May 8, 2012

The first thing I noticed this morning: all the new white cane is now some shade of green, making it look jungle-like out there.  New shoots are coming up but mostly it's all a fresh new lime green where it was white a week ago.  The striped cat is slinking around the yard, not sure why, but there are plenty of birds out, not that he has a chance at catching any, he's too well fed.  The pair of cardinals that has a nest somewhere close is out there in the ligustrum making the branches flick and bounce with their slight weight.  It's definitely all leafed out for summer with as much shade as there can be, and you can see it in the grass which gets thinner and thinner.  There should be a way to have nice thick grass and nice leafy trees, but so far no luck with that!

The squirrels are such a fixture in the back yard, daily working toward a future they can't see, collecting nuts, making stashes, playing and chasing and scolding.  Of the wires that bring us all that is modern in our life, they make highways, their clever feet clinging tightly so they seldom lose their grip and can run along in their way of flowing from one place to another.  They tease the cats, and each other, they are foolish and funny and too smart sometimes for their own good!  They inadvertently plant trees; they are greedy and will fight over the pecans even when there are more lying around.  Endlessly fascinating, they are a constant reminder for living in the moment, for enjoying a nap in the sun, or for just having a bit of fun racing and leaping and getting the kinks out.  I am sure, even so long ago, Saint Francis watched them with a fond eye.

The Sacraments

I once spoke to my friend, an old squirrel, about the Sacraments –
he got so excited

and ran into a hollow in his tree and came
back holding some acorns, an owl feather,
and a ribbon he had found.

And I just smiled and said, “Yes, dear,
you understand:

everything imparts
His grace.”

Saint Francis of Assisi

And it does, everything even silly squirrels, the birds of the air, a tiny leaf, sun sparkling, and the high white clouds coming and going in their sarabande of wind and water, all a blessing and a grace.