Day 3: I'm thankful for the birds who visit my feeder each morning

The temp today didn't get above freezing. That's unusual for Oregon. It's something of spectacle the way everything shuts down for, virtually, no snow! One friend's husband said they were going out with the kids to make "snow insects", because that's what you build with almost no snow.

This has been the view out my kitchen window since May. Shane brought home the impatiens right around Mother's day. I put them in a hanging basket, and they have been ever so kind and gracious with my lack of gardening skills. But after today's freezing temperatures, I don't expect the impatiens to survive. I often see the humming birds visit for a snack. I haven't had a feeder out for them in a couple of years, so it's been a treat to see them enjoying the flowers.

I also have a SUPER cool bird house that Ken, my father in law, built. I didn't have the opportunity to snap a picture today. It is much like the feeder at their house, which, at this time of year can attract hundreds of birds in a day. They go through SO MUCH bird food, but it's a wonderful price to pay for the enjoyment received from the daily visitors.

I hope to have that kind of flock some day, but it's still quite fun. The Scrub Blue Jay always bullies his way in for a snack 2-3 times each morning. We will see sometime several dozen chickadees and finches all at once, vying for space on the suet hanger. And then there are other birds that just fascinate me, and I've yet to identify them. I THINK this might be a woodpecker...?

I haven't been able to pin down exactly what it is about seeing these bird each day that is so enjoyable. Maybe the answer lies in the scriptures....

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matthew 6:25-27