Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year. My back yard is a cacophony of bird chirps, whistles, caws, gluttony, and pro creating. The trumpet vine reaches its arms across the sun bleached wooden fence hosting homes for the migrating nesters. It offers protection from the larger predator birds that live in the neighborhood. The sparrow hawk that casually stands ever vigilant on the phone wire eyes potential prey as her head tilts in a sideways glance now and again. The little birds watch continually between mouthfuls of wild bird seed. I hope I’m not creating a smorgasbord of colorful delicacies for the hawks. I love nature but don’t care for the survival part of it.

I suppose this may be like the editing process. Yes! We are going into a professional edit for the book. We gathered all our eggs and tried the query and proposal route on our own, to no avail. We have made the decision to have the hawk pluck out the weakest links. Laura Taylor, Author, Editor, and Speaker has agreed to take on our project. I’m as excited as the red breasted flicker feeding at the window right now!

Dad and I have gone through this manuscript more times than you can imagine looking for ways to fold the chapters together, cut the meandering thoughts that lead to side stories, and add those all important smells, tastes, sounds, sights, and feelings. I think I went overboard and Dad minimized. Now I’m ready to be plucked from the bird feeder and Dad force fed some adjectives. Hell, it could be the other way around for all I know.

We have a family of doves that feed on the seeds shoveled out from the frantic feedings of our lovely nuthatches, finches, and sweet pine siskins.  They swoop down every morning and evening to coo lightly in comfortable companionship while pecking morsels out from between the blades of grass. We’re so blessed to have these visitors walk about our yard emanating their special form of peace. Among all the frenzy of the smaller birds vying over the perfect spot on the bird feeder, the doves seem to send the message of faith that abundance is everywhere and actions of gluttony are just not necessary. There is always plenty for all.

That’s how words are for me. They tell a story, paint a picture, delivery a message, or express an idea. Once I have all these words committed to paper I need the doves to come in and clean up the excess and remind me that through peace, faith, diligence, and community, I can do anything.

Laura Taylor will be my sparrow hawk and ultimately will help me survive in this world of words. I’ll keep you all posted and in the mean time, don’t forget to provide a safe habitat for the birds in your own yards.

Chirps and whistles,

Kathy