A 70-something man from our village, before suffering a debilitating illness, built a trail of bluebird houses and monitored them religiously. He kept written notes of his morning ritual, and the bluebirds didn't mind him lifting the roof tops to check if nest and eggs were okay. The bird kingdom suffers from intruders the same as the other kingdoms. It's so nice when one kingdom polices the other.
My father-in-law built birdhouses in his wood shop. Many birdies flying around today find a home in the spring as a result of the scraps of wood nailed together and painted in his shop. The wren houses hanging in our yard were made by him, and when they need a bit of repair, hubby tends to it. No way will they be replaced so long as we live here.
Rarely do we see bluebirds, but they are a rural bird and tend to stay out in the prairies and meadows. Tucked away in a box somewhere in the house I have two glass Bluebirds of Happiness. They are a gorgeous cobalt blue and should be perched on my kitchen window-sill picking up the sunshine. Glass bluebirds make simple and sweet gifts that thoughtfully convey wishes for happiness.
It was George J. Carroll who authored the poem, "Bluebird of Happiness," ........
It was George J. Carroll who authored the poem, "Bluebird of Happiness," ........
And in the valley beneath the mountains of my youth,
lies the river of my tears.
As it wends its way to the ocean of my dreams,
so long ago they have gone.
And yet, if I were but to think anew,
would these dreams evaporate in my mind
and become the morning dew upon a supple rose
whose beauty is enhanced with these glistening drops,
as the sun of life peeks o'er the mountains
when youth was full.
Then I must not supply this endless fountain
that creates the river of my tears
but look beyond those mountains
where the bluebird of happiness flies.
Our 100-degree days have been too stifling to sit on our screened-in porch, but our friends with feathers just keep on dropping by for a snack and then off they fly again.
As my mentor Henry David Thoreau said,
"The bluebird carries the sky on his back."
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| PHOTO OF THE DAY Birthplace of Baby Bluebirds |