Since I am sort of housebound again, hiking about the hillside is out of the question. That saying about getting old is not for the weakhearted is quite accurate. When things slam...well, they slam hard. I miss going out and seeing my critter friends especially this time of year when things are awakening from the winter. That said, you can imagine the allure of a single woodpecker drumming somewhere nearby. As I slipped out the front door, I was in hopes that the bird was somewhere nearby...somewhere within my newly prescribe "range" of activity. I sat quietly in the old wicker chair in the Small Gardens and listened. Ok, so the drumming was to the west! That narrowed it...a wee bit anyway. Slowly, I shifted my position and listened intently. It sure seemed that my friend was nearby simply by the potency of the noise. I scanned the treetops. Nothing. Oh, come on, now! Bird, you just have to be within my confined area!
I listened. Wow! That was loud! Perhaps a Pileated Woodpecker made its way into the yard? Perhaps my Redheaded Woodpeckers have returned after missing for a few years? Surely, this was a large bird and could be easily seen. Rap, rap, rap. The drumming continued as I edged my way...ahem (don't tell)...slightly out of my realm of the Small Gardens and to the west. Rap, rap, rap! Oh, geez. In an old pine near the camellia bushes, there was the source of the intense drumming. It was not what I expected but still a happy surprise. A tiny...really tiny...woodpecker was claiming this as its territory! A small Downy Woodpecker kept pounding away on the hollow limb. The 6 inch long bird was using this as a drum to send out its messages. "Hey! I claim this part of the yard as mine and I found the perfect nesting site." My little friend was speaking and speaking LOUDLY!
You know, Folks, we are all a lot like those woodpeckers. We lay claim to "our" territory even if it is an emotional space. We have an innate need to pull into our own territory to decompress and analyze our own being. This is a healing mechanism. My physical territory has been limited to the Small Gardens, once again, until another healing process is complete. This time it is due to a extreme bone density problem. One fall, one misstep, one wrong twist can bring devastation to my body. It drives me crazy. I am stir-crazy already and the diagnosis was only brought to light about two weeks ago. No more hikes, no more gardening, no more physical anything. That said, I shall divert the attention to some long overdue creative projects that require the "dreaded" just sitting. Being lazy hurts! I have never had so many aches and pains! These must be endured for the next year while the treatment does its thing but...it is all good. There is a cure. So, once again, I am crowning myself as "Queen of the Small Gardens"! I am healed...or, at least, on the way to being...then, I shall reclaim "my entire territory" and shout it to the world like the drumming of my friend, the woodpecker!
