Where Has All the Singing Gone?

You don't really appreciate something until you don't have it anymore. The two large trees that fell on the house gave a home to a lot of birds. Early morning around here used to be filled with their singing. Now the bird songs are gone. Our two cats were fascinated by the bird activity in those trees. They would sit for hours, Ozzie at the back bedroom window and George on the bed looking out the front bedroom window. Now they look but nothing is there.


I was finally able to bring myself to look at the pictures the contractor took up on the roof. It's really frightening to see them. Yes, there is damage to the house, but it could have been so much worse. When I see pictures of all the homes that are filled with water now from flooding, I realize how fortunate we are.


We were at Art in the Park in Columbia, Missouri, this past weekend. The director of the Columbia Art League is an absolutely lovely person who puts her heart and soul into this show. And the people of Columbia turn out in droves. Unfortunately, our sales were down from last year, as were a lot of other artists, but others had record sales. There didn't seem to be a pattern that anyone could figure out. Economy? Gas prices? Who knows for sure? We were just glad that an Arkansas jeweler we encouraged to apply for the show was very pleased with the outcome. I always worry about telling an artist about a show because I don't want them to be disappointed in my recommendation.


Hummingbird fact for today: A hummingbird will add up to one-half its weight in body fat in preparation for migration, a phase called hyperphagia.