Sunday, February 3

I admit that the last 2 weeks that we spent in Florida were warm and wonderful.  We spent hours in the sun, sightseeing, shopping, birding, kayaking and relaxing.  Oh, and did I mention, eating? Yes, there is a lot to be said for escaping the Ohio winters but as I filled my bird feeders this morning I had to admit that a part of me really enjoys the wintry weather that we are experiencing now.  There is nothing more striking than the scarlet colors of the cardinal on a backdrop of snow or following the tracks in the snow. Was it a fox, deer, rabbit?  My chickadees were "chick-a-dee-dee-deeing" up a storm when they realized the feeders had been filled after being empty for the last two weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I had a great time photographing the many birds that reside full or part time in Florida.  I loved walking through the diverse habitats and spotting the birds and wildlife that were so abundant there.  But I think I find some commonality with our Ohio birds.  They are survivors.  No heading south for them.  No, sir, they are here to stay.  They will face the elements, fair or foul, and sing all the while.  Four years ago, when I was making those daily trips to the hospital and Dodd Hall, I remember on one very snowy morning as I was leaving, I could hear a song sparrow singing in our hedge.  Even in that cold, and it was bitterly cold, this small bird could still fill the air with music.  I think that is why I enjoy birds so much. Life is not easy for them. From the time they hatch out of that egg, they are competing to survive.  They have to forage for food all day long while at the same time watching for predators that are intent on one thing, eating them, and somehow they still find time to soar through the skies and sing. May we all take time each day and sing a song of thanks.  Matthew 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.