Birds
We bought a bird feeder on a pole and put it outside of the sliding glass door in the border of our patio, visible from inside. It has two compartments and I filled them both with cut sunflower seeds. An occasional bird showed up, but it was not exciting. Then our son recommended two different kinds of seed: Wild Delight, Sizzle and Heat and White Millet. The first one for larger birds, with a spicy taste that would deter squirrels but attract all birds, the second one for little birds – I put that one in the top half. While I was putting everything together, I noticed that the Wild Delight had half peanuts in it. I like peanuts, took one and put it in my mouth. Immediately I spit it out again – my mouth was on fire! Unbelievable that it does not affect birds, only squirrels! After all the rain yesterday, we only saw two little birds on the feeder today. We are hoping for more.
The Computer Age
As the education of current generations: grandchildren especially, gets more and more technical and computerized, I have the feeling we are staying behind. I don’t know what to say if someone asks me the major of our college age grandsons: it’s too complicated to understand, let alone to remember. The young people of my generation would study Law, or Medicine, or Languages, Marine Biology, Music, or Art. Easy to understand for everyone. All that has changed. Methods of communication like telephone calls and letter writing have been replaced by emails and texts, all done on computers and tablets. What is the result? The older generation has skills that the current generation lacks. Like using a letter opener!
Four Months
It’s unbelievable that we have been in our own home for four months already. We have accomplished a lot. The garage is clean and can now house two cars. Inside, we are surrounded by memories of our lives: our bedroom is the Hawaiian room, my office has art and memorabilia from Indonesia and Hollywood, plus a book case with my most precious books. The living room has art and furniture from the Netherlands and Arizona.
Outside, the border of the patio is showing new surprises almost daily. A beautiful coral azalea, a little rose bush in the corner, three white gardenias that are not blooming yet, two blue hyacinths, clumps of other bulbs, daffodils… and against the fence next to the azalea a volunteer, a 12″ pine tree. I grew a volunteer like that in a pot when we lived in our cottage in Cary, and planted it in the grass on the corner of the street before we left. Once in a while I do a drive by, and enjoy its ever growing size. Now we have one in the border, and it will be our little outside Christmas tree again.
In the picture you see the statue of a little terra cotta boy holding the end of a garden hose, which encircles the ground on which he is sitting, making it a little bird bath. That little boy, a gift from our neighbor in Pasadena when she moved to a retirement home, traveled with us to Hilo, then to Prescott, Arizona, Cary, North Carolina, and now it sits on our patio in Apex. All the climate changes have not harmed him in any way. He is a lovely memory of the time when we first emigrated to the United States with two daughters, a baby son and a chow chow, fifty years ago. And a new addition is the little gnome with the watering can against the fence. He is one of my collection of inside and outside gnomes.
Wherever we lived, we have surrounded ourselves with the things we loved, and that is our secret of a happy life. I hope we will enjoy it for many more years.
And that’s a wrap!
Until next time, stay safe.
Ronny