Sparrow Tree Journal
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Life with boys
Thursday, January 14, 2021
A walk in the sunshine
I took a walk around the neighborhood with George this afternoon while taking a short break from work. The sun is finally out and it's been a pretty day. I snapped a few pictures to show you how blue the sky was and how pleasant our little walking loop can be, even in the winter.
It's nice to see the sun again!
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Just a Wednesday
There's been precious little sunshine in my part of the world lately. Every day has been chilly, damp, and gray with only the occasional bit of sunshine peeking through the leaden clouds. I wish we'd get some snow. It's been three years since we've had any, and we've yet to see it happen in the new house. I've been dreaming of sitting by the fireplace sipping wine with snow falling outside the window since we moved in. Oh, well...the winter's not over yet, I suppose.
This afternoon between work calls and emails I took George outside for a quick walk around the neighborhood. About halfway through I noticed turkey vultures circling around a yard, and saw what looked like something small with brown and white fur lying in the dead grass of my neighbor's yard. A squirrel? A rabbit? Not sure, and I averted my eyes because I really didn't want to know. Then when we rounded the next corner I saw more and more vultures showing up, and eventually counted 13 of them. Thirteen vultures seemed like a bad omen, so I hurried into the house and shut the door. I can't imagine why there would be so many of them for a single squirrel or rabbit or (god forbid) a cat. Maybe there are other dead things around. Turkey vultures will never make anyone's top ten list of favorite birds, but they provide a valuable clean up service and I respect that. I just don't care to watch them at work.
Speaking of birds, Neil mentioned American robins vs. English robins yesterday. When I went out later in the afternoon to pick up a few things at the grocery store the trees around our house were full of robins. A large flock of them seem to be moving through the neighborhood this week. Our yard teems with good juicy earthworms so it's probably like a robin's buffet after rain forces the worms up to the surface of the dirt!
I was out back today thinking about where to put a bluebird box we've been saving for a few years, since my late mother-in-law gave it to us as a Christmas gift some years ago. She loved feeding wild birds and she and her husband kept several bluebird nesting boxes at their home in Raleigh, NC. I wish she could visit our home....not only would she love the house itself, but she would really love all the birds and animals we see here. I miss her. Even though she's been gone for three years I can't really write about her too much, yet. I spoke to her husband a while ago. He's in his eighties but seems a good bit younger. I like to call him once a month or so, just to check in and to let him know that we haven't forgotten him. He doesn't feed birds or maintain nesting boxes now that Edythe's gone, it was really always more her thing than his, but despite Covid restrictions (which he's been observing very strictly) he manages to have a full and busy life. He loves the internet and technology and is far more tech-savvy than I am, probably. He regularly has Zoom meetings with his "old geezer" friends to talk politics and eat meals together (but apart). He also takes part in a virtual version of a group that call themselves "Pints for Presbyterians". That's men in his church that meet up at a pub once a week (with the pastor!) to have beer and conversion. They've moved it to Zoom for the duration of Covid, and I'm sure they're all looking forward to getting vaccines so they can resume their in person meetings this year! Lou is a gem. My mother in law picked a good man to be her husband for the last 20 years of her life! We respect him a lot because of how tenderly he cared for Edythe when she was dying, and also because he's a smart and interesting guy. He liked hearing about how we'd be putting up the bluebird box she gave us soon (and finally!)
So that's it for my gray Wednesday afternoon in Florence, SC. Working from home, wishing for snow, missing my MIL.
What's today been like for you?
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Flowers and showers
Friday, January 8, 2021
On a more positive note...
I don't like having yesterday's post as the most current one on my blog. We can all get enough of the news elsewhere (and likely you're all as sick of it as I am) so I decided to kick off the weekend with a happier post.
First of all, I wanted to show you the beautiful holiday cards I got this year. I couldn't bear to put them away with the rest of the Christmas stuff at the end of December. I also kept out some fairy lights that I put around them so that they'd glow and sparkle at night.
Next, here's something else that's making me happy. My orchids and my Christmas cactus are blooming. The orchids are my favorite.
The weather has been wet and cold this week. On Wednesday morning while working from home I started a crockpot of homemade vegetable beef soup and let it simmer all day. It's been our supper for the past two nights, and it's maybe one of the best batches of soup I've ever made. Delicious, and just the thing for the kind of weather we've been having. This is comfort food at its best.
Last of all, this sweet boy. He loves basking in sunshine as much as any cat. On bright days he follows the sun through the house and parks himself wherever he can soak up a few rays. This was early yesterday morning.
Wishing you all a weekend filled with comfort, content, and the happiness that comes from the little things in life.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
A shame and a disgrace.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Thank you, Georgia! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
The great state of Georgia has flipped BLUE today! What a great day for our hurting nation.
Congratulations to Senators-elect, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff! These remarks from Reverend Warnock made me cry this morning:
During his statement, Warnock talked about his family's long history in the state and about following in the footsteps of Rep. John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. The Democrat serves as the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, King's spiritual home.
He spoke about his parents' humble origins in the deep South and overcoming the odds in a race against one of the richest senators in U.S. history.
"A son of my late father, who was a pastor, a veteran, and a small business man. And my mother who as a teenager growing up in Georgia, used to pick somebody's else's cotton," Warnock said. "But the other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator."
He continued: "May my story be an inspiration to some young person who is trying to grasp and grab hold of the American dream."
Also, let's not forget one of the heroes who made this possible...
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Tuesday
I don't know about the rest of you (my US readers) but I've got Georgia on my mind today.
Don't let us down, Georgia! We're counting on you!