Friends

Today I went out to get the birdfeeders and fill the birdbath.  As I reached to put the one back that hangs in a tree, a little sparrow fluttered within a couple of feet of my arm, as if to say, come on!  We've been starving for days now!  Although this "hobby" can be expensive, I have a budget - otherwise, I'd fill them every couple of days and my WalMart bill would be much larger.  I enjoy doing this - I like seeing the different kinds of birds that come.  Mostly they are common ordinary sparrows and finches, but every once in awhile, I'll see a bluejay, mourning doves, or an orangeish sort of bird I can't identify. 

My lovely daughter in law has this bird feeding thing down to a science.  She made her own squirrel-proof pole, set it in her yard, and from it, hangs several feeders, all of which frustrate the squirrels that live there.  She saw a problem, she came up with a solution, and she implemented it - Why do I think this is a trait sorely missed in our politicians today....  But alas, I digress.

My bird friends like me because I feed them - and they hang around for that reason.  Real friends - now that takes effort to accomplish.  I had lunch with a friend yesterday, and after a mixup about waiting for each other (we were both seated in the same restaurant waiting for each other and never saw one another until I texted her and said, "Where U at?"), we had a nice lunch and took up 2 hours sitting there there chatting.  I treasure these friendships, both of the bird and people variety.

How can I write about friends and not include the one who follows me around all day, even if I'm in the house and walking from room to room, who costs me vet trips and allergy shots, and, who provides companionship, who is a walking partner when it's not hot, and makes me laugh - oh yeah, that's Lydia, my friend of canine persuasion.  

I'm also blessed to call my adult kids and their spouses "friends" in some sense, and my siblings - well I know that if I ever needed anything, these friends would instantly help. 

I'm happy to tell you though, that my spouse is really my best friend.  From feathered, to furry to human - I am blessed.