Chickadee Wings [View all]

[H2O Man]

I walk out into my garden, shaking off the mental dust from last week's wild ride. The New York Times report on Trump's taxes. The Melania tapes, marking the real war on Christmas. The debate. The spread of the virus within the White House and Trump campaign. Surely 2020 is the strangest year of my long life.

As I approach the garden, with three kittens tumbling about my feet, chasing my untied shoelaces, I see numerous small birds flying back and forth from the sunflowers. They are intent upon harvesting the seeds from the flowers that are in post-bloom positions. My goal is to collect some more seeds from other plants for next year's garden. I'll get some from the variety of sunflowers at a later date.

Most of the little birds are uncomfortable at first with my being near them. The only ones that pay me no attention are the chickadees, one of my favorite creatures. I pause and remember my daughter's fascination with chickadees from the time she was wee-little. Spending a afternoon with her and a 90+ year old neighbor, talking on his patio about the ways of the chickadee. Teaching her to sit quietly next to our pond, with sunflower seeds on her shoulders, to get a close-up experience with these wonderful birds.

It's a slow season here in rural upstate New York. Things are only at a high speed when I am inside my house, watching the news on television, or hanging out on the internet. I resist the temptation to check to see the latest news when I bring next year's seeds inside, and instead ask the puppy if she wants to feed the fish with me. It's a fun part of our daily routine.

On our walk to the pond, she is busy sniffing where the deer and wild turkey venture onto the edge of our lawn to dine under one of the apple trees. Five neighborhood crows announce that we are on our way, as they gather to wait for the cats to finish eating their meal. Out of seemingly nowhere, a kitten attacks the puppy's wagging tail.

By the time we reach the pond, all three kittens are with us, chasing the leaves falling from the trees. The puppy howls as hound dogs do, when she sees the fish gather to enjoy their daily meal. Eventually, she wades into the pond to attack a cattail that she attempts to uproot -- without success -- each day.

Soon, I'm back in the house. Today, I will talk with my daughter about the politics of the city she now lives in. She recently started working in a position in the city's government, and I love hearing her updates. I'll also be talking to two of her friends from back when she was a student in the local school district. These young ladies are leaders in the region's Black Lives Matter movement, and we enjoy discussing the progress they are making.

We will also discuss, of course, the upcoming presidential election. It's sort of like being outdoors and indoors here are the same time: on one hand, things are moving slowly, while on the other, everything is moving rapidly. As long as we keep working at a steady pace, 2021's garden will be beautiful.

Peace,
H2O Man