Gone to the Birds

Today is one of those days when things happen to get in the way of "the best laid plans".  I am having company, as I type this I know I should be cleaning house.  The story is just begging to come out and so I will share my morning that has gone to the birds!

I went outside to use the leaf blower on the studio porch, leaves are actually falling and blowing onto the porch, I don't know if it is due to the drought or the first sign of fall, however slight it starts with dry falling leaves.

I somehow was "called" into the studio and to a project I'm working on, burning sage and listening to music and organizing my mind about what I should be doing.  I finally got to a point on the project I decide to do what my original plan was and that was to blow off the porch. 

Carolina wren baby
saved from the cat!

Just as I finished and in the nick of time, I hear a distressed bird screaming for help, then I see my studio cat slinking away.  Now I know the habits of cats and birds are often their prey, but something made me go have a look.  The cat ran under the car and dropped her catch.  You'll never guess!!!!  It was a baby wren!!!!  I have been stalking these wrens for weeks!









feeding babies.....

  The stalking began in earnest four days ago when we found them nesting in the padding of an old side saddle hanging from the studio porch ceiling.  What a treat watching the parents come in to feed them on a regular basis.

And now today, the babies are leaving the nest and I have cats ready to capture the yet unskilled little flyers.  I caught the little bird that the cat didn't kill and checked it for injury.  It actually seemed fine, but I couldn't release it until I caught the cat.  The cat knew I was trying to catch her and kept a safe distance. 



saved baby and the adult
on a pine tree branch

Finally the cat went into hiding and I released the little wren on a branch where I'd watched adults land before coming in to feed the babies.  They were so excited to find this little baby, making quite a bit of noise, trying to get him to move from that branch.  Finally the little guy took the plunge into some over grown vegetation and they seemed much happier.  Meanwhile I am taking photos of the entire event, getting great shots to identify the Bewick's wren!  Along with photos of the little baby wren I saved from a sure breakfast this morning.

I have spent hours waiting on the cat to appear so I can put her in the studio for a few days.  While waiting I have been watching the adult wrens trying to coach more baby wrens to leave the nest.  The adults are not feeding them today, the babies are hungry and all but fall from the nest trying to reach the adult that surely has a morsel to eat.   Then the adult fly's away.  I know they are all going to fledge today.  The bird field book I have says there could be five to seven eggs laid.  I've seen two on the verge of falling out, plus the one I saved from the cat.  There could be more, there could be some that left eariler.  I'm so excited to have been in the right place, at the right time.  Isn't it Amazing?

Seriously, I have to clean house or maybe take a shower before company comes!!!!

Messages From Dreams

The in-between time....

I often dream, many dreams are as random as my Meandering Thoughts. I never know where they will take me and have little control of their direction.  Sometimes they offer me messages that become important lessons and those dreams are pondered as to their meaning when I wake up.  My dreams often come at the in-between time, just before night becomes day.

  I would like to share a couple that have made an impact on my journey through life.  One of the first came to me during a particularly hard time.  My oldest daughter was moving into a college dorm and would no longer be at home.  At the same time my dear friend was moving across the country.  My heart was so heavy, I thought my entire world was upside down and I couldn't keep them from moving on, although I wanted to.

The forest has many messages.....

The dream started with the three of us going to an endurance ride together.  We made camp in a forest with the other riders.  Soon after setting up camp, we smelled smoke, there was a forest fire approaching.  Everyone was afraid and the camp was in a panic. We knew we had to get out of there and all three of us offered ideas.  I thought we should all come back to our house, it was the safest place to go.  My friend said, "No, I must go home to my house, it will be safe there."  My daughter said, "No, I can't go home, I have to go back to college, it will be safe there."  As much as I argued they would not come with me.  We parted, going our own direction. 

I woke up and realized the dream had an important message.  I cannot control the lives and beliefs of others.  They had their life to live and I had mine.  I have always remembered that dream when I tried to "plan" what others should be doing and where they might be going.  This was a big lesson and  I am a happier person for listening to my dream and understanding the message given to me.

Another dream deals with FEAR.  I don't think I'm particularly fearful, never the less it was a good lesson.  Maybe the time of the dream I was having some "fear" about something.

Buffalo came calling...........

The dream took me a retreat, people were familiar to me in this dream, very much like real life.  During one of the breaks, I went outside with three others to sit at a picnic table.  We were in a forest, (I seem to like the forests, maybe this is a clue, "out of the darkness of the forest a lesson will be learned") while we were sitting at the table a buffalo came walking through the trees toward our picnic table.  I was terrified, really terrified.  (I'm not sure I would have been that afraid if this had been real.)  My friend, who was sitting on the same side of the table I was, kept saying, "Don't show your fear and he will go away."  "Don't show your fear and he will go away."  I still was terrified and tried to hide by laying down on the seat.  I couldn't stop being afraid and suddenly the buffalo was behind me.  I could feel his breath on the back of my head, it was warm and loud.  Suddenly, my friend across the table stood up and said, "Read this!!" and she handed me a piece of paper with writing on it.  As quickly as I started reading her note my fear was gone and so was the buffalo. 

I felt the lesson here was, if you dwell on the fear in your life it will remain and keep you terrified.  If you think of something else, you have let the fear go........ and so it is no longer there causing fear. 

Lessons come to us in many ways, dreams are just one way.  I love when I get messages from my dreams.  I often have to write them down to remember.  These two were so real, I couldn't forget them.  The smell of smoke, the breath of the buffalo........... and yes, I also dream in color.  I wonder what that means.......