sunday insightful laziness

It's cold. It's gray. Unlike intrepid birders, I am content watching mine from the comfort of the front room, with a hot cup of coffee. It's okay to call me a slacker - you may NOT have earned the attentions of a ruby crowned kinglet in your yard, so I understand. I feel I'm serving my purpose if I keep him (yes, him, with his beautiful ruby head) fat and happy with peanut butter suet. I've got it started on the stove as I type this.
Over the holidays, we received a call from my cousin, who lives in Hawaii. Once a year calls from relatives are different from daily calls. You resort to the Year in Review method of communication, because you won't hear from them for a while. This year, I overhear my dad saying, "She wants to start a bird store. Apparently they sell stuff for that, I don't know."
So with that, I post an article a friend of mine sent me this morning. The author makes interesting observations about birding in history and why people do it today. I will say, however, that I don't see it as quite the same harbinger of doom. I do see it as a litmus test. Because I'll tell you something, as I drove back from my grocery trip this morning, I did a mental inventory of the houses in my neighborhood, and how many people I even know. It's a small list. Similarly small is the list of people who spend ANY time outside their home doing something other than mowing the lawn. We live in the south, one of the most temperate climates on the planet. Everyone in this subdivision has a substantial back yard. And yet, only two families garden. I am one of them. The other? My neighbor. There are five families, including myself, who plant flowers or other decorative plants. And when it comes to birdfeeders, I am the lone ranger, unless you count the lady on the opposite end of the neighborhood who has a single faded birdfeeder that belonged to her elderly mother before she passed. It's never had seed in it.
So I bird. By contrast, I walk my neighborhood regularly. I plant flowers, shrubs and vegetables. Birding did that. Birding lures me outside more often. When I'm outside, other things draw my attention. The longer I am outside, the more I see. The longer I am outside, the better I feel. The longer I am outside, the longer I want to be outside.
Harbinger of doom, no. Gateway to a better life, yes. To me, birding is a good way to start. Not the only way. But a good way.
So while we're speaking of Articles You Should Read, I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge attaboy to a friend and incredible birder, Connie Kogler, of Loveland, Colorado. Her recent article, "Herding Prairie-Chickens: A Field Trip Leader's Guide," appeared in the January edition of Birding magazine. You can't read the article online, but you can see the table of contents. I have been so fortunate to meet Connie and her generous family. Not only is she ALSO a walker, gardener and birder, she leads a popular series of bird walks called Birding the Big Thompson River. When fifty-seven people will bundle up to leave the comfort of their front room and nearby coffee pot to follow someone into the woods, you've got to give that person some credit. You can read about her experience here. So if you are local to her, you should pencil her in for February.
Apparently, you can sell people, not only on birds, but on a walk through our big and beautiful blue-green planet. Trust me, I'm very glad to hear it.

--Laura