There I was, reading Daryl Madden’s “Layers of Colors poem” which you should read if you love autumn, silence and..just read it..click here and the rains came, wind gusts filled the porch, blew open the end door and something came in trying to wreck the place. The grill was banging like a bear was trying to wreck it (which happens here often). It was just a bird.
A grouse flapping everywhere. Those things are dangerous in flight especially when they eat fermented berries this time of year and try to fly drunk. My house seems to kill a few every year trying to dodge those things. I only wrecked a couple things with no screens harmed and nothing band aids couldn’t fix on me catching the little grouse. Yep kind of little as grouse go but when he wrapped his little feet and claws around my fingers…we had to make some adjustments, is how I will say it.
I opened the screen door and placed him on the nice autumn leaves in the rain. He ran between my legs back into the screen porch. The chase was on again. It became easy to catch little grouse as he quit trying to fly. Flying into the screens didn’t work well. We repeated this twice so little grouse kept me company, I went back to reading until my wife got the camera and we posed for a few shots before I picked him up again and walked him out to the edge of the woods and let him go under a spruce tree in the heavy rain.
Now normal country living means little grouse for supper. Just so happens our freezer is full and I took a shine to the little guy. In a very real sense I extended Grace to little Grouse and let him live. My fingers wanted to wring his neck and grouse is a very tasty meal. I hunt them but a little drunk grouse? Um no.
As I get older, I appreciate more and more all of nature, all of what God has designed including His grace. Since the origin of sin, death is a part of life about 100% of the time.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush??
I wonder how long it will take little grouse to fly again? It’s a life or death question for him in the wild. I have periods in my life where I couldn’t do anything risky. I couldn’t fly. Have you ever been there? then you know what I mean. Giving up is easy. I doubt little grouse understands what grace means. I wonder how many people actually understand God’s grace? If we accept His gift of Grace it means 100% life. Fly little Grouse fly.
I mean, fly somewhere else!!!
Gary
Now, where was I Daryl…
I suppose it’s naturally human to want to make our mark, ding the world, stick out, get noticed or maybe even become famous (if only for 5 minutes). How else would one explain how people act or talk when put on camera or have a mic stuck in front of them. They become “somebody” even if they have no clue what they are doing or talking about. I know you have pictures of different people in your head already and I don’t want to know because I have those relatives as well, never mind the ones in the news.
T
Autumn beauty is everywhere around our neck of the woods. Stuff is dying like crazy. Beautiful fall leaves changing color are dying leaves. Most of the worker bees have been chased out of the nest and are gone even though there are still a few flowers blooming. That will end this week as temperatures will finally fall below freezing.
