A friend of mine sent me a Peanuts comic strip recently. In the first frame, Snoopy was sitting alone on the roof of his dog house; in the second, a bird was flying toward him. By the last frame, five birds were sitting in a row on the roof looking up at him. The caption read: “Birds think I’m interesting!"
Comics are sometimes like poetry. You never know if you understand exactly what the artist intended. But then, that is part of the beauty. You laugh in your own way, connecting with your own special humor. Laughter is one of the true gifts in our lives. Opportunities for laughter are all around us in every single day. We have only to open ourselves up to them.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (juvenile)Nature is full of peculiar and lively characters that are worthy of a good chuckle. The hummingbird is one of them. If you have any doubt, sit near a hummingbird feeder for a while and watch the antics.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only hummingbird species that breeds east of the Mississippi. The males are arriving now, staking out their territories. The females will soon follow. A brilliant red-throated male has been visiting my feeder recently.
My favorite coffee mug earned its place of honor quite easily. It feels good in my hand and evokes pleasant memories. Friends urged me, “You have to go to Beeman’s for breakfast before you leave. They have the best pastries in the world.” So on my last day in Port Aransas, TX, I had two parting missions, a trip to Beeman’s and one last visit to the beach. Beeman’s was wonderful as promised, friendly, steamy and full of delicious temptations. I departed with black coffee, a sweet fat cinnamon roll, my mug, and happily headed to the beach. As I parked my vehicle and lowered the window, I wondered how long it would take the gulls to notice I had food. Silly me. No sooner had the thought escaped than a Laughing gull positioned himself on a post right beside me. What a comedian! --Nature and laughter forever vivid in a mug.
For the Love of It...
...the sage sees heaven reflected in Nature as in a mirror, and he pursues this Art, not for the sake of gold or silver, but for the love of the knowledge which it reveals.
Sendivogius (1750)
