Rest in flight, litte birdie

 

"Nestled

In your wings my little one

This special

Morning brings another sun

Tomorrow

See the things

That never come

Today.

When you see me

Fly away without you

Shadow on the things you know

Feathers fall around you

And show you the way to go

It's over, it's over."

---'Birds' by Neil Young

Some of you may remember my posting about the Christmas eve gather that my son's GF's dad left the gathering to go check on his little avian friend. Last summer, Skittles (the parrolet) lost Chumley, a female cockatiel and his best friend. Since about Thanksgiving, Skittles himself had been ailing. Last night, he passed on.

During his last weeks, the little bird was vetted by an avian expert, and comforted and nursed by his human household. His last day he was given the companionship of his humans and the birds that live with son & his GF, too, a couple of cockatiels names Scout and Kiwi. I'm touched by how much a part of their family the birds are. They have personalities and quirks and habits, just as the more common house pets like dogs and cats do.

Of course no bird would be safe in my house, where I harbor the genetic variants of lions and tigers, both of whom are stone cold killers and would only see winged creatures as "prey". But I recognize the bond that their human family had with them, and honor that they are all grieving the loss of the tiny bird with the giant personality.

If there's a rainbow bridge for the doggos, I hope there is also a rainbow over which these spirits fly, never tired.

Come Saturday morning

 Now that I have a sound track playing in your head

If you are of my generation, at least... the Sandpipers show up in your mind.  

Orion has a cloudy outfit on today, but he's visible from my deck

With Sirius, the dog star, at his heels, Rigel at one knee, Betelgeuse at the opposite shoulder, a familiar, maybe the most familiar of my childhood memories.  I had to go look up the memories on Stellarium, after speded2 commented about it a couple of days ago when I first posted an Orion picture. Among other things this site can do for me is refresh my memories of the star names and where in the constellation they lie.  I envision more "look ups" in my future.

It's a cool morning, but not yet cold, as we approach the first day of Autumn next week.  It's 58℉ (14.4℃).  

One cat had stayed in overnight, the other out.  They do this a lot, one in, one out.  Last night it was Rubia who stayed out all night, and Prisoner who snoozed inside.  But that varies, with the night.  Sometimes both in, sometimes both out, sometimes it's Prisoner out and Rubia in.

Morning tasks ahead

I have a morning task ahead of me.  The local health department is sponsoring a household hazardous waste collection event as a drive-through.  I have been gathering a bit at a time a few items that I'm ready to let go, and at this point they are in the hatch of my car.  Some of them have been sitting around the house for over a decade, and it's high time.

Problem from my point of view:  I'd never been to the location before, and I'm not sure of the entrance.  So I Googled it.  Google wants me to do a u-turn on a busy highway.  No thank you.  I altered my search criteria to go out of my way to avoid that u-turn.  Welcome to old lady-hood!

The pep talk

All right then... the phone chimed time to get moving!  Let's all get out there and live our best Saturday, September 18, 2021.  After all, it's the only one we'll ever get, and we are worth taking care of... us, and the planet... and our friends and neighbors.  Don't forget that self-care part... it's how we remain ABLE to do our part!

Life is good.  Spark on!✨💖🔥🎇

Today's letting go

 Here are a few things that "let go" all by themselves, and were lying on my deck this morning

From the deck rail, the secondary yellow jacket wasp nest.

From the corner of the roof leading out from the deck door, the main nest, that seems to get rebuilt every year.

Here's the corner where it had been attached.

From August 8, back when that secondary nest was being populated

This morning is for those of us who are fascinated by nature, and the changing of the seasons.  Seems like it is suddenly in that huge transition to Autumn, when the temperatures will swing wildly, the storm fronts will come through, and then later the sun will come out and bake us into the season we call "Indian Summer" out here.

The workout with the trainer (yes, it is Tuesday already!) will be a little later than it was the past couple of weeks, but still not too late, so I did not walk yet, just got out on the deck to smell the season change and feel that breeze.  

I slept later than I had last week, letting the overcast day lull me into continuing some strange dreams.  It was nearly 7 by the time I stepped on the scale, took my meds and started the day.  For those who know this morning gal, you know that's a late start.  But this, too, is part of the transition, in the retirement years.  Hard to believe I'm coming up on four years, come December, since I hung up the work life.

It's been an interesting adjustment.  I had some thoughts about what I wanted to do when I retired, but after trying a few of those efforts, it all came down to learning to just live.  This does not mean letting go of goals, mind you.  It does not mean letting go of healthy habits.  But it does mean not driving as hard.  It means accepting the concept of "enough" in many ways.  Not just enough in terms of eating well.  Enough in terms of activity.  Enough in terms of socializing.  Enough in terms of giving back.  It means relaxing into the day to day of life.

In some ways, it has been learning to live more as my mother did, since most of her adult life she was holding down the home front, as opposed to how my father did.  I lived most of my own adult life as my father did, as bread-winner and career builder.  Mom would have a job now and then, a mini-career.  She would do volunteer work.  And she raised her children (five of us).  She kept the home going.  I never learned that skill set, am only learning it now, in my retirement years!

The pep talk:

Today, as every day, let's get out there and live, best as can do, right where each of us is in this evolution of our individual lives.  Let us seek to accept that the best we can do is enough.

This is the one and only Tuesday, September 14, 2021 we will ever be given.  Live it, accept what the gift is, and Spark on.  Because life is good.✨💖🎇🔥