Happy Little Song To Brighten The Day

  For years now, there has been a mockingbird that follows me around the yard as I work.  The bird may or may not be the same one but it always makes me think of two little ones that I raised so long ago.   I am thinking those two, Knox and Shelby, probably have left this world as they came to the Bayou as abandoned tykes some eight years ago.  Not many wild mockingbirds live past that age.  Perhaps the one that follows me is a relative of one of those two.  It is always a lone bird that seems to have no fear of me and thinks that it is grand fun to shadow my every move.  It is most likely looking for a handout in much the same way that the herons do.

  This morning as I worked the gardens, I noticed that my little friend was flitting between the arbor and the fence.  If I moved to a new area, the bird would follow.  Much of the time, it sat singing its beautiful little song for me.  Of the two birds I raised, Knox was the singer which led me to believe that it was male.  It seems that the male mockingbirds sing far more than the females.   The one, today, was a singer!  Occasionally, the bird would stop its singing, look at me, let out a single chirp then swoop to the ground where I was digging.  There it would busy itself in search of an elusive bug or worm.  Then back to the arbor, it would fly.

  This afternoon as I took the old dog out for his last walk, the bird followed until it came upon the rose arbor.  There, it perched on the top and soaked up a good bit of the warm sunshine.  It will need that warmth tonight as the temperatures are going to dip to the low 40s.  Both Knox and Shelby would have been clinging to the screen door begging to come inside.  They knew where the bird cage was and would immediately fly to it when the door was opened.  This bird, was on its own.  There would be no warm, comfy cage for it to retreat to for the night.  It is funny how memories of events like raising two orphaned birds can bring a smile after so many years.  It is funny how a single mockingbird's song can make the heart happy.  It is funny how birds, sunshine and memories all mingle together at times.