It’s All About Perspective

Our neighbors behind us have a stunning backyard. It is beautifully landscaped and has been photographed by several garden magazines. They have two birdbaths that resemble two works of modern art. One is made of iron and resembles Dumbledore’s pensieve (please Google if you require a visual). The other is carved stone with a heater to keep the water warm and ice free in the winter. In the evenings, I can observe with envy a select bird or two gently gliding one at a time to the baths to refresh themselves and then quietly flying off. It is a beautiful, tranquil, dreamlike scene. Now, cut to our yard. Simply put, our neighbors have been tempted to nominate us for a backyard make over. The grass is mowed and that’s about it. In a neglected area that used to be a flower bed, we have my parents’ old concrete birdbath purchased from the statuary store on 350 Hwy. in Raytown decades ago. I have yet to get the dang thing level, so my bird bath has a zero entry level on one side and a deep end on the other. However, we have birds, lots and lots of birds all day long. It is a diverse group that likes to hang out at our crooked little birdbath. There are delicate finches and chick-a-dees, the peaceful, ever patient doves, the tolerant robins and cardinals, and the loud, aggressive black birds and blue jays. There is even a crazy, fat squirrel that crashes the party now and again. I call him Norm.They sometimes fight, push, scold and shove each other, but mostly everyone gets along. Some line up on the fence to wait their turn while others splash so vigorously in the deep end that the bath resembles one of the fountains on the Plaza. My yard is loud, crowded and messy. No water pumps. No heater. I just refill the bath with a tired old bucket four times daily to keep up with the breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night party crowds. Nothing fancy here. I often wonder why some of the birds don’t go over to the quiet, beautiful world next door. The few,select birds next door all look alike, they are well behaved and orderly. They take turns. It is perfect. The birdbaths next door are Five Star and mine is the neighborhood honky tonk. So why the crowd in my yard? Could it be that perfection only goes so far? Could it be that all creatures need to let go, feel comfortable, and get down and dirty once in a while? Could it be that my yard is actually the fun yard?