Meet Chuck

Here is the red-bellied woodpecker
who has been frequenting my
hummingbird feeder . Not to be mistaken with the red-headed woodpecker which, according to my
research, is a rare species . (Although, truth be told, you do have look mighty close to see the "red" (pink?) on his belly.)

He had come so often while I was doing dishes that I felt he deserved a name, not just "the woodpecker."




All I could think of was the tongue twister:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck,
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

So I named my woodpecker Chuck, not for the groundhog-like woodchuck, but for the wood part
of the rhyme. As if anyone cares.



I do feel that he is my little gift from God. He comes and goes at will, but it does seem he alights when my spirits are beginning to descend . He reminds me that God is taking good care of him, that he was happy and healthy being fed and watered by God long before I put my supply out there for him. So in a sense he tells me, "Don't worry. Look at the sparrow--or the woodpecker--are you not important to God than we are?"

Chuck gives me such pleasure . He is not the least bit helpful, carries out no mission on my behalf, doesn't even know or care that I'm here . He makes me think of the verse ,"For Thy pleasure we are created." God didn't have to create us. He wanted to. To bring Himself pleasure. He needed nothing or no one. He simply wanted us .

My Hummi Babies

This little hummingbird and his friends stop by several times a day
for a sip of sugar water. I have strategically stationed my feeder on the corner ledge of the deck outside my kitchen. Doing dishes is less of a chore and more of "waiting for a surprise visit" when these guys are nearby. The biggest one is the full length of my thumb; the smallest is about the size of my pinky. They are such sweet, polite creatures; they take a few, deep swigs and then fly away and let another pal fly in for a fill-up. I love my hummi babies. So does Joel and every child who catches a glimpse of them. "Aw, they're so cute!" they say.

Hummingbirds are very easy to attract. All you need is a hummingbird feeder (this was about 3 bucks at Walmart), plus sugar and water. ( Let 3 cups boiling water cool a bit, and then add 1/3 cup sugar .Dissolve and stir. I added red food coloring to attract them faster, but I'm thinking red dye might give them ADHD. What hummingbird do you know that needs to add hyperactivity to his life?)

My little sippers have nearly drained the current tube dry. So tomorrow I'll change their wine back to water.

Which bird next?

Last year for my older sister Rachel's birthday, I drew this Baltimore oriole using chalk pastels.

Rachel lives in Texas with her husband, Pat, and my two nephews. Pat is from Aberdeen, MD, home of the famed Cal Ripken and Ironbird Stadium. The two of them get homesick for Maryland from time to time, so I thought an oriole was in order. Besides, as birds go, this one is fairly easy for a novice like me. It leaves a bit to be desired in scale; this one's kind of elongated and I got a little "overblendy," but Rachel loved it enough to hang it in their foyer. (I photographed it on my glass deck table, which has embossed leaves. I didn't notice it at first, but when you click to enlarge the photo, you can see the cool effect. Rather than crop it, I'm going to "leave" it alone.)

So, now that I have summertime to sit and enjoy doing art for myself and not for class prep, the question is, "Which bird next?" I have done the American goldfinch and a ruby-throated hummingbird, a bluebird and a sparrow--though hardly perfected a one of them.

What's your favorite bird? Maybe it'll inspire me.

One More Post for the Day: Chirp 'n Chuckle

I've not blogged all week and must be having withdrawal symptoms.

Just a funnie before a sign off.

Yesterday I was delighting in watching my little songbird friends land, nibble, take off, and repeat. Stephen came into the living room just as a sweet cardinal alighted on the feeder.

"Look!" I said, "that's Mary." (He looked for a woman.)

"Mary and Mannie come every day, but almost never together," I explained as he watched the redwinged gal peck at the seeds. " Mannie is short for "Emmanuel" which means "God with us" because of how God sent a cardinal a few years ago when I was super depressed and just wanted to know He was with me."

"Mannie, huh? And Mary?"

"Yeh, she's the female there. You can tell. She's not as bright."

Stephen erupted in a hearty man-chuckle.

"I mean, she's not as brightly colored!"

But it was too late.

Birdwatching and Garden Dreams

Yesterday I introduced Joel officially to birdwatching. Not that I'm an expert. Hardly. I just love songbirds! We read about robins and ravens, nests and pests,
food and feathers. He used his new freebie kid binoculars to check out an abandoned nest way, way up in a tree aoross the street, and said, "That is COOL!"

Today I decided to subscribe to a magazine that my friend, Sharon M, loves. It's called "Birds & Blooms." It combines two of my favorite things in one magazine, and I think will inspire me way more than "Better Homes & Gardens." (Every time I read that title, I think, "Better than whose?" and it rubs me a little the wrong way. Someone's house is always gonna be better than mine, and so is their garden. Or vice versa, so the dual sins of jealousy and pride lurk at my door and garden gate. Ergh!)

Anyway, back to the birds. I'm excited to get out this afternoon with Sarah and Joel to the pet store. We got an unexpected gift check yesterday, addressed to me, yay!, so I've decided to put it toward birding and a bird garden.
On my list:
-birdwatching mag subscription (did that)
-birdfeeder (replace old one)
-bird seed
-garden journal

I told Joel he could pick a favorite bird and so would I, then we'll design our next little garden to attract those birds. I chose the hummingbird. He chose a raven. Um...not sure they'll co-exist well, honey. Maybe we need to rethink our choices or do some research first.