Avian Acrobatics

~~The cherries are nearly ripe and Mother's Day is here. We can't help but wonder if our avian acrobatic troup is about to appear. Let's be fair, though. We've only seen them once. On Mother's Day 2008, we looked out the solarium windows and found our Yoshino Cherry trees buzzing with wings. Small birds were going in and out. We had never seen them before and had to look them up. They were eating the tiny cherries that our trees create every spring after their glorious blooms are spent. Ornamental trees often produce small fruit that birds and squirrels eat. Our trees are no different. The event inspired a scene for my novel in progress, Mother's Day. The point of view is my main character, Laura Grace Chandler. The child is Samantha, her newly adopted daughter. I hope you enjoy it. ; )

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“Momma!”

I jumped at the sink and water showered my chest not my face. What could be so important this morning? Grabbing the towel, I went to investigate.

“You’ve got to see this!” Her excited voice drew me to the bay window of the living room. Raucous calls of “zeee” rose from fluttering birds in the Yoshino cherry tree on the other side of the deck.

“Oh my.”

“There’s hundreds of ‘em!” Samantha stared, mouth open, as the birds fluttered among the leaves. Acrobatic feats of flying rewarded them with choice, ripe cherries.

“Get the Peterson’s Guide.” My hand rose to my heart. “I can’t believe this, but I believe they're cedar waxwings."

She bounced back and handed me the book. “Waxwings?”

I flipped the pages. “Let’s see. ‘Crested brown bird. Yellow band at tail tip.’ Yes.”

“Look at the wings.” She pointed. “Looks like red Christmas candle wax on ‘em.”

“Guess that’s where they got their name, don’t you? I’ve heard of them all my life, but I’ve never seen one.”

Samantha ran back to the bookshelf and grabbed a book on North American birds. She giggled. “It says sometimes they get drunk if the fruit’s fermented. Calls them ‘tipsy birds.’”

“That would make flying difficult, I imagine.” I laughed. The delight of the birds' antics warmed my heart. “I think they’re tanking up to fly north to their mating range.” I looked back at the field guide. “Yes. Here’s the map.”

“It says they have to sober up to fly again. That’s just weird!” She stared at the birds again. “Wonder how long it will take for them to eat all the cherries?”

“Not long at this rate.” I glanced at the clock. “Oh, Samantha! We have to hurry. The Mother’s Day service won’t wait on us.” I grinned. This was a special day. It was my first Mother’s Day since I had become Samantha’s legal mother.

“Okay. I just got to dress. Then I’ll watch the birds till you’re ready.”

She skipped down the hall in front of me. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts of this day. Samantha’s mine and cedar waxwings to entertain us. I grinned at my reflection. “I don’t deserve this. I’m so happy,” I whispered to the wrinkled face, wreathed in smile lines. As I grabbed my purse, I heard Samantha singing. The child was a happy as I was.

“Momma, I just can’t imagine a tipsy bird staggering on the deck. Bet it’d be as funny as Dale stumbling around when Craig let him drink beer.”

I stopped. Closing my eyes a moment with my hand clinched, I felt my heart thud. Would Samantha ever escape that horror? I took a deep breath. “Let’s go, angel. We’re late.”

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~~Happy Mother's Day to all of you. May your day be filled with delights of family and nature!

Ninety Years Old and...

~~...in need of a face lift! Our house is a lovely lady, built in 1920 for John's grandparents. It's the first house in Temple to have electricity. His grandfather had a generator that he powered the church, the house, and his stores with. The wood used in construction was cut off the farmland he owned. We started renovation in 1980 and in successive waves, we have lowered the ceilings from twelve feet to ten, refreshed the walls with paint and wallpaper, and added a solarium and second bathroom. The house survived a direct hit from a hundred year old pecan tree during hurricane Opal in 1995.


~~During the last two weeks, John and Rayford, a family friend, have removed the ninety-year-old siding from the west side. It was beginning to show its age. By the way, this is the side of the house with the cherry tree referred to in my blog title. They have replaced it with plywood weather sheathing, house wrap, and new concrete fiber siding. Then they are painting her with a new, darker coat of green paint. If you look at the photos closely enough, you will see the name of the building supply store we purchased materials from. ; )


~~John plans to tackle the east side next spring. Around here, I don't create "Honey do" lists. He creates his own "Honey, I'm going to do this next" lists. It's great to be married to a handyman. ; )

Helping Momma Write

~~Do you have little helpers when you write? I do. I have two poodle helpers who constantly have to find a way to wiggle their way into the job. I'll be honest, typing is a lot harder when a puppy tongue is licking your thumbs. ; ) Or two puppy feet are propped on your lap and the little head nudges your elbow. That's what happens around here.

~~After realizing they can't make Momma stop working, Casey and Max take up new positions. Casey becomes the guardian of the study and Max sits politely and watches me type. Here's two photos to show the action. I was unaware John was taking the computer one. Max wasn't. ; ) John said it was really cute when Max was reading with me.

~~If you have little helpers, I hope they are as sweet as mine are--at least most of the time.

Happy Birthday to Casey and Max!

~~Believe it or not, Casey and Max are one year old today. They are big and bouncy and a delight to live with. Their early gift was to get to sleep with us in the big bed. Yeah, we know. It's a classic picture--the big dog crowding out the owners of the bed. But really--how much can two toy poodles crowd us? It's just sweet and they don't jump on and off the bed. They sleep all night cuddled up beside us. This morning, they got extra wet food for breakfast. Yum! At least to them. ; ) Here's a first day home photo and some "my, how big you've grown!" shots to compare.

Done!

~~Well, it's as done as a rough draft can be. I finished A Christmas Walk's rough draft and now I'm planning to start the rest of the process. As many of you know, editing, formatting, and getting a manuscript ready for printing is a much longer process than writing the rough draft. In fact, this rough draft is a record. I've written it in about four months! I'm amazed and thrilled that it is done. Now on to the tough job. ; )
~~I'm going on the record of when the rest of the job will be done. In April, I'll do the first rough edit and type it in. Yes, I'm a long hand composer. If that is complete by May, I'll let my husband John and Susan Edwards at it. June is scheduled for two more of my close readers. In July, I plan to finish the ticky formatting stuff and in August, if all is going well, we print.
~~So wish me luck and fast fingers. ; )

Spring!

~~What a lovely beginning this spring is making! Our daffodils, hyacinths, and pear tree are blooming. The cherry tree is close to popping out in all its glory. Here are a few photos to help you forget our long, cold, snowy winter. ; )

~~The experts are saying the pollen season has gotten off to a slow start and the levels they are seeing are about three weeks behind the usual pattern. If you are like me, you couldn't care less. Bring on the lovely and leave the tiny miserable specks behind. Unfortunately, one takes the other to exist. Just enjoy it before the hard part comes.

It's Been a Good Week...So Far

~~How's this for a good week? On Sunday night I gave the long awaited talk at church and sold eight more books and on Monday night I was interviewed for a TV show. Tuesday I got to see the DVD of the show and WOW! It's good!
~~The talk Sunday night was titled "Devotional Worship" and related my ideas for active reading of scripture. It is the process that led to An Easter Walk. Since my active reading takes the form of writing, the rest, as they say, is history. I also have learned the connection of devotion and worship. We usually think that the two words have very different meanings--one is private and the other a group activity--but actually, the two words are defined by each other. So, my talk revolved around both and how to create active, productive quiet time. The group who heard it was very complementary. When I asked John if he thought the program went well, he said, "Of course!" like he couldn't imagine me thinking otherwise. ; ) My mother agreed.
~~The interview was for the program, "Reach Out and Touch" that is produced by my friends, Faye and Gene Agan. Their program is part of the line up on the Unity Broadcasting Network. UBN is based in Boonesville, Mississippi and has several affiliates in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri. Along with their standard broadcast, UBN is an online entity as well. My interview will air online and on the network on Tuesday March 30 at 2 PM. Check out http://www.ubntv.org/ on that date if you have a chance. Unfortunately, the program is not archived, but the Agans kindly gave me a DVD of the finished product. If I say so myself, it's good. John agrees. I also have permission to copy the DVD for sell at book signings if I wish. Faye and Gene are good friends, don't you think? By the way, we plan to do other programs in the future. Can Christmas be far away? Not if I get A Christmas Walk is ready in time. ; )
~~So it's Wednesday and I'm waiting. Just what other good things can happen this week? Your guess is as good as mine. ; )

You Want Me to Talk!?

~~Okay, I asked for it, but preparing to do a presentation is different than writing. ; ) I'm speaking at my church on Sunday March 21 about An Easter Walk. The program will also include how to make Bible reading more fulfilling. It's the very process that created my Easter devotions to begin with.
~~I started this as a challenge from my pastor Steve Davis. He challenged us to prepare for Easter and Lent for as long as we prepared for Christmas and Advent. My answer to the challenge was to read all the scriptures about Holy Week. As I read, I began to slow down and really respond to the words. Writing my responses became short devotions. I then researched the traditions of Lent and found the length of forty days. I had no clue if I would find forty topics to write about. Guess what? I did. As I wrote, I realized I was being led to share the devotions with others. And that's how An Easter Walk came to be written and published.
~~I'm currently writing a companion volume, A Christmas Walk. I need twenty-nine devotions for a full-length Advent season plus Christmas Day. At the moment, I have no clue what will be in the last four or five. Somehow I think the source of the forty Easter devotions will provide. Isn't God good?
~~If you are interested in a copy of An Easter Walk, click on the picture of the cover to the right. The link will take you to my website. Happy Easter!