~Small wonders~

Just taking care of business...giving Ned some water. That's his den back there that my dad built.

Hmm...what's that sound?

Chirp, chirp, chirp....

Oh hi! Nope it's not you little one...you just look scared to be out of your nest for the first time.

Oh, hey little buddy! It's you. How'd you get in there?

One thing the Chief, Alex and I have in common is the soft spot in our hearts for animals. We all share the same nurturing, protective love of God's smallest creatures. Alexa and I see wonder each day in the hummingbirds, the quail who sing to us, the butterfly that lands on a branch, the roadrunner that walks along our fence, and the baby birds learning to fly.

When the Chief and I first moved into this house, there was a little baby bird that had fallen from its nest and broken its wing in our backyard. Neither of us could stand to watch it suffer, so I found a place (after many phone calls ) that would take it. It was about 30 miles from our house but at 10:00 that night the Chief and I brought this baby bird to the "bird lady" who takes in injured birds. I think living out here in the desert has made us appreciate all the unique wonders it gives us each day. Don't get me wrong, if I find a scorpion in the house I whack the sucker with my flip flop at a high rate of speed and regularly kill spiders without pause but I never take the small wonders for granted. Alexa has that same spirit in her and I hope she keeps it. I want her to respect her surroundings and see the beauty in the smallest wonders.