Greetings everyONE!

Yesterday while working at the computer, I was interrupted by a great rustling of cat and dog. Taco the cat and Shawnee the dog were both sound asleep a moment before. What got them out of their slumber was a little bird that had gotten into our apartment. There is a small hole in the screen on one of the windows. The hole was originally small enough to put an electrical chord through, but no larger. Over the years, the hole has gotten bigger, and now is big enough for a small bird to get in. I usually keep that hole covered up, but earlier in the day I opened up the hole so that I could get an electrical chord through so that I could mow the lawn. (I refuse to use gas-powered lawn mowers because of how extremely polluting they are.) Well, I forgot to cover up the hole, and was suddenly faced with a bird flying around the apartment with a cat and a dog following it around.

I should say that the ceilings in the apartment are 12 feet high. The apartment is very jungle-like. I'm a plant freak. I've got a lemon tree, a tangerine tree, and several ficus trees. I've got stephanotis vines growing all over the kitchen walls, pothos and ivy also covering walls, and scores of other plants. It really looks like a jungle, or at least a greenhouse. If you ever wanted to torture me, just put me in a room without plants. I can't stand to be in a room without plants. Their energy and oxygen are necessary for a healthy environment and a healthy body. Besides, my plants are my children. They help relieve the maternal instinct that I have found myself to be in the possession of.

Anyway, this little bird made itself right at home, flying around the apartment, landing on trees and vines, singing up a storm. Except for the dog and cat and the harp music that I had playing, the bird probably thought that it was outside what with all the vegetation. I decided to ignore the situation and continue my work.

For some time I was able to block out the commotions. Then the little birdie flew over to the 8 foot tall ficus tree that lives right next to the desk where I was working. Without moving my hands from the keyboard, I looked up at the little birdie just a few feet above my head. It looked down at me. Then I went back to work.

The bird stayed in the ficus tree just above my head for the next twenty minutes, and it never stopped chirping for a second. The bird was singing its little heart out. It was wonderful! The harp CD ended and I didn't bother to put on any other music. I just listened to the birdie and was swept away the beauty of its song. What a fantastic gift!

As I finished my work, I leaned back and looked to my left. Shawnee was sitting perfectly erect with her eyes looking up at the bird. Taco was sitting perfectly still on the shelf-table right next to the ficus tree, her eyes motionlessly piercing the bird in the tree. With Taco being on the shelf table, her head was just about level with Shawnee's head. Their heads were only about 8 inches apart. Usually, when their heads get that close to each other, there is a little show of territorial imperative put on by one or both of them, but with the bird in common interest, they were perfectly comfortable being so close to each other. It was a kodak moment. They looked so cute.

The bird spent the night, and then this morning my daughter and I herded the bird out the door, down the stairs, and out the back door. It took about half an hour and took on comic proportions. The bird is just fine and is probably telling its friends what a nightmarish experience it had. Shawnee and Taco had more fun than they have had in a long time, and I was treated to a heavenly concert. Overall, it was a delightful visit.

Love and joy,
White Feather

Hi White Feather,

Thanks for the story. I like birds. Your place reminded me of the plants I had growing in the house 10 years ago. They got so big I had to take them out. But the yard is like a jungle now so I'm making lots of O2.

This morning I opened the bathroom window to check to see if the sun had broke though the clouds. This squirrel was running down the wind break fence of the neighbors deck. He stopped and I said to him (telepathically) that I was sorry I couldn't save his friend last week. (a squirrel was hit by a car, I think, and made it all the way back to my driveway before giving up. (about 200 feet) I had saw him as I went on a walk and thought he was dead already but when I came back he moved out of the way. Then I saw him about 20 min later. He was in the street. I didn't know what to do for him but then he was gone. He was in the rose garden, I later discovered. Anyway, me and the squirrel on the fence had a chat and then he said he had to go.

Darwin

White Feather,

Well, I just LOVED your story!

I think that little bird was very attracted to your house. So cute.

Maybe he wanted to stay?

How about posting a picture of this jungle? Sounds cool.

~Nephthys

Greetings ALL
White Feather
Thankyou for sharing such a *deLIGHTfull* event with us.
Whoo! I'm so relieved your cat did no harm to your visitor.
Perhaps the bird thought your plants needed to be sung to! I'm sure your plants enjoyed the birdsong too.
Do you happen to know what kind of bird it was?
Peace~LOve~LIGHT
SeaJ

Hi White Feather--

Thankyou for your story--- it really chirped me up

Your plants probably loved the bird song.
Linda wrote that trees and plants are conditioned to grow to bird song and thats why birds sing so much in the spring time--to help things grow.

When I was 13--I found a little baby bird in the road.
It was just a little tuftball of fur--and was sitting on the pavement in the sunshine to keep warm.
I could not find the nest anywhere---so I took it home with the intention of saving it's life to live in the wild.
I slept on the bathroom floor with that bird for a week--because it got hungry every couple of hours.
I used a plastic q-tip (with the cotton removed) flattened out at one end to feed him.
He grew all his feathers pretty fast --and once he managed the flying thing--which was exciting in the bathroom--we headed outside day after day until he got used to it.
I finally turned him loose and he took off. I could hear him chirping in the trees for days--and his chirp was getting more and more feeble.
Watching closely one day was when I discovered all about territories for birds and realized I had let this little warbler out in Blue Jay Town.

Well I wound up on the roof with food for hours whistleing for him.
He wasn't so hot at flying down as he was up so it took a while---but he finally managed to make his way down to me.

I named him Smartee and he lived with me for 6 years--finally passing away of old age.

He would sit on my Fathers glasses when he shaved and watch.
And when I had corn on the cob I would save the ears for him. He would drill and drill each little hole out for hours.

Did you know that little birds head feathers stand on end when they frown at you?

He loved when I played the Violin and would perch on the music stand and then fly around the room singing and land again.
Sometimes he would try to dance with the bow but that was a tough flight.

He also loved hearing the flute and piano and would warble along with us all.

If he was singing by himself and you came in the room he would shut right up and sit real still. As if to say "It was'nt me!"

Mom would always say--oh you old zipper lip.

Birds are wonderful animals and we have much to learn from them.

I spend around 30.00 a week just feeding the critters in my backyard.

Currently I am nursing a squirrel with a tooth problem--I have to crush up his peanuts 'cause he can't seem to chew right now. He comes up pretty close and like Darwin says--we talk.
He rubs his face on the side of the deck rail and looks at me as if to tell me how much his mouth hurts. And my other squirrels are being kinda mean so I have to keep close watch.

Geez --sorry to go on so--I'm rather melancholy today--and your story took me back a hundred years when nursing birds and raising my ducks gave me many happy hours.

I enjoyed the memories and your story.
If it were me I 'd leave the hole in the screen open and see if he comes back for more harp.

Peace,

Dani

Greetings Every ONE

What great stories, White Feather and Searching...made my heart sing

Your memories, Searching, brought back my own of childhood doctoring. The patient that first comes to mind was a baby rabbit...that I named Bubbles....the reason escapes me. I was not fortunate to have a long endearing relationship as you did...but I always felt in my heart that I had helped Bubbles.

As for White Feather having a bird experience
guess I would have to say...what would you expect with a Feather in your name. And with Searching joining the ranks ....well, I have to say it...

"Birds of a Feather...Flock Together "

Follow Your Heart To Your Feathered Nest
Pat

------------------
Copyright 2000 Pat C. Myers

Greetings everyONE!

At first I thought it was just a little sparrow, but it didn't sound like all the sparrows we have around here, so I checked out my handy dandy little birdie book, and I think it may have been a Lazuli Bunting. I am not entirely sure, though. So many of those little birdies look similar, and this one must have been a female because it didn't have much coloring.

Hi SeaJ! Thanks for your post. It made me smile. Naia and Bingo Pajamas weren't home when the birdie came to visit. They were at the final showing of Bingo's play. So it was just the little birdie and me and Shawnee and Taco for several hours. I knew that Shawnee and Taco would have made a quick lunch out of the birdie, but I trusted the bird not to fly low enough for them to catch it. When Naia and Bingo came home late in the evening, Naia's reaction was the same as yours, SeaJ. Her only concern was for the poor little birdie. She practically insisted that we get the bird out of the house right away so that it wouldn't die at the hands of our pets. I told her that the bird had already been in the house for a few hours and that it would be safe. There was plenty of high spaces for the bird to fly around yet be out of the reach of the four-legged ones. I told her that sometimes we just have to trust animals to follow their own instincts. Of couse Naia could only think about the instincts of Taco and Shawnee which spelled lunch. She was very nervous for the bird at first, but before long she was talking about keeping the bird as a pet. It is amazing how quickly her emotions can change. I told Naia that I was tired and that we would get the birdie out of the house in the morning.

Searching, I just loved your story! What God's little critters do for the human heart is incredible. How can anyone be mean to an animal? The joy and love they bring us is immeasurable. I am visualizing you playing your violin and the bird singing along. What a lovely picture. You know animals understand music very much. You know, when I play music in the bookstore, Shawnee will get up from where ever she is and go lay down in her "music spot", which is in the room where the stereo is, and it is strategically located where she hears both speakers equally. I can turn the music off, and she will leave that spot within minutes. Shawnee's favorites are classical music and New Age music, but she also has quite an affinity for k.d.lang (as do I).

This whole birdie episode has got me thinking about Edgar Cayce. Cayce kept song birds in cages in his study where he gave his readings. I could never keep birds in a cage because I would be overcome with guilt for having taken away the birds' freedom, and I've always been perplexed at how such a spiritual man like Cayce could do that. Cayce's explanation was that the chirping of the birds actually helped him with his psychic readings. Their chirping actually helped him to get in the meditative state from which he went into trance. By focusing on their chirping, he was able to smoothly come back from the ethers. The birds were actually a significant part of his psychic process.

Cayce was actually a lot like Searching, in that he was always taking in and nursing stray critters--often to the consternation of Gertrude his wife. (He was a very big bird-watcher, knowing all their names and when they migrated through Virginia.) Once, Gertrude came home to find Edgar holding a rabbit. She got upset with him, saying things like, "We don't have room for a rabbit. We don't have a hutch to keep it in, and we can hardly afford groceries for ourselves much less yet another animal. Why can't you just say no sometimes? What on earth are we going to do with that rabbit? We just can't take in every little critter that bats its cute little eyes at you." Edgar took the scolding without saying a word. Very soon thereafter a family came by for a reading. The reading was for the woman. Her husband and little boy came along and waited for her reading to be done. Cayce gave the rabbit to the little boy to watch while he did the reading. Of course the little boy fell in love with the rabbit, and after the reading asked if he could have it. His mother said that no, it was Mr Cayce's rabbit, that he would have to get his own rabbit. It turned out that the little boy's parents had recently promised the boy he could have a rabbit. The boy's father had even already built a hutch. Finding this out, Cayce explained that it wasn't his rabbit, that he only came across it that very day, and that he would love for the little boy to have the rabbit. He explained that that was surely why he came across the rabbit--so that he could give it to the boy. The mother left happy with her reading, and her little boy left deliriously happy with his new furry friend. EveryONE was happy, and I bet Edgar gave Gertrude a very big fat smile. Gertrude probably let out a deep sigh and shook her head. It is different living with a psychic.

Love and critters,
White Feather

Oh White Feather--yes they do come along right when we need them---(St. Francis?).

My mom always said about Smartee that "for a little guy---he sure shared a lot of love"

I remember the look on my Dad's face--(it must have been similar to Gertrudes ) when one of my Ducks--'Minny' hatched 17 ducklings one early spring morning.
Ahem--the cost of duck food rose dramatically after that--as I was then caring for 27 ducks.
And of cours that was after the winter when Dad and I crawled out on thin ice onto the lake to chop a Mallard out of the ice before he died.
I spent that winter nursing him too because his feet had frost bite.
He brought his wife and kids around for years after that.

If it was a Lazuli Bunting--then you must be west coast?
We have indigo Buntings around here--but I usually have to go into the forest to find them.
If it's bookstore--is it Vromann's in Pasadena?
Huh.
Did you say that at another time?
I lived in pas. for about 5 years--and spent many a happy hour at Vromans.
An old boyfriend worked there too.

Well--got a chiropractic appt.---he can fix my neck--but I think I'm on my own with the soul part.

Thankyou so much for the 's--just like our little feathered friends--it came along just when I needed it most.

Well Peace and cheery birdsong to you!!

Dani

Hi Dani,

For as much as they charge, chiropractors ought to be able to fix souls, too, huh? (lol)

The bird book I was looking at is called Field Guide to Colorado Birds--or something like that. It says that Lazuli Buntings can be found throughout mid-altitude mountainous valleys of Southern Colorado. My home and bookstore is secreted away in a mid-altitude mountainous valley in south-central Colorado. I've lived on the west coast, but, like Linda Goodman, heeded the call to "head for them thar hills."

There is a little lake just outside of town where Shawnee and I like to take walks. The lake is teaming ducks and geese. (There is a beaver that lives there, too.) I love watching the ducks and geese and their strange little society. It is a great place to pick up white feathers.

To all the winged ones!
White Feather

What heart warming stories! I told my daughter the other night that I was going to have to get a second job so I could afford all the bird seed that has been disappearing so far this year. When my children were little I tried keeping a caged bird, but it really bothered me seeing a bird in a cage. I talked my grand daughter out of getting one. We have pleanty of feathered friends that visit us every morning. What a wonderful way to start the day. A cup of coffee and a cheery greeting from Scarlet, the Cardinal, and all of his fine feathered friends. This year we have had a lot of Gold Finches at the feeder and I just love them.

Keep the Wind beneath your Wings

Freebird

Dear Feathered and Furry animal Lovers,

Wow, what fun to read all the lovely stories about birds and squirrels and so on. So much joy and love is being shared. Isn't that what life is really all about.

I have ravens and robins, and blue jays, and hawks and eagles and little birdies, so small, I can't tell what they are. They sit and chirp in the hedge outside the window by my breakfast nook.

All of the animal, bird, fish, reptile, insect, etc. world are our friends and sometimes bring messages, if we are ready to listen. The universe is filled with messages and they are very good messengers. I love to hear about all the loving support our little friends are receiving from everyone.

Seeds and Nuts for our little friends and lots of love to you,
Dolphin2

Hi Dani,

I'm the one who mentioned Vroman's in Pasadena. That is where I met Shirley MacLaine thirty something years ago. I began shopping there as a child and continued to shop there when my children were small. My mother has been shopping there since she was a child (for 76 years)!

It seems like many of us have trod the same paths at different times in our lives doesn't it? I notice we don't exactly stay in one place. And now we finally meet on the internet. It was meant to happen!

Love and Feathers,
Dolphin2

DaleLouise!!!

Thanks for clearing that up!!

I thought I'd heard it----but I did get to wondering if I had dreamed it.

Ah yes Vromans.

Many Many Memories.

Those were good days.

You're right--we were all meant to meet eventually.

How wonderful!.

Peace

Dani