Posts Tagged "bird"

The News from Home and Happy Easter

Dear Kid,

Today is National Pull Up Weeds Day. Actually, it isn’t, but that’s what Dad and I are going to spend a great deal of the day doing, so it might as well be. Since we are exceptional weed growers (no, not that kind of weed; the kind of weed that doesn’t belong where it’s growing), this will not be a one-and-done activity. Unfortunately.

Yesterday, the Puppy had a (very badly needed) bath. Following Dad’s rule of “At Least 12 Hours Before He Can Roll In Something Stinky”, he was confined to a leash with a person at the other end of it. Today he will be allowed to roam around and roll in the grass and have a marvelous time being a dog.

I have no doubt he will re-stink himself.

In other news, it might actually be Spring, although what with this being Southwest Ohio, I don’t want to overcommit.

The crocuses are up (yay), the hyacinth is up (yay), the tulips are having a cup of coffee and considering blooming (yay), and the weeds are rushing to be the first to take up residence (see Pulling Up Weeds).

The birds are starting to wear their spring finery. We have a blue jay who has been hanging out in the backyard busily expressing his views on Life; I’m not sure if I agree with everything he has to say, but his outfit is smashing.

The News from Home and Happy Easter DearKidLoveMom.comThe woodpeckers are out and pecking. Dad’s been busy watching them and identifying each specie. As long as they stick to trees and telephone poles that aren’t near our house, he thinks they are marvelous.

Our across the street neighbors are moving. No, not those ones, the ones to the right in The House That Can’t Keep Anyone More Than 5 Years. I believe new people move in sometime in April. Welcome to the neighborhood, new people.

Time to go pull on some gardening gloves and attack the invaders.

To all those celebrating, Happy Easter.

Love, Mom

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Understanding Happiness and Rodney the Bird

Dear Kid,

You remember Rodney the Bird, don’t you? If not, here’s where you can read about him.

Happy is a Choice. Be HappyRodney sounds happier today. Maybe he’s just a late bloomer. Maybe the weather is better. Maybe his mother was less annoying today. Whatever the reason, I’m not one to let facts get in the way of a good story, so please rewind to Unhappy Rodney.

If you’re insufficiently awake to click to the backstory and then get back here to today’s post, I shall remind you. (I’m just that kind of Mom.)

Rodney is a bird who tends to hang out in front of our house singing in a halfhearted attempt to attract a mate. Rodney does not have his heart in his song. Or a song in his heart, for that matter.

Maybe Rodney really just wants to hang out wherever bachelor birds hang out doing whatever bachelor birds do. Or maybe Rodney is more of a night owl and is only singing in the morning because of peer pressure (for the record, Rodney does not sound like an owl of any variety). Or maybe Rodney is the avian equivalent of a black-clad, pierced teenager, drooping around quoting obscure poetry and always sounding pathetic. I don’t know. Rodney isn’t really one to confide in humans.

What I do know is that there is a flow in doing things we love and “chunkiness” in doing things we don’t. When we’re doing something we love, time flies by. When we’re doing something we love, our heart and our heads are involved—we look for ways to learn more, do more, be more. When we’re doing something we don’t want to do, time slogs by at a snail’s pace. We know because we check the clock watch computer phone every 42 seconds. We find thousands of excuses to not do the work.

We resort to all kinds of stalling tactics (including cleaning). We do the minimum viable amount and flop back, exhausted from all that effort.

At times, we all have to do things we’d rather not do (including cleaning). But the trick to happiness is finding a way to spend more time do the things we love and less time doing the things we don’t.

It’s how you know you’ve found the right major in college. It’s how you know you’ve found the right topic for a blog. And it’s how you know you should stop singing and go find a nice worm for breakfast.

Good luck, Rodney

Love, Mom

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Rodney Singing for Love Part II (How to Find Happiness)

Dear Kid,

You remember Rodney the Bird, don’t you? If not, here’s where you can read about him.

Rodney sounds happier today. Maybe he’s just a late bloomer. Maybe the weather is better. Maybe his mother was less annoying today. Whatever the reason, I’m not one to let facts get in the way of a good story, so please rewind to Unhappy Rodney.

If you’re insufficiently awake to click to the backstory and then get back here to today’s post, I shall remind you. (I’m just that kind of Mom.)

Rodney is a bird who tends to hang out in front of our house singing in a halfhearted attempt to attract a mate. Rodney does not have his heart in his song. Or a song in his heart, for that matter.

Maybe Rodney really just wants to hang out wherever bachelor birds hang out doing whatever bachelor birds do. Or maybe Rodney is more of a night owl and is only singing in the morning because of peer pressure (for the record, Rodney does not sound like an owl of any variety). Or maybe Rodney is the avian equivalent of a black-clad, pierced teenager, drooping around quoting obscure poetry and always sounding pathetic. I don’t know. Rodney isn’t really one to confide in humans.

What I do know is that there is a flow in doing things we love and “chunkiness” in doing things we don’t. When we’re doing something we love, time flies by. When we’re doing something we love, our heart and our heads are involved—we look for ways to learn more, do more, be more.

When we’re doing something we don’t want to do, time slogs by at a snail’s pace. We know because we check the clock watch computer phone every 42 seconds. We find thousands of excuses to not do the work. We resort to all kinds of stalling tactics (including cleaning). We do the minimum viable amount and flop back, exhausted from all that effort.

At times, we all have to do things we’d rather not do (including cleaning). But the trick to happiness is finding a way to spend more time do the things we love and less time doing the things we don’t. It’s how you know you’ve found the right major in college. It’s how you know you’ve found the right topic for a blog.

And it’s how you know you should stop singing and go find a nice worm for breakfast.

Good luck, Rodney

Love, Mom

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Rodney Singing for Love-And Losing Part I

Dear Kid,

There is a bird outside our window. I’ve named him Rodney. Rodney is looking for female companionship (this being the season of love).

The problem is Rodney is desperate.

He sounds exhausted. He’s busy puffing up his chest feathers like he’s The Dude but in reality, Rodney is not the dude. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but he is just trying too hard.

I want to say: Rodney, take a nap, get some rest, and think this thing through a little. But I haven’t said anything as I am not a well-known romance expert in the avian world.

My guess is that Rodney’s mother told him it was time to get a girl because she wanted grandbirdies and she wasn’t getting any younger thank you very much. I say this because it doesn’t really sound like Rodney’s heart is in the song.

(Tune in tomorrow for Part II)

Love, Mom

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Sunday is a Good Day for Enjoying Life | The Porch, Squirrels, and Ash Trees

Dear Kid,

Sunday is a great day. Whether you are a church-on-Sunday person or not, it is a day for taking a deep breath. The newspaper (remind me to explain to you about newspapers) is full and designed to be read over several cups of coffee or tea (or some other beverage if you prefer).

Spring is a wonderful time! DearKidLoveMom.comAt this time of year, I particularly enjoy breakfast and the newspaper (and my beverage of choice for the day) out on porch. (When we first built the porch you were a wee bit of thing and referred to the room as the “forch.” This makes me smile.) While our grass is something of a hot mess, the birds are enjoying the birdfeeders (at least now that we put the right seed in the right feeder) and the plants are sprouting up cheerfully. It’s a nice place to be. Today it is my favorite room in the house.

Booker is out here with me and is happily enjoying the sun spots on the floor. He is also keeping a sharp eye out for invading cats. He is ready to jump—at a nanosecond’s notice—out of sun-induced sleepiness into full on I-am-an-entire-pack-of-large-angry-barking-dogs frenzy should the dreaded yellow cat appear.

There are two squirrels chasing each other through the trees. I have it on good authority that they are not juveniles playing a friendly game of tag.

Speaking of trees, it looks like the ash tree borer has bored our ash trees to death. Scientists are not sure where they get their lecture material but it appears to be much more toxic than anything you sat through this year. As of yet, we have no plan for taking down the dead-or-dying trees or for replacing them with something less ashy. Perhaps while you are home you might acquaint some of them with the sharp side of a saw?

It’s good to take a little time out every now and then to enjoy life. Hope you enjoy today.

Love, Mom

 

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