Spring

Can you think of a better subject to write about than “spring”?

As usual, right now, I don’t have the slightest idea what I’m going to write, but “spring” seemed an ideal subject - since yesterday, for the first time this year, I turned on the Air Conditioning. It was about 80, and I expect it to reach that today.

Actually, what really started me thinking about this subject was a couple sparrows. Yes, I DO have them in my back yard. And, actually, inside my “screened-in” patio.

That’s what I want to comment on.

Maybe two weeks ago, I opened up the vertical shutters on my back sliding door, and inside the patio I could see two sparrows - flitting about, hitting the screen, as if they were trying to escape.

They were, actually.

They somehow got inside the patio, then thinking they could leave when they wanted to, they flew against the screen, since that appeared to be the way to “fly away”.

“No way, Jose”!

The screen was not about to “open up” and let them escape. So, they just kept fluttering around, trying to do so.

I didn’t have to wonder long as to how they got in. I looked at the screen door, and saw part of the bottom panel missing - and actually, lying outside the door on the ground. Old age had taken over the door. (It happens in the best of families!) Why the birds kinda “walked into” the patio, I’ll never know. They certainly didn’t “fly in”.

When it appeared that they were NOT going to try to leave by the same way they came in, but were rather “banging” against the screen to try to leave, I opened the sliding glass door, and entered the patio. Then, I opened wide the outside door.

That didn’t seem to please the birds at all. (Surely they knew that I was going to try to “release” them, didn‘t they?)

The “flitting” and “flurrying” rather intensified, and they seemed “scared”. They didn’t know that I was their savior, rather than their demon. They just tried to get away from me.

While they were flitting around, I slowly circled around to the side away from the door, and gradually moved toward it - with the birds on the “door side” of the patio. They merely moved farther toward the “door side”, and tried to flitter out the screen there, seemingly NOT seeing that the door was wide open.

The closer I got to them, the closer they got to the open door, and suddenly, one of them found it, and flew right out the opening to freedom. His/her mate - if that WAS the relationship - was still flitting around, trying to escape the screen, when FINALLY, even that one found the opening and “flew away”.

Neither of them looked back, nor did they say “Thanks”. They were “free”, and flew as far away as their wings would take them.

I was glad for that, and thanked the Lord for their release.

I called Jeff, the maintenance man here at The Grand Court, and asked him to look at my screen door.

“You need a new door”, he said.

“What gave you the first clue, Jeff?”

Naw……….I didn’t say that.

“You’ll never believe how many of these screen doors I’ve had to replace since I’ve been here”, he said. “I’ll order one in for you, then paint it before hanging it”. That sounded good to me. (We now have 72 residents here, I’m told, so that indicates a lot of screen doors.)

The “bird saga” was not over, actually.

One other time, a single sparrow got caught, and that episode ended as did the first.

Another sign of spring is the “whirring” of power lawn mowers. Since this is a pretty large building and grounds, we hear that whirring pretty regularly. I like the sound, actually, since it does remind me of “spring”.

Last week, I was sitting here in my apartment, right near the sliding glass door, reading. Everything was quiet, and I was enjoying another of Thomas Kinkade’s books, until the quiet was disturbed by a “weed wacker” outside the patio. The guy was “trimming” around the patio, preparing for the power mowers to “whiz by”. They DO whiz, by the way. They go real fast one way, then, seemingly without slowing down, they turn right around to go the other way.

Very enjoyable. Didn’t bother my reading at all. I just kept right on, following the story of the small town Mayor, Emily Warwick; her sister Jessica (who eventually marries the town builder after an “on again-off again” romance being stifled by the Warwick dowager mother, Lillian); and, the “mystery” character, Sara Franklin, who wants to reveal to Emily that she is her “long-lost” daughter that she gave up for adoption 20 some years ago.

Though I haven’t read ALL of the series of books about “Cape Light” yet, (the quiet little seaside community about an hour north of Boston), it does appear that “all goes well” with these lives, though not always what you would expect.

Are you intrigued? Or angry that I “upset the apple cart” by revealing some of the plot lines?

Whichever, if you like good, clean stories, you might check out the Cape Light series - starting with the title “Cape Light”, in order to try to follow the series properly. The Library has them.

In about fifteen minutes, we’re having a “Town Hall Meeting” here, consisting of the Management, along with a 5-member Resident Council, and any residents who want to attend. The residents are encouraged to comment on their stay in this facility. The Council is elected by them.

After that meeting a “walk around the grounds” is planned, further participating in “Spring”.

I may comment after that.

Later: The Town Hall Meeting was uneventful - at least as far as problems are concerned. There was a suggestion that if we are taking liquids from the Dining Room to our apartments, we should be careful to not spill any. It costs $ 300 to clean a hall way.

Future projects were mentioned, including a Mystery Tour; a Dayton Dragons Baseball Game; several shopping trips to area stores; a Kite Flying experience at the Reservoir; and the regular visits to Doctors, Department Stores and Banks that the Grand Court bus will take us to, if we don’t have other transportation. Smart aleck me, I asked where the Mystery Tour was going to. Some, not realizing the “irony” of my comment, looked as though I were stupid. Some laughed, however.

Much praise was offered to the Staff here - from the residents. Especially noted was the quality of the food. And, the nursing facility.

The ending of the meeting was rather staggered, so only 4 of us took the “walking tour” of the parking lot - one of them being the Activities Director. Though I went around the parking lot twice, my back began bothering me, and I stopped. I MAY be the fastest walking resident, but my back hinders long walking. I have walked to K Mart close by 3 times, but my back hurts when I walk very far. I’ve been trying to improve on that by walking more frequently, but I’m not satisfied with the results. I’m not sure what else to do to help.

Wonderful spring day for walking!

Here’s another comment that might indicate that I am stupid: In June, I hope to take another trip to Florida to visit our Granddaughter and her family. “In June?”, you say. Sure. Then, Kelly will not be helping with the lunches at her kids’ school, and the “kids” will be out of school. More time to be with them. I think Spring will definitely be over by then, however.

So much for Spring!