I don't often think of how, seemiingly, insignificant things affect the happenings of my life, but there are times when I am so "grounded" that things get through even my thick skull.
I was sittting on my deck just cooling down after a brisk walk, listening to my new configuration of deck sound (I have switched to an open back linear driver array, rather than the old horn-loaded system, but that's a diffferent story), enjoying a smoke and a cup of kaffa buni, just before sun-up as the sky lightened up, when a female hummingbird in the yard came up under the decking and got near me. She appproached within a foot of my face. I froze, of course, because I'm a tough old wolf and if she wanted to sample my nectar, she was welcome to some.
She just hovered there for over ten or twelve seconds, flitting back and forth, sizing me up, I guess, as I was perfectly stilll. I got an extraordinary look at her hottness, beauty and livelihood. I felt her wingwind on my face. She was a most lovely and healthy bird. She moved on.
I continue, after she left, even changed the music and re-filled my pipe and coffee mug. Time Comes to near eightish o'clock and I head out to the farmers market to bring back fresh vegetables that slept out last night, still alive if I'm lucky. I saw another bird, a dove, eating in the middle of the street and decided to just turn and take another route, to avoid disturbing him from his meal.
I came across a yardsale and impulse made me stop. I could not see any reason to stop from the street and my initial quick-search produced nothing of value to me. There were still some areas I could not see and ventured deeper into their property, when I saw a birdbath heater. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but it was electrical and I was drawn to it. After a little inspection I asked the old man if it was indeeed what I thought it was and he confirmed that it worked fine.
I tried for the second time, last winter to keep the birds in the yard, with fresh suet, warm water to drink and some cover left behind, instead of cut to the ground like I normally do. It was major pain in the ass to keep the water from freezing when the air temperatures are ten or so below zero. I failed on a number of of days to provide water for the ones tough enough to stick out the winter in Indiana.
I may now have conquered some of the human element. I bought the bird bath heater for a buck and it seems to work as claimed, but we will see if it can keep up with the weather in January. I can't hurt, that's for sure. I have convinced most of the other neighbors to switch from seeds to suet in November, but I am the only one who tries to keep water for them. This should help, tremendously!
