Their antics cost only a few cups of sugar.
Early one morning my wife heard me talking to a couple hummingbirds when they were sipping nectar. By speaking in soft tones they become trusting. Upon seeing its reflection in my glasses one bird sat on my shoulder a couple seconds. It was a magical moment.
Having hummingbirds around en masse is achieved by keeping the feeders clean and the nectar fresh….and using ant-guards to keep ants out. They arrive in June and migrate south when cold weather arrives.
Sitting at our breakfast table we see a family of deer on the ridge most mornings and evenings; a buck with an impressive rack, a doe and Bambi, whitetails flashing, alert, ears erect.
Buzzards, nature’s primary clean-up crew, spiral in circles, honing in on the scent of a meal in the forest. A hawk descends to compete.
Cardinals rest atop the Cyprus. Doves line the back fence. Robins search for worms in the grass. Redwing blackbirds drop in for a visit. In the distance crows argue. Mockingbirds zigzag across the lawn. Blue Jays make Blue Jay racket.
Weigela, Hydrangea, Mandeville, Viburnum, and Manarda sway in the breeze awaiting foraging bees, colorful butterflies in contention.
Finches cluster on a feeder. Two wrens seek a place to call home. A flight of geese rise from a nearby pond in a shower of watery crystals and honk their way to some unknown destination.
Nature is ancillary to living. While mesmerized by the aerobatics of the hummingbirds I began wondering about what is important and unimportant to me and the conclusion is enlightening.
Frugality is a mandate. We have no interest in extravagance. A loge in the stadium is not on our list of needs. We do not idolize sports icons, wealth and nudity. We don’t want more bedrooms than we need. We don’t want the penthouse in Miami or a mansion in Spain.
Simplicity of living appeals to my wife and me. We are not fans of anyone. We have no interest in awards banquets, night clubs, race tracks, sport stadiums; places where people are packed like sardines.
I am interested in how our lifestyle compares to others who are bored with the manipulations by hustlers of glut. Are you tired of TV commercials, reality nonsense, talk shows, cooked sausage, onions being sautéed, weird dancing and screaming vocalists?
Or are there other people who are devotees of simplicity?
What comprises your spirit? What are you looking forward to tomorrow, next month, next year or ten years from now? We are looking forward to the return of our hummingbirds.
I’ll write a column listing the ways you are nurtured by nature.
York is a WW II navy veteran and retired President of York Furs in Buckhead. You can reach Bill York by email: Sioux2222@gmail.com.
