Squirrel Watching

 This summer Zibbi had a stint of loving the backyard birds.  Thom convinced her that if she sat still long enough, birds might come and land on her. (These posts make it seem like we are just constantly tricking Zibbi.  Which may or may not be true.)  We also had books on our shelves (!) we utilized to find out more about the birds we were seeing.  (Which seems very reminiscent of this time, we are all super into a topic for a week or so before we move on to the next thing.  I think it is novelty seeking, the home version.) Zibbi was actually really good at sitting quietly and watching the birds and squirrels and chipmunks.  During this time, Thom fashioned a bird feeder from an enormous tree limb.  The finished product looks like a trick, because the limb looks a lot like a cat post, but on top there is a bird feeder.  Thom installed chicken wire to discourage the squirrels from hopping up.  After a few days, the squirrels figured out a way to forgo the chicken wire, and sat triumphantly inside the bird feeder.

I listened to Mathew McConaughey discuss an experience he had in

Australia as an exchange student.  He had to agree to stay the entire year before he went, because students kept asking to return early.  When he arrived, the family he lived with was absolutely coconuts.  At the time, he kept maintaining the stance, "I am ok, everything is fine."  Later, he found increasingly long letters he wrote home with smaller and more slanted handwriting, indicating he was in fact, not "ok".  He describes the event as pivotal to his development as a human and feels certain that he would NOT be the person he is today without having had that harrowing experience.  

As I write these blogs inside this unique time, I wonder if when future me reads them, I will have the experience of realizing that I was actually unhinged.  Blogs about squirrels championing the bird feeder, stealthy Barbies taking over the house?  I also wonder if there will be a point, like Mathew, where I realize how pivotal this time is in creating something that I cannot even imagine.  I am holding out hope.