Ok, fine, I admit it, I went out and re-rigged the ribbon contraption thingy I devised, grabbed the little tree again and bent it over and wrapped the ribbon around, and hooked it up with the lanyard I’d tied to the other end.

Took the b@stard all of 24 hours and there the birdfeeder lay, bottom part of the feeder completely off, in a heap on the ground.

I know I know, I just thought that it was a compromise, you know? I would put up with the squirrel dangling from the bottom by his feet, in return for having the pleasure of watching the Cardinals occasionally. Oh no though, greedy guts had to COMPLETELY mess that up too. Don’t know how he managed, but the ribbon broke right off somehow from the lanyard.

So fine…FINE!!!

The feeder and the seed are now in the bin until fall I guess. Umph.

Oh, which reminds me of that rat in Washington, who is apparently, um, a rat. “Great intel they give me. Great intel”… to the Russians no less. You know, I find I don’t miss Homeland as much now that he took office, and I was thinking of getting back into House of Cards, you know, for a little light comedy.

Loved the “anonymous” leakers play by play of how he told them. Made him sound astonishingly like what some little kid would say about his first day of school: “And Mom, they tell me things, and I get to sit in this cool desk…and and…”. You have to wonder if he can even tie his own shoes. Probably not.

Can’t WAIT to see what he does on his first international visits with other world leaders, should be fascinating. Popcorn anyone? Or Sunflower seed? Got lots of it, no salt, but still, I have lots.

And in other events, other more satisfying and pleasurable ones, happened to get turned back from my fav bike path yesterday, as they were doing work on it and ran into the great migration as various birds make their way to their Summer lands.

It was enchanting. Isn’t it wonderful when disappointment turns to pleasure? When just when you thought it was doomed…and there you are exactly where you really wanted to be.

Well, that’s how it felt.

It all happened just as I went to turn back the way I had come. I had turned around and was making my way back across the bridge, and very sad, but just on that bend, just before I was to go under the bridge I heard this familiar sort of chirp. A chirp I hadn’t heard in so long I had forgotten it. I stopped, grabbed my camera, and put the 70-300mm lens on…good god my hands were almost shaking. THIS is what I had wanted…THIS.

Well, there way up in this beautiful tree, with its golden yellow new leaves, was this rosy breast and black and white ‘suit’ of feathers, him and his lass, pecking away at bugs or something I would imagine.

You know, at one point I almost was in tears. Oh, who am I kidding, I was in tears. I have not seen Rose-breasted Grosbeaks since I was at Irish Lake, and I felt so thankful I had been turned back from where I was going.

I stopped again, at the sound of the chattering Goldfinches, and that was when I found this little place, with a path that went off to I don’t know where – an adventure for next time – and when I came round this giant tree that graced the centre of this little nook I saw someone had put up this sign, and carved freehand it said FREEMAN PARK.

And all around me they chittered and chattered, and flitted about. Their golden feathers spinning and diving…they remind me of Dolphins with wings.

So I winded my way back the same way I had come, but this time at a much slower pace, gazing up at the trees, listening to bird song and one by one they appeared. I went all along the river bank path as it winds back downtown, and ended my ride down at the forks of the Thames, and there, way up, was a Northern Oriole.

 

I missed the birds. We fed them at the lake, and I don’t know how, but somehow we always managed to have bird seed for them. I would sit at the kitchen window, early morning before Tim was awake, watching them come in for a morning snack, writing down in this notebook, when I saw them, how many, I documented it all. I don’t even really know why I guess because I had to have something…maybe to look forward to, or maybe just something to do.

Through those last days when Tim was dying, I spent a lot of time watching them. I even watched the Cardinals through their courtship that last year, as he fed her a seed, angling his head just so, as if he was kissing her ever so gently. And later that summer as the male brought the babies to the feeder. Sometimes there would be a whole plethora of Goldfinches, Cardinals, the Grosbeaks and all sorts of sparrows, vying for a bit of that sacred seed.

I admit I am a bit of a bird nut, and that’s why I wanted that new camera so badly. I really finally wanted a good enough lens to actually be able to capture them without them right outside my window. Which apparently isn’t going to happen now anyways. I really wanted to go where THEY were, not make them come to me.

Just now looking out the window and there’s the stupid squirrel, sitting on one of the branches underneath where I had the feeder, staring at what I have no idea.

Yeah. No feeder. You messed that one up but good you stupid little turd.

Oh well. Not my problem. In the end, I guess what the ultimate lesson is that whatever will be, will be.