A Visit from a Pigeon

We just seem to have weird bird experiences. I'll write later about the chicken that crossed the road. But here's the little guy who paid us a visit for a few days.

We pulled into the driveway Wednesday evening and there he was, sitting right in front of the garage door. I saw that he was banded so I knew he belong to someone, mostly likely someone who raced pigeons. So I gave him a little food and water and wished he would fly back home, wherever that might be.

Next morning he was under the wheels of the car. He had eaten some of the food. Since the weather forecast was calling for several days of heavy rains, I decided to leave the garage open for him to shelter in. He liked that idea and moved right in.

Later that evening, he was still around, so we I decided to begin trying to track down the owner. We picked him up and read the band and started searching the internet for info. I was able to make contact with the secretary of a local pigeon club who identified the club and pointed me in the right direction. Meanwhile I decided to crate the little guy so he wouldn't end up as hawk food - we have a lot of them, as well as many other predators.

After many calls, texts and voicemails, I finally got a call on Saturday morning from the right pigeon club member. He knew the bird, knew the owner and what had happened. Apparently the bird was in a race last weekend and got off course. He was just plain tuckered out and could not fly any longer, ending up in my driveway, only about 20 miles from home. I kept him dry and safe, fed and watered, but he was still a bit under the weather when his owner showed up on Sunday. He assured me that in two weeks the pigeon would be just fine; he just needed to get home to his own loft again. I hope the man is right.

I have to say, that pigeon made a divine landing at our house. None of my neighbors know about pigeon racing and the banding of birds, nor would they bother to care for a pigeon. Jesus said that our Father knows even when a sparrow falls to the ground. And he cares. It was an act of kindness ... a thing of no consequence, but my Father is pleased.

Lulu Goes to the Hospital

Today I had Lulu, one of my autoharps blessed. It was prayed over by Fr. S. and sprinkled with blessed water. Me, too.

I have a ministry of singing and playing for folks in nursing homes and hospice. Today I was going to visit a man who had been hit by a car while riding his bike. He is a chaplain for the hospice where I volunteer and has been in ICU for five weeks now. He is very seriously injured and recovery is taking many twists and turns. But I believe he will make it, and when he is well, he will comfort others with the comfort he has received from the Lord. He will have a new understanding of what hospice patients experience - God is most economical and wastes nothing!

This is Lulu. I bought her cheap and dirty, cleaned her up, added new strings and custom luthier chord bars. She plays in the key of C only and is tuned to 432 hz., considered to be the healing tuning. She is my primary therapy harp.

Chaplain H. asked for us to play hymns, so we brought Lulu and a beautiful selection of songs and sang to him. It was appreciated by all; even a nurse who heard us and stopped by to listen.

I am blessed to be a blessing!

Farewell to Summer

It's been a long, hot summer. We've been drenched in sunshine and mosquitoes, but very little rain - just enough to keep our lawns green and glorious. Fall has started out warm, but that may change quickly.

It's always a bit of a shock when we come back from our late summer vacation to fully realize summer is essentially over. Children are back in school, stores are set up with Halloween paraphernalia and warm winter clothing; snow blowers replace lawn mowers. What seemed like endless fun in the sun just a few days ago has come to an end.

We see less and less of the female doves and hummingbirds. They are either already gone or packing their little bags for their trek to warmer climes. I'll miss them, although the male doves usually hang around to hold on to their territory, knowing their Mrs. will come back in the spring. They also don't want to miss our well stocked feeding tray.

I'm holding on as tight as I can to the warm nights out on my deck. This year, I've added little colored globe solar lights to our pergola, blue icicle lights and a floor lamp. My deck is cozy and cheerful, and I can wrap up in a blankie and read out there till late at night.

So we'll slowly begin the winterizing of our home; the deck nights will decrease and I'll have to move back inside when hubby battens down the hatches for the long season of cold and dark. But it doesn't last long and I'll keep that promise of spring in my heart and be content waiting.

And I'm not taking down my lights!

Cherokee Legend of Two Wolves

There is a very profound Cherokee legend which tells a story of two wolves. One is evil, and one is good. The story goes like this:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” 

Profound, indeed!

Leroy Brown is Moving House!

Leroy Brown has a new hutch! I'll snap a pic when it's finished. Hubby already has plans to enforce and enlarge the existing structure to keep him cozy and give him more room to dance. I still have not mastered picking up and putting down. My arms are a bleeding, dripping mess with criss-cross scratches. Someone may mistake me for a cutter - blood on my shirt, computer, towel. I do what the photos show, but he twists and turns and is much stronger than he looks. Once the hutch is up and functional, I may not pick him up for a while and give him more time to get used to me. For now, though, I have to get him outside in his play yard several times each day for sun and exercise.

My visit with Fr. S. went very well. He is such a good pastor: kind, gentle and understanding. He encouraged me to be true to who I am, live my faith, and leave others to God. Great advice. Too often I try to "fix" things, even when no one is asking. The essence of codependency, I guess.

I'm really trying to take back my life after having given it away for far too long. Never knew how to live. My home was so dysfunctional growing up, filled with depressed, sad and angry parents. I had to get out, but no one gave me any support or tools to do so except to marry out of it. So I did ... at 18. I don't have to say that it was a disaster! A 14 year disaster.

Update:  Cover Leroy with a towel, pick him up and swaddle him. Keeps those thumpers contained.

Meet Leroy Brown

Leroy Brown came to live with us today. He is a three month old Holland Mini Lop. It's hard to see from the photos, but his eyes are dark blue. The black spots vary in size and follow down his spine. He is truly lovely. He is very sweet, but a bit skittish. I held him a good bit and he laid calmly on my chest. I kept the dog on a leash, but let her smell him in his cage. She seemed fine, but then snarled. I will keep them separated by crates, doors, whatever it takes. But I will let her be around when I'm holding Leroy so she can get used to MaMa' having a new baby. I hope he will be happy with us.

On another front, I'm meeting with Fr. S tomorrow. I'm really struggling to accept the practices of the church. While they are lovely, they seem to me to have no scriptural basis; they fall under Tradition, something I have always eschewed. I need to discuss this, especially the discomfort I feel when hubby is with me and I really want to light a candle or venerate an icon. He would not think of stopping me, but I feel his ever-so-slight disapproval. There are other issues as well, but better left unsaid.

Sunset on the Bay

My daughter took these two photos on a cell phone camera, just minutes apart, as the sun is setting  across the bay. Amazing how the changing sun colored the clouds and water!