I was able to work in the yard without dousing my arms and legs with mosquito repellent for the first time since Spring. Yes, it was in the 70’s with a slight breeze blowing by. After the flowers were fed, I turned off the hose, dropped it on the ground and went for a walk. That’s the kind of morning I live for.

My neighbor, Mr. M, has taught me well living next door to him. Any time I would get excited about plans for the yard, I’d run next door and tell him. If I got a new birdfeeder, I’d tell Hercules every detail and ask, “Why don’t you have a birdfeeder?” He’d say, “I’ve tried that, Barbara and it didn’t work out.” My vision for planting flowers and filling the yard with blooms in Spring would be shared with Hercules, and I’d ask the same question, only to receive the same response. “Why don’t you have any flowers in your flowerbeds?”, I’d ask, and his response would be, “I’ve tried that Barbara, and it didn’t work out.”

Years later, there are no birdfeeders in my yard, or seed scattered about, and all my flowers are planted in pots. The seed attracted a lot more than just birds and those nighttime creatures dug up the flowers to get to the grubs.

This week, some gorgeous birds arrived in my yard. They are vibrantly colored as if hand painted by the Almighty’s paintbrush. Something they are doing is destroying the plants in the hanging baskets outside the two windows. They’re hanging along each vine, and eating the tiny leaves, but stripping the plant clean. This morning I trimmed off the damaged growth and thought, “This is something I would rant to Hercules about”, but smiling to myself, I already knew what he would say. He would listen intently, letting me get it all out of my system and respond with love, “Barbara…if this is your biggest problem for today, you’re doing alright.”

Feature Photo by Ellen Carlson Hanse on Unsplash