He Twists Himself Around

There’s a traffic jam out at the bird feeder.  The tufted titmouse approaches the feeder from the cedar tree as if he’s riding on a wave.  He dips down and up once or twice and then lands on the feeder base to pull a seed.  He is small and cute but I’m sure he’d be rather daunting to consider as a worm.  Before he plucks a seed, he looks aground, grabs what he wants and flees back for the cover of the green cedars.  Perhaps back there, he can finally relax and savor his meal.

Everybody scatters when the red-bellied woodpecker shows up.  He is significantly bigger than the other everyday species and when he twists himself around the suet feeder, stretching and exposing his abdomen, he looks muscular.  Surely that “pecker” of a beak looks like it could do damage if someone got on his bad side.  The blue jay is yet again larger than anyone else at the feeder.  Which the jay arrives, everyone scatters.  But he seems to be too big to get much of anything from this feeder.  The squirrels are much more determined than the jay, but after trying to mount the metal stand that holds up the suet and the seed, he gives up.  One senses the mitts of his paws must be rather cold having tried to hold on to the metal bar that way. 

It’s a grey day today.  I keep putting off the trip I need to take.  Someone, me, needs to take the car downtown and get some coffee.  I was up at the top of road two and a half hours ago with my daughter, waiting for the school bus at seven in the morning.  That would have been too early.  But the task would have been done by now.  Soon, I will arise and put on a puffy orange coat and go get those critical beans.

I just heard the voice of Symphony Sid.  He was introducing another show at Birdland as only he could do.  Youtube was serving up one after another album featuring Lee Morgan.  This is some live disc I wasn’t familiar with involving he, Hank Mobley, Curtis Fuller.  Wailing away at “Walkin.”, they are.  I’ve just notice a wechat on a group thread from my wife.  That will mean she’s up.  She’ll be wanting coffee.  

Monday, 12/16/19