Simple Pleasures of a Mountain Morning

It’s early dawn and the peck peck peck on the sliding glass door wakes me from my night of sleep and it only takes an instant for me to know that it’s Jack, our backyard Cardinal, sending notice that it’s time for us to fill the feeders once again.  I can’t help but smile a little as I slide out of bed and pick up a robe and slippers to walk to the door and greet the sunshine and the birds outside.

Mother Cardinal, Jill, is perched in the branches of a tree on the mountain and she watches and waits patiently for the seed that she’s grown used to appearing day after day.  I slide into my robe and slippers and open the door, taking with me a bowl of seeds to scatter in the wooden bird cage outside our door and to fill the bird houses next to the mountain.  Before I can completely close the door to return inside, Jack has landed on the porch and begins to feast on the seeds that have fallen to the floor.  He barely pays me any mind.

I join my sweetheart, who is now up, and we sit quietly with our coffee and look outside to find Jack and Jill landing on the cage and working to get the seeds inside.  Soon lands last year’s babies, Romeo and Juliet, now full grown and completely unafraid to venture close to the house.   The four cardinals fly from banister to banister and from cage to deck floor to gather as many seeds as they can before they dart off as the Titmouse birds begin flying in.  They are soon joined by the Goldfinch and Sparrows who spar to get the prize perch to step into the cage and own the Sunflower bounty.  There’s a scuffle here and there as the birds decide who gets which spot and it’s all good fun to observe.   It doesn’t seem to be size, color, or shape that determines the winner of prize seeds, but only the lack of fear that seems to determine the winner of the day.

It isn’t long until the Blue Jays have found the commotion in our Mountain Secret Garden, having heard the sound of all the other birds singing the joy notes of the day.  Like planes landing and departing, the birds fly in and out of the mountains and gather their booty, leaving a somewhat sloppy reminder of their visit, just before they fly away to find their hiding spot for a quiet mid-morning nap.

As the day heats up, the silence fills the mountain air and all the world seems fast asleep as the peaceful breeze rolls through the hills and the clouds travel slowly across the deck, leaving a shadow on the door and reminding us that a storm is blowing by.  It seems like a good day to slide back into bed and enjoy the feel of soft, cool sheets as we talk about the possibilities of the day ahead.

© 2010 All Rights Reserved by Author