Redtips, Robins and Snow

Robins visited my RedTips Diner during a quick snow shower

A lesson about being in the moment came my way yesterday, and I am thankful that I was paying attention for once.

Spartanburg has a winter mix of weather…60 degrees and sunny yesterday, 41 and snowing today. It’s hard to get used to if you are not from around here. Some folks are ecstatic, I’m sure, and others, like me, not so much. But this is another chance for me to find the gift in whatever comes, savoring and enjoying whatever comes my way.

Savoring not only brings its own gift, but makes magic happen as well.

This morning I was treated to a flock of robins in the redtips along my driveway. Robins are surprisingly hard to see in greenery despite their reddish breasts. I tried to take pictures of them, but they were too fast, and my phone was too slow, not to mention that there was a window screen in the way.

Still, I was excited to see them, now that they come earlier than I remember from years back. Global warming I guess. I was happy to provide them some food, partly due to my lack of pruning the bushes which tower over my car.  They responded gratefully by leaving me many gifts on my car, which was strategically located under the redtips.  Ah, well.  🙄

Perspective – Everything is as good or bad as you think it is. So look for the good parts.

After a few minutes of feeding frenzy, they all flew away, perhaps spooked by the squirrels rampaging through my little jungle gym. It was a nice respite from working on my previous blog post between loads of laundry, a bit of happy bird watching. I went out to the car to get my other camera, the one that can’t make phone calls, just in case.

The next time I looked up, it was snowing, and the redtips hovered protectively over my Kia, blanketed in clumps of wet snow that covered the ground and the roofs of the other houses, though not the road.  I decided to take in the beauty and to savor the moment.

Sunny and 45F is predicted for tomorrow, so the snow won’t be here long, unless the weatherman is right, and the wet roads freeze tonight. Lucky me, I’ll be here in my snug office, computing away, as long as the power stays on.

If you take enough pictures, you’ll eventually get the one you want.

The next thing I know, there is twittering of an analog kind outside my dining room window.  The robins were back! Undaunted by the inch of wet slush on the bushes, they swooped and fluttered and gobbled away. I never knew a robin could hover, but I saw one fluttering under a clump of berries.

I turned on my camera and stood up, which scared them away, but I turned off the inside lights, replaced the dying AA batteries in the camera, and began playing with the telephoto lens as they enjoyed their meal.

Once by mistake I hit the video play button…and learned how to make a video! I took pictures until my shoulders burned from holding the camera up to the window. A hundred or so snaps later, I had some decent pix of the birds, and a lovely experience to remember.

It’s good practice for me to enjoy the unexpected, to appreciate the beauty in each moment, and not to sweat the small stuff that remains on my car. Maybe it will wash off as the snow melts. It could happen.