Another beautiful day, dark blue sky, occasional wisps of clouds sketched by Father Sky’s white pastel stick. The sun warmed up the day quickly. My mowing crew came and the birds always flock to the yard after it’s been mowed. I saw the faithful cardinals, three downy woodpeckers, a wren, a nuthatch, several titmice and chickadees, doves, brown-headed cowbirds, and a mockingbird. Love to sit on the porch and smell the newly cut grass and watch the birds looking for seeds and insects in the grass clippings.

The mockingbirds have stayed away since my neighbor’s cat ate lots of their relatives for breakfast last year. Never saw one in my yard last year but saw lots of their feathers. The mockingbirds enjoy the suet feeders. I had just put two new suet cakes in the feeders when the mocking bird came so maybe he’ll come back everyday now after feeding on the fresh suet. I hope so. My hummingbirds have left me and not returned. I just don’t have good luck feeding the hummingbirds. I think they are jealous of my songbird friends. One of my neighbors came by to tell me about a nest of baby hawks down the street. Got to find Chief’s binoculars to go and catch a view of the eyas.

Guess the peppermint oil has rubbed off the bird feeder poles. Went out this morning and three of the feeders had squirrels sitting on them feasting on seeds. Maybe I didn’t spray the oil high enough and they just jumped over the oil on the lower parts of the poles. The squirrels want the seeds that bad they can have them. There are enough feeders to share with the squirrels.

The pageant of sunset tonight was a gem of watercolors as Mother Nature brushed the horizon in golden shades of clover, wildflower, and dandelion honey. She dressed the sun in a sophisticated chic gown of Florida orange blossom honey and embellished the gown’s skirt with black diamond and gold beaded bumblebees. Father Sky walked the sun down the horizon’s runway and the day’s light faded behind them as twilight rushed across the landscape. The sun darkened the day as Father Sky kissed her goodnight and went to wake the moon and stars. The full moon, dressed in his milky white luminous pajamas, was jarred awake by Father Sky calling him to the pageant stage of night. The moon took his place high in the velvet darkness and called the twinkling stars to surround him. The pageant of night begins and the pageant of day ends.

I love looking at the night sky. Bryan Procter describes the night perfectly in his quote, “Oh the summer night has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne.” Here’s another one I love, “How brave the moon shines in her skin outnumbered by the stars,” Angie Weiland-Crosby. These writers are giving the moon a female persona. I see the moon as a luminous man lighting the night sky, a boyfriend to Mother Earth, and I see the stars as female diamonds, sparkling and shimmering in the inky blackness of night.

I’ve always heard the phrase “Man in the Moon” but didn’t know till today that the illusion of a man’s face was created by powerful asteroid impacts on the moon billions of years ago. Being that old I can see how Father Sky has trouble waking him some nights.

When I wasn’t watching the birds frolic in my yard today I was reading some quotes searching for inspiration. One of my dear friends in Opelika had breast cancer surgery today and I sent her a note of prayers for hope and healing. I was thinking about her when I ran across this quote. “You can’t always choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it,” Kate B. Jackson.

Life always put a hurdle in our path and we try to jump over it as best we can but with God’s help we’ll be able to handle whatever slows us down. She has a steadfast faith and has family and friends who are praying for her recovery. And I know no matter the outcome she will walk this path with grace. God will hold her tight and give her courage. Please remember her in your prayers.

“In God’s hands, all pain and suffering can be transformed into hope and healing.” — AbcRadio.fm