Beautiful day today. Saw the winter blue sky as I ate breakfast on the porch. Two turkey vultures were riding the wind. As the day progressed the sky got lighter and the pulled cotton boll clouds drifted by. The clouds look just like wisps of cotton that have been pulled from the cotton boll bracts. Even ate lunch on the porch, too. One chickadee and three cardinals visited the feeders while I ate lunch. Not many birds today. Maybe they are working on building their nests. I know cardinals build nests in late February.

Went and got my hair cut this morning. We always talk about not cutting it too short. Well, if I had some hair gel, I could scrunch up the two twigs I have left into a crest and be a cardinal. It’s fine…in two weeks it will be perfect. Ran by Wally World afterwards to buy an electric screwdriver. Second time I’ve been in the store since October. Those cement floors kill my knee. Thank you God for pick up groceries!

I’m always driving oldest brother and my son Thomas crazy asking them to bring their electric screwdrivers over. This screwdriver only has two bits, flat head and Phillips, and that’s all I need. I cannot tell you how long I tried to open the plastic covering on the screwdriver package. I don’t think manufacturers realize we are not all arm wrestling champs with Herculean muscles when they seal up products in plastic. Used scissors and a pocket knife. Was about ready to get Chief’s two headed ax when I finally broke through. And the zip ties!

Stew stuck a pocket knife completely through his hand cutting zip ties. My vet brother had sharpened Stew’s pocket knife the day before and the doctor said that kept the knife from doing more damage. The knife blade was so sharp it went straight in one side off his hand and straight out the other side. That’s a story for another day. And the instructions with the screwdriver were written in 9 million languages and folded up to fit in a small space. I bet the paper was six feet long after I unfolded it. By the way, did you know there are 14 types of screwdrivers! Bet my handyman friends know that! I LOVE the screwdriver! Fixed all my curtain rods and curtain tie backs. Don’t tell Stew I used the stepladder without supervision or I’ll be packing for Shady Oaks.

Oldest brother and his friend came by late afternoon. She’s got a beautiful new grey Camaro. Oldest brother was driving the “Grey Lady.” When they left he put the pedal to medal. He just couldn’t resist showing out. Sounded like Friday afternoons when he would come home from the University of Alabama in his canary yellow Camaro. You could always hear him before you saw him.

I have seven pair of cardinals in my yard right now. It’s almost dusk and they are enjoying having the feeders to themselves. I know I have written this a thousand times but I’ve never seen male cardinals this scarlet. They are perfectly beautiful! I don’t think this is a normal coloring. Seems brighter than usual. Gonna research it before I go to bed. Well I have ten male cardinals in my yard now, so I looked up why they are so red and learned they are reddest mid-winter because they have molted and are sporting a new set of feathers. The are such handsome fellas! Cardinals are said to be sent from heaven — “when God sends a cardinal, it’s a visitor from heaven.”

There are so many beautiful quotes about birds and almost all of them can be related to our lives. Been thinking about this quote all day, “Sad birds sing.” Never thought about birds being sad but I know it’s a metaphor. Lots of folks walk around with sadness in their hearts but they have learned how to mask it from the world. Like the sad birds, their life songs take a different tone. But we can live with sadness without living sadly. Maya Angelou said “birds sing not because they have an answer but because they have a song.” Life and its new mornings are gifts. Be grateful for each morning and enjoy them as the birds do. Let’s all find our bird song in our hearts and give thanks for the joy of living.