Reflecting on birds and winter
Trying to make light of the weekend's blasts of snow - shoveling sidewalks for the umpteenth time this season - I passed the time thinking about things that seem to happen naturally throughout this state.
For one, I reminded myself I had never written the Illinois governor's name until Friday when I searched online to see how other news sources had handled his press conference.
My first search came up empty with the reply, "Your search returned no results. We recommend you try the following: Check your spelling-"
What a difference a "J" makes!
Pondering the week's events while our little Papillion romped in the snow, I enjoyed clearing the driveway and my head. Up in the treetops I noticed unusually quiet scarlet cardinals and colorful finches perched on the branches. Loud crows were teasing overhead with their raspy calls.
"Let's all sing like the birdies sing, Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet tweet," I mused to myself, but the crows kept screeching. I kept shoveling.
Back inside and unable to get the repetitive tune out of my head, I searched online for the date of the little ditty and discovered "Let's All Sing," was written in 1932. Without coming to a conclusion, I wondered why and how in the world I'd come to know all the words to the silly novelty song about birds.
Yet images of beautiful red cardinals, the Illinois state bird, lingered as they surrounded our house Saturday morning.
Then a friend called about the second annual Silent Samaritans Breakfast hosted by Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Services at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 28, at the Hotel Arista. (Tickets to the breakfast titled "Planting Seeds of Hope" are $20 per person. To RSVP, call Linda Kolaya at (630) 357-2456 or visit www.samaritancenter.org.)
I mentioned I was watching a flock of cardinals, male and female, feed outside our window in our crabapple tree. My friend asked if they appeared to be drunk and went on to explain that aging crabapples become alcohol-laden and birds who feast on them can become tipsy.
As I watched the playful birds flit and flutter from one branch to the next, I quickly learned I have no idea how to identify an inebriated bird.
Wanting to verify the possibility, I consulted my bird books and searched online until I found a reference to crabapples and holly berries that noted "the fermented sugars turn to alcohol and the happily inebriated little birds occasionally lose all sense of direction, propriety and flight."
During my search, I learned the cardinal, known for its loud, whistling song, was named after Catholic cardinals who dress in bright red robes, shares its distinction as a state bird with six other states.
More snow Sunday
Many residents in our West Wind neighborhood have been good about keeping their sidewalks clear for all of us who enjoy daily walks.
In fact, a couple of my neighbors with snowblowers are known and appreciated for clearing more than the sidewalk that runs in front of their homes.
Late Sunday afternoon, while walking to the post office on Ogden Avenue, I noticed another helpful and innovative neighbor had stuck a snow shovel in a bank by the crosswalk on his cul-de-sac. That way, we all can help clear a path to cross after the snowplow has cleared the street. Sometimes there's just no place for the snow to go except at the intersection.
As I approached the post office off Feldott Lane, I could hear the songs of a variety of birds coming from the garage where the postal vehicles are kept. For five minutes, I listened to a symphony, wishing I'd had my bird book in hand to identify all the entertaining creatures.
Listening to the diversity of songs, I was mindful of the expression "Birds of a feather flock together" and I wondered how they had all been attracted to that location.
Wednesday is Inauguration Day in Springfield. Wednesday is another day to pay attention to all the sights and sounds in Illinois.
• Stephanie Penick writes about Naperville on Tuesdays in Neighbor. Contact her at spennydh@aol.com.