Monday, October 2, 2006

Bad Morning, Good Birds

Monday, October 2, 2006
5 comments
I try to start each day with a little birding from the deck, or from the tower, if weather, time, and ambient motivation permit it. It's the nicest part of most mornings, and this autumn, which has been incredibly birdy here at Indigo Hill.

This morning I awoke in a funk--"A case of the Mondays" as that obnoxious waiter from Office Space would say. I won't bore you with the details. I'll just trust that you know what I mean: a crummy night's sleep, loads and piles of stuff waiting to be done, and the realization that no amount of coffee can change your channel.

So I went out on the deck and, Tarzanlike, summoned my bird friends to help me (this is how I was given the name Bill of the Birds).

Here's who showed up:

A lemony-autumn scarlet tanager.

A Cape May showing his limeade-colored butt and a tiny smear of his breeding-plumage 'make-up' just behind the ear.

And the first swamp sparrow of the fall. He seemed the most concerned and hung around until I was (mostly) all better.

Where would we be without our bird friends? That respected (and lamented) post-modern philosopher, Chris Farley, would say: "Living in a bus, down by the river, eating government-surplus cheese."

Seriously, though, birds and nature are a balm for the soul, even for something as seemingly trivial as a case of the Mondays. Don't you concur wholeheartedly?

5 comments:

On October 2, 2006 at 10:08 PM Susan Gets Native said...

Yep, no matter what is going on, we always have the birds.

On October 2, 2006 at 10:35 PM Anonymous said...

I do concur wholeheartedly. Nature's feathered miracles never fail to clean the screen of my mind when I need it. Somehow it is comforting to know that there are many of us who share that experience.
S.

On October 3, 2006 at 9:11 AM Rondeau Ric said...

But Bill, your an editor, you don't WORK, publishers work.

Your brother’s publicists

RR

On October 3, 2006 at 9:34 AM Anonymous said...

The quote, one of my favorites, is actually "living in a VAN down by the river." I can still can see Farley's cheeks flutter and sweat fly off his forehead when he blusters through that line.

Yep, it is time for serious intervention when you're so blue that the birds just don't help anymore.

On October 3, 2006 at 10:29 PM Anonymous said...

Your digiscoping is improving! Ahhh...Africa!


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