The Hodgepodge is Going to the Birds...

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I haven't done a Hodgepodge post in quite a while; life has been busy.  But, being as how I've felt a bit birdbrained lately, when I saw the topic of this week's randomness I decided to play along.

You can click through on the button and see everyone else's responses to the prompts, but here's mine...

1.  April 26th is National Audubon Day, honoring John James Audubon, the French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter known for his detailed study and illustration of birds in their natural habitats. Do you have a bird feeder? Any birds in your home decor? Have you ever owned a pet bird? What's your favorite bird?   

I don't have a bird feeder...currently.  Plans, yes, but it hasn't happened yet.   I'd like a hummingbird feeder and a regular bird feeder...actually, THIS ONE has caught my eye from social media ads.  It's a bit (*koff koff*) pricey, but  what a cool idea!

I have a ceramic owl...circa 1977...hanging in my living room.  I got it one of the summers I worked at the local walk-up ice cream stand; someone in the community made them and sold them in the shop; I think it was $10.  I loved one of the color combos and got it to hang in my dorm room at college.  It really doesn't go with the decor but it's sentimental now, lol.  Doesn't it just SCREAM 'Seventies!'  Owls were the thing then...

I have never had a pet bird...being a cat person, I wouldn't want to subject a bird to the trauma of living in the same house with a cat.  I know some folks pull it off, but I just think that would be an awful thing to do to a bird, lol.  My grandmother had parakeets from time to time...my memory of them was that every one of them somehow managed to escape the house and fly off.  Who knows what happened to them after that.

Favorite bird is a hard one, because there are so many that I love.  Cardinals in the winter, robins in the spring, the occasional eastern blue bird...and hummingbirds, of course!  I will say that when we visit Dollywood I would rather go look at the eagles than ride most of the rides...and the Birds of Prey show that they do there is really cool.

2. What's something you took to 'like a duck to water'? 

Oh, that's a toughie.  I don't really feel like I'm a 'natural' at anything.  Even the sewing was something I had to work at over time.  

Oh!  Wait! (The revelation hits) Reading, lol.   Once I learned how...I was off...

3. Empty nest, nest egg, proud as a peacock, free as a bird, birds of a feather flock together, or the early bird catches the worm...choose one and tell us how it currently applies to your life. 

I suppose...empty nest.  The youngest was married and moved out in June of 2021, and my facebook feed has just reminded us that it was one year ago this past weekend that we moved her and her hubby to a new job down in Florida.  The two middle ones, who had moved out well before that point, are both getting married this year.  Oldest is married with two kids...but only lives two miles away.  But 'empty' hardly applies to the house...which still contains a goodly amount of their stuff...

4. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds...your favorite seed and a favorite food or dish made with that seed or topped with that seed? Have you tried all the seeds on the list? Any you don't care for?  

I've eaten all of those but chia seeds...I think.  Can't remember having them.  My grandmother grew sunflowers and I well remember the sore thumb from splitting the shells open!  I have a broccoli-bacon-cauliflower salad w/red onions and sunflower seeds that I really, really like and don't make nearly enough, lol.

5. Something in the past week that made you 'happy as a lark'? 

A new book to read!  I picked up Barbara Emodi's first foray into fiction writing...I've read her sewing blog/books/magazine articles for years, so it's kinda cool to see her branch out into something different.  A murder mystery no less.  I have't had a LOT of time so I'm only on about chapter 4 but it's been good so far.   Two weeks ago I read the Wingfeather saga in a marathon whilst my hubby was on a camping trip.  Darn near pulled an all-nighter but finished it in three days.  The end of the fourth book had me almost to the ugly cry.  Wasn't expecting that in a kid's story.

6. Insert your own random thought here.   

I am feeling the cold current of swift flowing time more this year than I think I have before.  It is just unbelievable to me how fast things are moving.  I don't feel like I'm keeping up...which is kinda scary, to be honest.  

Spending three days reading books and doing little else probably doesn't help, lol.