Sitting on the porch this morning watching my bird friends enjoying their fresh seeds. Trying to distract myself from my chewing gum withdrawal. Don’t need any groceries and don’t have the energy to priss myself up just to hit the Dollar G for gum.

The cardinals are so red today. A little fat wren has flown in on the porch and perched twice on the swing chain. They are such curious little birds. Just saw a pair of eastern blue birds. They always stay in the yards across the street. Very rarely do they visit me. Don’t know what I’ve done to offend them. Their blue jay and robin friends don’t cross over, either. Makes me remember how the cotton mill workers and town families never crossed the railroad tracks to socialize with each other.

We really had a storm last night. Handyman cut an 8 foot boundary from the bamboo forest around the back of the house when he was working here and the bamboo still managed to sway and slap their limbs against my bedroom windows. Made a small crack in one of the window panes. Thought the wind was going to blow the pane out.

The yard was full of small limbs this morning. Trash cans down the the street were blown over. I righted the cans when I walked Penelope. Didn’t want Grandpaw raccoon to think he could shop for a treat in the garbage bags. As big as he is, though, he could probably just stand up and raise the lid and get what he wanted.

My wind chimes were wrapped around each other and tangled up something fierce. I had to get up on the step-stool to untangle them. Forgot to get Stew to “guard me” as he calls it when I get on the ladder. I must be doing well ‘cause Shady Oaks or I’m calling Bro hasn’t come up in conversation lately.

Wind is really a unique part of nature. Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface combined with the earth’s rotation causes wind. Just looked that up because I didn’t know. Strong enough to push ships across oceans yet gentle enough to spread a dandelion’s seed. Wind flies flags and kites and cools us from from the summer sun. Feels so good on a hot day when a brisk breeze blows. I’ve always wondered where the wind has been when I’m on the porch and the wind chimes sing. Chief would always laugh about some of the things I wondered about.

Ever noticed after a bad storm God gives us a beautiful blue sky day. Today is a beautiful blue sky day. Makes me feel all is right with the universe. Can you imagine the relief Noah and his family felt when they woke up to their first blue sky day? The hope they must have felt knowing that life, as they had lived it, was possible again.

When Rosalyn died, I woke up to a beautiful blue sky day. Just stood in the kitchen, looking out the window at the song birds frolicking, and thinking life just goes on after a tragedy. How could the world not tilt on its axis after the death of my child? Felt the same way after Chief died. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. Time just keeps marching along.

And we who have lost love ones stumble along till we learn to march in step.