and wet outside, but I noticed that we haven't thought to complain about the weather for the past several days. So maybe we will make it though March after all...
