I have been a lil puzzeled

 

with my fascination with birds the last few years.

That may sound a lil strange 

to some who know me

but I just never thought 

I would become this big of a "bird nerd."

Back story.

My stepdad was the first person 

I ever met who was really into birding

and I thought thats pretty cool.

 Then when I got my former residence

there was a hopper feeder already mounted 

on a post in the ground 

and a couple of older feeder 

laying around so I cleaned 

them up up and used them as well.

But feeding the birds 

was not a priority lol. 

Single parent yo lol. 

Feed em when we can etc.

If we ran out of feed for a while?

Well then we just ran out of feed for a while, 

we will get some more later

when we can etc.

Pictures from former residence:

My set up at the old residence.

Hopper feeder with a suet 

and a humming bird feeder hanging from it.

Small Songbird feeder 

and a finch feeder on the left.

Birdhouse on the tree on the right.

It had a brood of blue birds in it every year.

Red breasted grosbeak.

Lived there 15 years or so

only ever saw about three of em.

We had tons of em here last year

for a while (their migratory.)

Pileated Woodpecker.

American Goldfinches

Indigo Bunting.

Its a bad pic cause of the shade.

Only saw them a hand full of times.

Buddy had a nest of em one year.

They are a very bright very shiny blue.

Red-bellied woodpecker.

My friend was sitting on the porch with me one day 

in early spring after I had just mowed 

and the birds were everywhere eating 

and she remarked:

"You have really cool birds."

That day we had seen:

The Indigo bunting

The Pileated Woodpecker

The Goldfinches

And the Grosbeak lol.

So she had just happened to pick 

a pretty outstanding day

to stop by.

Cause we usually didn't get all of that 

in one day.

But? It was early spring, 

the grass was just mowed etc.

:-)

But all of that 

pales in comparison 

to what we do now with

31 feeders

(dont take it wrong 

some are very small.)

four houses

with some of those feeders

and houses being hand crafted,

three bird baths etc.

When We go to Menards 

or Rural king or wherever

and we just get lost in the 

feeders and seed aisle :-).

Im looking at every lil thing thinking:

"Could I make that somehow?" lol.

Okay so anyways lol 

we made a bunch of log feeders

for Christmas gifts 

for each family at church and

some friends and family etc.

(You fill the holes with peanut butter

and then cover the peanut butter with

song bird seed 

and smash it down so it sticks to it.

(Get it? Sticks? lol.

I crack myself up lol.

Nevermind...)

Whole point is

I NEVER EVER THOUGHT

I WOULD BE INTO

"BIRDING"

like we have both become.

(Honeys idea BTW

she had a bunch of old feeders

we cleaned up.)

This past Sunday afternoon 

when we got back from

church and visiting with friends 

and were all "cumfyfied"

in out recliners, watching football

and it dawns on me

why all the focus 

on the birds here the last few years.

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

“Therefore I tell you, 

do not worry 

about your life, 

what you will eat or drink; 

or about your body, 

what you will wear. 

Is not life more 

than food, 

and the body 

more than clothes? 

26 Look at the birds of the air; 

they do not sow or reap 

or store away in barns, 

and yet 

your heavenly Father 

feeds them. 

Are you not 

much more valuable than they? 

27 Can any one of you by worrying 

add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 

31 So do not worry, saying, 

‘What shall we eat?’ 

or ‘What shall we drink?’

 or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

32 For the pagans run after all these things, 

and your heavenly Father 

knows that you need them. 

33 But seek first his kingdom 

and his righteousness, 

and all these things 

will be given to you as well. 

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

That doesn't mean you just sit there

and expect God to feed you.

The birds have to do their work

to get their food

and so do we.

But the whole point 

of all the fascination 

with the birds 

the last few years has been:

"Do Not Worry"

And I didn't even realize it

when I was in the middle of it.

I just thought:

"This is weird,

I didn't think 

I would ever be like this."

And that is 100% exactly

how God works in your life

if you let him.

"do not worry 

about your life"

These days?

Its pretty much put up

or shut up time,

it really is.

Merry Christmas