A Budgie Rescue

I’ve heard it said, that a “familiar chooses the witch”.

A toad I could understand, or even a crow — but a ‘budgie’?  What kind of a witch gets a parakeet for a familiar?  At least that’s the question I have for the god Pan, next time he’s in the neighborhood.

As any student of nature (or mythology) knows – Pan is the god of Nature, the god of the wild, and he can be a bit of a trickster too.  It’s with good reason that Pan was the inspiration behind the word ‘panic’.  I can almost hear his roar of laughter after scaring some nincompoop into fleeing from his forest.

A Restful Green Man

I happen to be on good terms with Pan, for the most part, and I paid tribute to Nature by engraving the Green Man’s image onto my patio’s fireplace keystone.

I have a deep affinity for the wild things that visit my yard and I welcome them, one and all, with just one caveat:

Don’t mess with my stuff or it’s game on!

Consequently I view the cycles of nature from a realist’s perspective, understanding that all creatures need to eat.  I love the bunnies who live in my forsythia hedge and I enjoy watching them come out at eventide to munch on clover flowers.  But I also know that our neighborhood fox might invite one or two home for dinner.

Toad vs. Marigold

I grow herbs that invite beneficial bees, praying mantis, butterflies, and even “good” wasps…  After planting a Rue bush in my garden, its blooms attracted a polite variety of wasp that chased away all the nasty mud daubers who rudely buzz folks for no good reason.

I don’t even mind that a toad confiscated my marigold seed pots.  In fact, I’m tempted to put out a special dish of soil just for him.

And then there’s all the wild birds.  Not only do we have natural food sources like a bing cherry tree, elderberries, and the like, but all year round my husband and I stock several feeders, hang suet blocks, and keep a steady supply of fresh water for all our feathered friends.  And yes, the squirrels are welcome to take their fair share too – as long as they don’t get greedy.

So in a way, my yard has its own ecosystem because we move in concert with the rhythm of the natural world; as much as possible.  One year, we just couldn’t stand by and watch a black snake hunt a nest of baby Robins from the auspices of our front porch.  We quietly, and kindly, redirected him elsewhere in the yard.  Black snakes need to eat too, I know, but I do have my limits.

With all this said, you can imagine my surprise when a cobalt blue ‘budgie’ not only fluttered into my yard, but specifically sought me out!  Parakeets are not native, nor are they wild, to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

What is Happiness, Anyway?

Recently, I read a poem that reminded me of a few things I’ve learned over the years.  It spelled out how to live a happy life.

Happiness.  It’s such a simple word.

We tend to toss it about casually, thoughtlessly.  A word that’s become so integral to our modern lives — that it’s easy to take its concept for granted.

Let us not forget it’s one of the key principles upon which the U.S.A. is founded, fought for by brave men and women, many of whom sacrificed lives and loved ones.  Our 1776 Declaration of Independence includes the “pursuit of happiness” as a specific God-given right to all of mankind:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What does happiness mean to you?

For some, happiness comes from buying a shiny new car or landing a coveted job promotion; holding their newborn child, or for that matter, sitting in a puddle of squiggling puppies.  For others, happiness is found in Nature, whether it’s listening to a chorus of toads revel in a gentle rain or feel the sun’s warmth on an upturned face.  Perhaps it’s in the smile of a lover’s embrace.

There are countless fleeting moments that can all be ascribed to happiness, but I wonder — wouldn’t these things be better described as “pleasure”?  As blips of time that bring us “happy satisfaction and enjoyment” — until the new shiny wears off and the gentle rain turns into a torrent of flooding water.

What is happiness, anyway?

The dictionary defines happiness as “the state of being happy”.  Which brings us back to the idea that this means something different to everyone, such that some people are happiest when they are miserable!

However, I believe that the human condition shares a common basis for achieving happiness.  It goes beyond creature comforts such as food, shelter, and clothes.  It includes things like being wanted, loved, and cared for by someone else.  Principles that Mother Teresa shared with the world.

Here is that poem I mentioned at the beginning.  It’s credited to Mother Teresa as an adaptation of “The Paradoxical Commandments” by Kent M. Keith (1968):

The Only Way to Be Happy and Successful:  Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some genuine enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you; be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others may destroy overnight; create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous; be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow; do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.

So don’t let anyone or anything rob you of your happiness! Not your shrew of a mother-in-law, your cheating husband, nor the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Bobby McFerrin — “Don’t worry.  Be happy.”

 

Backyard Maple Syrup

                                                                      Wouldn’t it be Loverly?                                                         

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could dispense maple syrup directly from a tree’s tap?

Putting silliness aside, it really doesn’t take much effort to turn one of Nature’s miracles into a delectable treat for friends and family — all from the comforts of your own backyard.

Maple syrup has become a much anticipated, midwinter tradition for both me and my husband, Doug.  Even though our yard sports only three maple trees, we collect and boil down enough tree sap that yields us about two bottles of the most delicious maple syrup we’ve ever tasted.

A Cozy Murder

Do you like murder mysteries?  I do too.

Since Edgar Allen Poe published “Murder in the Rue Morgue” in 1841, detective stories have crisscrossed all manner of genre such that now, in 2020, we have a plethora of ‘who-dun-its’ to choose from.

Whether you like reading mysteries set in the steamy underworld of city streets (Noir), or granny’s knitting circle in a small coastal town (Cozy), or a police forensics lab (Crime), to name just a few – there’s truly something for everyone.

However for today’s post, I’d like to focus on ‘cozies’ because I’m excited to share news about a new series.