Middle Age Is For The Birds

Recently my husband and I have become proud surrogate parents of numerous birds in our area. Years ago we would have called people so enthralled by birds well, a little “old and boring”, but after being entertained by watching squirrels and birds surround the feeder of a family member we decided to take the plunge.

I put the feeder on my Christmas wish list and lo and behold - there it appeared under the tree. It’s a very cool unit – a well-known industry brand by Brome that is designed to be the ultimate in squirrel proof design.

We were told that it would take a couple of days for the neighbourhood flock to find our new feeder. Eager to make the right first impression, we stuffed it full of high quality pre-shelled sunflower hearts. The feeder was probably out there less than two hours and was already inundated with birds. I swear you’d almost assume the creatures were all connected on social media (cue the obvious Twitter analogies). Sparrows, chickadees and cardinals (Mr. and Mrs.) continue to be regular users of our free fare.

The process can be quite entertaining when a squirrel decides to attempt the feeder. Less so when you return to refill in the morning and find the feeder violently thrown off its hook and lying on the ground after having been vehemently attacked by a very tenacious racoon.

While the feeder is a “feel good” item and can provide some entertainment, it also occurred to me that in a way and from a middle-aged perspective, a bird feeder can also be a metaphor for life.

10 WAYS A BIRD FEEDER CAN BE A METAPHOR FOR LIFE

1. While much of the process is predictable, you never really know what will show up and when
2. To get the most out of the experience, you have to constantly refill it with nourishment
3. From the perspective of the little guy, it’s always nice to depend on someone
4. Life is really more enjoyable when you’re able to share it with other beings
5. Invest in high quality ingredients and life will be less messy on the outside
6. Sometimes the simplest things make you the happiest
7. There’s wonder all around you
8. We’re all in this together so you might as well share your resources
9. If you fall down, just pick yourself right back up and try again
10. Food is the great unifier

 

 

Comments

[Cathy Schlender]

What a great post and photo! Just wait until the summer when you also discover your lovely new sunflower garden created by the squirrel burying its "treasure" in forgotten places!