Birds and Flowers and Peppermint Tea

Hello Friend,

It’s so nice to see you!

Before you come in … look! Some of the tulips I planted in the fall are actually coming up!

I’m thrilled. I come visit them and talk to them every day. I tell them how brave they are for pushing through; some of this ground is quite unyielding. See these wee ones barely showing through the dirt? It’s less sunny here so it’s taken them a little longer, but what courageous tiny things, to persevere. They haven’t even bloomed yet and they’re bringing me so much joy.

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The Cowboy and I were commenting that everyone’s yard is going to look amazing this year. Because we’re all at home, the yard work is getting done exceedingly well. Even our next-door neighbour, whom I rarely see outside, has been painting his fence.

Do you hear that? My Black-capped chickadee friends have been calling, hey sweetie, most of the morning.

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Now, come on in. Do you mind peppermint tea? It seems fitting for a fresh spring day. But it’s one of those things that people either love or hate so, just in case, I have everyday regular tea as well.

And, you might not want to risk the adventure of pairing peppermint tea with our treat today – Peanut Butter Bars. But I do. What could be better than chocolate and peppermint? Add a little peanut butter and … perfection!

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I saw a news story recently reporting that dolphins have been spotted in the canals of Venice. Because no-one is using the famous waterways, nature is claiming them back. On the heels of those accounts were other reports that said the dolphin stories were fake news.

So hard to know what to believe these days. Stories can be made up. Photos can be doctored. I suppose, unless I see it with my own eyes, I should be wary of news stories. Even the ones that say I’ve been believing fake news.

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One thing I do know, there are more birds in my neighbourhood this year. I’m hearing melodious birdsong every day, unsmothered by squawks from magpies. I don’t know where the magpies are … maybe they’ll make their return yet. Last year we had a nest of noisy babies in our evergreen tree. We hardly heard one songbird all spring.

I don’t altogether hate magpies. They are regal looking, in their way, and I know they can consume large quantities of insects, which is helpful. But where I live they are quite pesky. And so loud, especially at four in the morning.

An interesting fact I learned about magpies this morning is that they don’t like to be looked at. Well, well.

The article suggested sticking a few pairs of eyes onto walls or tree trunks near a bird feeder that they like to steal from. And apparently, some Australian children glue paper eyes to the backs of their caps to deter magpies from swooping at them.

There’s your education for today.

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Has this season of isolation inspired you to take more notice of nature? We have been given such gifts, if only we’d stop and take it in: ever-changing cloud shapes, hundreds of different birdcalls, myriads of flowers springing forth to delight eyes and noses, and stately trees whispering in the breeze. Maybe where you live you are privileged to watch other wildlife; foxes, deer, ducks, geese. All of these are gifts.

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Perhaps in all this crisis, all this pain,

This reassessment of our loss and gain

Nature rebukes our brief authority

Yet offers us the chance to start again

And this time with new humility,

With chastened awe, and mutual courtesy;

To re-accept the unearned gift of life

With gratitude, with joy and charity.

Perhaps we’ll learn to live without so much

To nurture and to cherish, not to clutch,

And, if I’m spared, I’ll hold the years I’m given

With gentler tenure and a lighter touch.

Malcolm Guite

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It’s been lovely visiting with you. I wanted to tell you I’m so proud of you. You remind me of my growing tulips, so brave for pushing through. Some of this ground we are navigating is unyielding and not getting enough sun. It’s taken some of us a little longer to push through, and yet, how courageous you are to persevere. To keep going the best that you can. Well done!

Someone reminded me today that the opposite of sadness is not happiness. It’s hope. So hang on and dare to hope. Dare to walk through that door, believing hope is on the other side.

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We must remember that hope moves us. It brings us out of difficult, sad times to places we could never imagine.

Dr. Troy Backhuus

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Thank you so much for coming today. I’ve packaged up some peanut butter bars for you to take with you. If they stay here, I’ll eat them all. And that wouldn’t be good for any of us.

Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Featured image of flowered white teacups and pitcher by Jill Wellington from Pixabay