This past Sunday it was raining and windy all day. The weather was what I imagine it being like on a stereotypical day living in Labrador; cold driving grey rain, having to put on my bright yellow slicker to go and check the lighthouse light, as my bushy beet red thick beard keeps my face warm, while my sheep dog Séamus follows me faithfully and my clutch of red haired kids play their fiddles in the livingroom practicing their new single Is binn béal ina thost a new gaelic wonder band The Brambing Ones!
......sorry, a little off topic there.
So it was rainy and windy and cold all day. Around late afternoon we were all bustling about getting ready for supper at our place with Mama and Bop-a. When our oldest girl says "Hey look there is a bird sitting on the fence!" I was a little busy getting ready for supper so I didn't really pay much attention,I did peek out the window and sure enough there was a little bird sitting as flat as it could on the top of our fence, about 4 feet from our living room window.
Wet bird on the fence
After that I dd not pay much attention to the bird. But later that Mom said that our oldest was glued to the window watching the bird get blown about by the wind. She would pipe in every 10 minutes or so "she is just sitting there" and "why is she not flying away?".
About 10 minutes before supper she pulled herself from the window and stopped in the kitchen to say that she thought the bird was tired wet and hungry, and that she decided she has to feed it, and there is bird seed in garage, and that we could put a plate on the fence and then some seed on the plate and then...
"Not now sweetie, it is almost supper. Why don't you go wash your hands." is what I interrupted her elaborate plan with.
"But Dad she is hungry and if she doesn't get some sup....."
Excuse me, those hands won't wash themselves." I said.
Now before she had a chance to "but Dad" me again, Mom gave me a look and whispered "She is worried about the bird."
Then Mom and her proceeded to discuss a plan about how to best feed the bird. What to feed it? How will we get the food on the fence? What do we put the bird food on?
Mom had seen how entranced our oldest was with the bird and how concerned she was with it's condition. She realized that even though it was pre-supper time taking these 5 minutes to spread some peanut butter on a slice of bread, sprinkling some bird seed on it and then putting the food near the bird was what our daughter needed.
She was empathizing with the bird and may have been imagining what it was like to be stuck outside cold and wet. Either way it was fantastic to see her follow through with the plan the two of them had developed and be outside as Mom put the food down.
Who wants a PB and seed sandwich?
The bird took flight and left once they went outside and didn't seem to return. But our daughter checked back at the window throughout the night, and was beaming when she caught some sparrows sneaking a snack of seed and peanut butter.
And on a completely separate note, our youngest spent the full Sunday afternoon playing in the giant cardboard castle that Mom picked up from Sears Bargain Centre.
And your the dirty rascals!Happy rainy Sunday it was!
