Blackbird singing in the dead of night ..

I have developed a "thing" for birds.  I hadn't even noticed, my dear mother pointed it out to me. 

It started years ago with little tiny "real feather" birds I found while working at a thrift store.  I have used them to decorate my Christmas tree in all the years since, and I love them.  Well, little by little, I have collected more of these guys and other assorted bird stuff.  At the moment, blackbirds (crows, ravens, etc..) have really captured my attention. 

I used to have bluebirds in my yard, a whole family of them.  The "dad" would steal my dogs food, it was fun to watch.  They would sing all night sometimes, and we watched them raise 2 little families.  The daddy bluebird and I were friendly.  He'd fly over to where I was, we'd look at each other and I'd tell him to "go for it, the dogs are inthe house" and he'd glide over to the food bowl and pull out a few pellets.  He was very attractive, he had lovely white "eyebrows". 

When we bought Valhalla, I was very sad to leave my blue buddy and hoped there would be equally wonderful birds in our new area.  Not so much as it turns out, the only things I saw were grey/brown doves (boring..) and an occasional hawk (way past our fence line), then one day .. there were 2 fat black birds hanging out in a tree next door.  They were making the funkiest sounds .. almost like whale clicks.  I started watching them.  I would see them sitting on a electrical wire just beyond my yard, sitting on stop signs or street lights - just hanging out.  I began to appreciate them. 

 Here is my kitchen sink bird, I got him at the 99 cent store a could years ago at Halloween time.  He is my constant companion while I do dishes, and he's beginging to show his age.  All the kids that come into my home like him, I like him a lot too.  Hmmm .. i need to dust.

On another note, when I was in high school, there was a radio station that played Beatles songs all Sunday morning .. Breakfast with the Beatles.  I used to sleep with my stereo on and was awoken one Sunday by the song "Blackbird".  I hadn't ever really heard anything by the Beatles except their really poppy songs, so this was a whole new sound to me .. I loved what it song said as a young adult and it still speaks to me at 34.

Take these broken wings and learn to fly