Good Morning -

Good Morning

I woke up out of my sleep with a pounding headache. And, as I sometimes do, I waited. The hope is always that it goes away, despite that never, ever happening. Finally, resigning myself to the inevitable, I got up, let the dog out, fed him and the cats, put on a large mug of coffee, and popped some ibuprofen. And now, I am sitting on my back steps, gazing at the blue sky covered in those clouds that look like rippled sand on a beach with a pink blush around the horizon and a hint of yellow hitting the back end of each little cloud puff.

The trees look almost perfectly still as they frame a perfect view of the river and mountains beyond. The “Dr. Seuss” trees are my favorite. My husband and I have no idea what they actually are, but there are a few intermingled in the verdant backdrop of the waterfront park. They look just how you’d imagine, given the name.

The lawn needs mowing, but I don’t mind because yesterday, when I pulled into my driveway, I was met by about 30 of the loveliest, tiny sparrows and chickadees chattering and playing in the grass. And, now I don’t want to mow it for fear that they may leave. They are all now talking, a sweet cacophony of bird chirrups from the trees around our backyard. My daughter has lately begun talking about taking up bird watching because of the delightful array of our feathered visitors.

Just as I was breathing in these blessings and thinking with a smile that things could not get better, the doe who resides nearby with her twin fawns walked gracefully across my lower yard on her way home. I’m “tickled pink,” as Mom used to say, and the birds are particularly talkative this morning as they keep getting louder in waves. A catbird pitches on the garage, and a wren follows further down the slope. Just now, a cardinal landed on the large maple, and a sprightly wren gave chase. It seems hundreds of sparrows are watching the show and commenting.

As I peer across the driveway, I see a light pink flower almost in full bloom and another purplish one about to break out. The two young Rose of Sharon bushes that have found a home in the most inhospitably small section of grass next to the driveway and between the drop-off below are now blooming for the first time.