This morning I woke up earlier than anybody else, and stayed in bed a while, listening to the birds chirping outside my window. It suddenly occurred to me that it has been a long time since I’ve heard or seen birds, so I crept to the window and looked outside and sure enough, there were birds busily feeding! Miss Chrissy has left a feeder out for them all Winter, though there haven’t been many visitors. But this morning I saw some cute little gray birds, pecking away at the seed.
Miss Chrissy woke up, and I told her about it, and we talked about how it’s now the later part of February, so we may not have too much more Winter left before Spring starts to push her way in. I told Miss Chrissy how much I miss going outside, and she pointed out that even though it’s still cold out there, especially in the mornings, since her last shopping trip, we now have a big furry jacket, and also her baby shoes, which should go a long way towards protecting cold little Whimsie feet. Suddenly, I was so excited. “Oh, please!” I exclaimed. “Do you think I might take a walk outside, just to look for birds and breath the fresh air?”
Miss Chrissy smiled and said of course, and bundled me up in the furry coat, put the hood up over my head, and helped me tie up my shoes. Then we headed outside together. Yes! It was cold, and I was glad of the furry hood on my jacket (which, by the way, can you see that it has a little kitty kat on the front? and the hood has little kitty kat ears?? How adorable!) But it was not too cold to want to go back inside right away, and so we ventured out further.
I wanted to see the birds, so I stopped by the feeder, but of course, if you come near the feeder, the birds fly away. They’re very skittish like that. But I asked Miss Chrissy to take this picture of me, just so I could post it here, to always remember how crisp and wonderful it felt on this Winter morning, when the promise of Spring is hovering around the edges of the day.
Soon, I think, we will have lots and lots of birds at this feeder, and Miss Chrissy will set up food for the hummingbirds as well. Hummings eat very different food than regular birds, since they are very different birds, quite peculiar, yet beautiful. I think, perhaps, they are my favorite kind of bird ever. I sometimes wish I could get one to light on my arm or my shoulder, but realistically, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.
But anyway! It’s been fun staying indoors and cuddled up under the blankets, watching movies and the Olympics, reading comics and old scrapbooks, but I think perhaps all of us are beginning to long for that time when tiny pink and white and yellow flowers begin to appear on the Girl Trees, and we can put the winter jacket in the bottom drawer, to await another wonderful Winter, which I’m sure we will be fully ready for, when it happens.
Here in Whimsieville, it strikes me that the seasons are just about right. In the Winter, it doesn’t snow so much that it becomes tiresome (or worse yet, dangerous!) and our Summers are not generally so hot for so long that we despair of ever again feeling cool and comfortable. Autumn and Spring have much to recommend them. I do so love the repeating “Circle of Life!”
