Free trips to heaven

The rainy season is edging its way toward us. The air is starting to be less dry and more thick, heavy - warmer. Afternoon thunderstorms will come soon.

The birds are starting to show up now. I must have seen at least 3 fat bright red cardinals. Our "woodpecker" (I'm not sure he really is a woodpecker) is back eating his daily share of bugs off the palm trees outside our windows and playing tag with the squirrels who also like those same palm trees.

A large flock of black crows swarmed around the oak tree outside our building about a week ago. The sun was shining through their black wings as they passed over head so you could see the details of their feathers. It was beautiful. They seemed to be playing a game of some kind with each other and they let us know with loud caws that they like our lake.

Some mornings we get big flocks of "snake birds" or cormorants (I guess???) - they are beautiful black birds with a small ring of golden feathers around their very long necks. They dive into the water and catch fish. When they poke their skinny necks out of the water (to swallow fish I think) they look like snake heads skimming the surface of the water.

Large male and female egrets follow the snake bird flocks around; they set up shop at the shore edges. They wait to capture fish that swim out away from the flocks of snake birds which land in deeper areas of the lake.

We have had a few visits by eagles and hawks too. They sit in the large cypress trees and use them as outlooks and then try to catch fish in our lake. The eagles live a few streets over but they fly to our lake sometimes. They live in these scraggy awkward looking pine trees (well they are scraggy looking to a girl who grew up near the Sierra Mountains and once lived in house surrounded by red wood trees).

Our evening owls have been quiet lately - they seem to be more noisy and active in the cooler weather. I have seen several owls since we moved here and they always amaze me at how big they look - I've been told though they weigh very little.

Peacocks are part of the Winter Park city logo and that's because they have lived here forever. You can hear them at night - they like to compete with the train whistles. What a racket they make! Honestly though I love the exotic sound they make.

We have lots of ducks too - all different sizes, colors and kinds. We get turkey vultures sometimes- and when they are very high in the sky playing with the wind and soaring in circles hundreds of feet above the earth- they are amazingly beautiful to watch. It's only when you get up close do you realize what threatening characters they are - they are bird thugs!

I think I love the birds because they are a good distraction from my earth bound hardships of late. They remind me to stick to the rhythms of life first and the other things will have to work themselves out. Emily Dickinson is quoted as saying "I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven."