Edmonton woke this morning to twelve inches of snow. We have been out shoveling. As I understand it you can incur a fine for not removing the snow from the pavement in front of your house. Not a hardship for me to be out playing with the snow, I’ve been waiting for this since late October!
This morning, gazing out of the kitchen window at the wonderful white world I noticed a bird trying to land on the feeder. Of course I went out and removed the snow…and then refrained from loitering by the window waiting for the birds to arrive. Bird feeders can become like televisions, one can’t keep ones eyes of them.
I was here five years ago reminded by the flocks of birds swooping around the houses and trees. Together they make a distinctive sound, more than your average twitter. Something between a twitter and a squeak. There was snow on the ground then, lots of it. The people I stayed with put wood screws in the bottom of my shoes, now I have some fancy traction devices called ‘Yak Tracks’. Fine on snow but a disaster on the polished floors at Staples!
Yes, it is good that IT has happened at last, winter is not winter without some accumulation of the white stuff.
Hi Reverend Mugo
Again it’s always a pleasure to read your blogs…finally have begun really working on mine as well.
Mentioning birds, I have always loved watching them! I grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and my grandparents were also bird fans. They had a large deck with every kind of bird feeder and at Christmas time they had a tree on the deck and my grandma would make all sorts of treats for the birds as ornaments and put them on the tree. It was a treat for us as well, a living Christmas tree!
Although, I would like to ask if those who read the site could keep the suffering of birds in mind…at the moment in Europe due to the Bird Flu outbreaks, many birds are dying and many birds are being culled. It has weighed on my heart the past few days and I’ve placed a bird statue on our Kanzeon altar in our home, hoping that some tranfer of merit can take place to help them in their distress and suffering.
Thanks for the beautiful winter bird feeder picture…brought back lovely memories from my young days at home in the mountains.
In gassho
Jack
Jack, I went directly to the Kanzeon Altar and offered incense for the birds in Europe. And birds generally.
Thanks for speaking about your Colorado Christmas tree, the living tree.
Glad you check in and read. I’m still amazed that people check in regularly.
I also had a request via email for me to honour a 60th wedding anniversary celebrated today. I offered a long purple stick at the main altar. Purple incense sticks are generally offered during very special occasions, like festival ceremonies for ancestors in our Transmission line. This anniversary is rightly a ‘purple stick occasion.
I’ve always wondered what happens to dead birds, they should be everywhere, and assume that, depending on location, they just decay, or are eaten, entering the great cycle once more. Then you think, well bird flu is about a virus doing much the same, perpetuating itself. Neither good nor bad.
As for your surprise that you are read, well, I begin to realise the dharma works in mysterious ways, and I thank you for that.
In gassho