04.18.07

Random thoughts

Posted in Redwood Living at 8:22 am by Lynette

The seasons have changed here on the Redwood Coast.  It is the time of year when you take your life in your own hands by sitting on the front deck.  Basically I’ve created my own problem by planting a butterfly/hummingbird friendly front yard.  You see we have competing hummbing birds.  After some research I’ve found that when a hummingbird finds a ‘food source’ they will defend it against all commers.  This defense takes on the form of lighting speed dives, clicks, feather displays, squeals and dive bombs at anyone’s head who is near.  Here is today’s winner.

(Sorry for the crooked picture, I was leaning over the stove and trying not to frighten him away).  With all the flowers and trees blooming in the yard it is amazing these birds drink as much as they do.  Yesterday I had that feeder filled up to the top.  But I really shouldn’t complain.  I make my mixture 1 - 1 sugar to water.  My DH says I am a hummingbird drug pusher.  They are addicted to the solution.  No wonder they defend it from all the other hummers.

We leave in a couple of days to go watch the oldest son graduate from the ‘Academy’.  This is a very big thing for JK.  He is 22 and has made this decision (after many different jobs).  This occupation will carry him to a very comfortable retirement.  In a way I’ve been a bit jealous of him.  He has tried out several occupations, attended college and flurted with becoming a Licensed Nurse.  He has floated around the career pool for 4 years and finally decided upon working for the State of California.  I never had the opportunity to test the waters, to decide for myself what I wanted to be.  When I started college I was in shock and the decision was made for me by my Mother.  You see my Father had passed away, unexpectedly, within 10 days of me graduating from high school.  I really don’t remember if I was consulted but I found myself enrolled that fall in a business college and set on the path of a career in accounting.  I wanted to be a radiologist or someone in a medicial support career.  But instead I solgged through Business College and started my career in accounting.  I was OK at it but never really embraced it as the career of my choice.  It was my Mother’s choice and it did pay the bills.

Anyway, we are very excited, proud and thrilled he has made it through this 16 week academy.   Thrilled because it is a tough class schedule with a lot of difficult subjects.  Don’t get me wrong, JK is very smart, he writes well and is unbelievable fit (actually he is in the best shape of his life if I were to be honest!)  It is just that he has struggled with ADHD.  He has choosen not to use any of the commonly recommended treatment - drugs.  He has worked out skills to overcome his ADHD and has succeeded.  I only hope his fellow workers will go lightly on him.  You see he and his dad will be working at the same location and I’m afraid he will be kidded quite a bit.   Oh well, it is time to cut those apron strings, he can take care of himself.  If it gets too bad I just might have to direct my husband to step in.  We’ll see.

Finally, today is house cleaning.  The Realtors will be visiting tomorrow and one is showing our home tomorrow night.  While walking down the road the other day to get the mail, I was reflecting upon how much I’ll miss this house if we do sell and move.  The youngest, KT, was walking with me.  I told her about how I used to walk up and down our road for exercise while I was pregnant with her (I was 42 - gasp - and didn’t want to stray too far from home)  I remember the first day of school for her and how she was very brave to ride the bus home.  I remembered falling trees that blocked the road, pot hole filling (akkkk!) the house that almost burned down, the bear that visits our road in the fall and ransacks our apple tree…many memories but mostly I remember the birds.  We’ve gotten so we can tell by their songs what kind they are.  Flickers, Quail with their babies in the fall, Oregon Junkos, Warblers, Swallows these and many more visit our road during the various seasons.  This takes me back to the beginning of this post.  Hummingbirds.  The rain has stopped and they hummers are once again feeding from the flowers in the yard.  Maybe I’ll go sit out on the deck and watch.   The house cleaning can wait.

My suggestion to you today is walk outside and take in some nature and have a beautiful day.

Permalink