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| I'm staying right here... |
THE THREE SPARROWS
It's the morning of February 17, '08. Freezing rain is coming down on top of mounds of
snow. Suddenly, I see 3 different sparrows come dipping into my bird feeder - a Xmas gift - that hangs
at the front of the veranda.They make several visits and then they're gone. A delightful surprise!
And, I like to think, a sign of things to come.
Janine
THE ORANGE-TAILED SQUIRREL
It's an over-the-top hot July morning in the Beach area of TO.
But a breeze is floating across my veranda - and, therefore, me as I sit watching/listening. Early runners go by; nannies
with their charges hurry by on their way to the park's wading pool; a man fully suited with briefcase sails
by; kids at the top of their voices going whereever; bikes, cars, trucks; then blessed quiet. The birds are talking (I think
they're thirsty). But then comes the thrill of the unusual, the unexpected, the unique: a black squirrel crosses
my steps, flashing a large, fluffy,fire-orange tail... I hold my breath,
silently requesting that he/she stay awhile. But no, life calls, and soon gone, never to be seen again.
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Several weeks after
my red-tailed squirrel sighting - a first for me - the following took place: I picked up a novel in
a used book store,"The Great Escape" entitled LABYRINTH, "an action-packed adventure of modern
conspiracy and medieval passion." I read on page 41 a scene set in 13th Century France where the
heroine, Alais sits watching, "High in the spreading branches of the pines, red-coated
squirrels cracking the cones' shells apart...."
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