Sunday, January 18, 2015

Oh, Let There Be Light!

There's a red-headed woodpecker on the feeder right now. He is behaving like any other bird, dipping his head to get seeds, snapping them. I would take his picture but in the time it took me to write this, he has gone.

An hour ago I lamented that the sun was not out today.
Now it is. Full flung, glory on. This is the way of it in North Florida.

The finches are on the feeder and the ever-constant cardinals. A squirrel takes his position in the pecan tree eight feet away, positioning and steeling himself for his leap to the feeder platform where he will hog all the seeds he can get in his greedy mouth. Trixie and Mabel and Sharon are beneath the feeder, scratching at the seeds the birds and squirrels fling off.

It is beautiful here today.
Again.

I heard the woodpecker knocking somewhere and went out with the real camera. I followed the sound and can't believe I found him but I did. He was so far up in a live oak that it was almost dizzying, just to look up that far. A ray of sunlight caught his gaudy head and there he was.


A terrible picture. The best I could do.

Everything is shining jewel-like today. The clusters of Nandina on the west side of the yard.



The ruby-like berries of the Pyrocantha.


The plants make a thicket which the ducks and hens love to nap under. Elvis keeps watch and preens. 


How beautifully his glossy tail-feathers are coming in after last summer's molt. They too, shine in the sun with opalescent color. Green and black. Emerald and onyx. 

In person news, Lily has the flu. I mean, it must be the flu. Jason had it too. Lily is running a fever over 102 and her head hurts and she aches and freezes. She's never had the flu before and is somewhat bewildered I think, by how horrible it is. She works with the public and there you go. I hope with all my heart that my boys don't get it and I am so sorry that she and Jason did. I offered to go get Owen and Gibson but they are with their other grandmother today. I have offered to make Lily some chicken soup and take it to her. I am waiting for her return text to tell me if she would like that. 
I would like to do it for her. Mr. Moon is going to town to pressure wash the other side of the duplex where Lily and Jason live and which we own and need to get ready to rent.
I intend to go out with my trimmers and cut back more of winter's detritus. And perhaps I will make sopa de lima for my girl. She has not answered my text but she has probably fallen back asleep.

I could though, quite happily, sit right here on this porch, watching the way the sun makes everything gleam. The flit of birdwing and squirrel tail. The magnolia and camellia leaves. The fur of the cat as she prowls about her jungle, pretending none can see her.

It is Sunday and there are so many troubles all over the world and perhaps it is shallow and selfish of me to sit here in my own tiny kingdom, forest, jungle, garden, world where all seems to be so completely fine.

Or perhaps this is my job, exactly as it should be. I am the god's eye on the sparrow. Or at least the cardinal, the redheaded woodpecker, the finch.

For right now, for today, I am that eye.

Thank you for being that eye with me this morning.

Love...Ms. Moon


15 comments:

  1. Beautiful day, beautiful pictures. I just cannot believe that it's not ok to get flu sometimes. It's no fun, but it's part of what we are, no matter what anyone says. I grew up getting flus - high fevers, days of fevered sleep - rarely get them any more, despite the annual hysteria. I hope Lily's better soon. And I'd make the soup anyway, of course she'll want it soon enough.

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  2. Oh, the flu. So many are very sick with i this year. I hope Lily feels better soon.
    And is that a pileated woodpecker--the really large one? They are so amazing. We have smaller ones always drilling into the palm trees and telephone poles here.

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  3. You have reminded me that I need to refill my bird feeders! I hope Lily gets better soon. I would probably just take her the soup whether she answered my text or not, but that's just me being a pushy mama.

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  4. Jo- Yep. I'm going to make the soup.

    Denise- No. This was not one of the pileated although we do have those and they are freaking amazing! This was just your regular little guy.
    Still beautiful.

    Lois- That's not being pushy. That's just being a mama.

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  5. Yes, the sun is shining brightly here today, too. My sweet guy and I made plans last night to drive to Longboat Key today to see how the bazillionaires live and walk on the beach. But that tooth that needed a root canal, but really needed to be pulled so I could get $20,000 implants? Yeah, it's throbbing like a sumbitch and I need to wait for the Ibuprofen to kick in a little before I go anywhere. My sweet guy is watching The Nutty Professor on TV and the dog is sleeping in the rays of sunshine coming in through the windows. In spite of the tooth thing, life is good!

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  6. I hope the little ones can avoid getting sick, too. This has been a bad year for illness; the flu shot far less effective than usual. There is a lot we still don't know about such a common illness.

    Your descriptions are beautiful. I didn't realize that roosters look out for their hens like that. It's nice to think they do.

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  7. Sorry to hear about the flu..not quite sorted out your family names yet as only been reading you for a couple of weeks. I have had a nice day as it is my husbands birthday on Tuesday, and 2 of our sons have been here this afternoon . Eldest with wife and the grandkids, and No 2 son with his fiancee. They get married in ~October. We had quite a break through with my dog and the little ones…the kids actually managed to stroke the dog, and the dog didn't bark at the kids!! It is near to freezing here at night, and we had a covering of snow yesterday, but luckily it soon went away. I fear falling over on ice and snow!
    .

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  8. I have posted this quote before but since you were wondering if it is shallow and selfish to enjoy your world.

    “In the best of times, our days are numbered anyway. So it would be a crime against nature for any generation to take the world crisis so solemnly that it put off enjoying those things that we were designed in the first place: the opportunity to do good work, to enjoy friends, to fall in love, to hit a ball, and to bounce a baby.” Alistar Cooke

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  9. Catrina- I LOVE Longboat Key. I hope you get to go, have some fun.
    Have you considered going to Mexico to get your dental work done? I think it's about a third of the price and many doctors speak English well and are very good.
    Just a thought...

    Jenny o- I guess they make their best guess as to which viral agents are going to make up the flu this year and then make the vaccine on that information and it has NOT proved very effective this year.
    Yes. That is why roosters are important. They do watch out. They do present defense against predators in some cases.

    Frances- Sounds like a lovely day! And how nice that the dog is starting to get used to the children. Or is it the opposite?
    Snow and ice. No thank you. I'd rather not.
    Poor you!

    Birdie- Perfect quote. You should remind me at least once a month. Thank you!

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  10. I've been wondering what Elvis thinks of Mick.

    Hope everyone is well soon, and that you won't get it. Nasty stuff.

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  11. Carolyn- Elvis seems to be tolerating Mick although Mick does everything in his power to stay off of Elvis's radar. Which indicates to me that he is a very smart little roo.

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  12. Yes, I have considered Mexico for dental work. The problem is....I don't want to give up winter in Florida for dental work in Mexico! I may have to put on my big girl panties and go, though.

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  13. I just love watching the hens dust bathe! It is such a wonderful sight and sign that not all is dire in the world indeed. All the best for Lily, and the boys. Thanks for sharing the berries and birds, our day was so grey I needed all the color I could find. Hugs, Carroll

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  14. Ugh. I hope Lily feels better and no one else falls prey to the flu. People use the term "flu" too casually -- when you get a REAL flu, you don't soon forget it! (And it sounds like Lily has the real thing.)

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  15. I like my own tiny kingdom too. And I am straying less and less away from it and the boat.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.