Today, we have a special feature that profiles a local collector and tells why her collections include birds of all kinds.
When my mother was in assisted living, and losing her mind to dementia, she still remembered to feed the birds everyday.
My mother became known as The Bird Lady there because she always saved at least half of the bread or roll that accompanied her meals for the birds.
Living down south, the weather usually permitted her to sit outside on the open front porch and toss torn bread to the birds, who soon learned to stick around for the handouts she happily provided.
My mother always loved birds. She loved feeding them, and she loved feeding us all, for that matter, too, and one of my earliest memories involved the small adventure of dining with the birds.
My parents, perhaps foolishly, bought their first house in a summer community.
They were among the few year-round residents, who not only enjoyed boating on the river in the nice weather, but also braved the snow and ice and long commutes in the winter.
We lived in what could be called a cottage that had an enclosed porch that faced the river.
The only memory I have of the house is that narrow porch with its long wall of jalousie windows where we had lunch with the birds.
In good weather and bad, Mom occasionally served us lunch on the porch, so I could watch the birds flock in for the seed she had put out for them.
Mom would bring out our sandwiches and fruit and milk and cookies and set them on my kid-sized table. Then she would perch on the kid-sized chair, while we ate and chatted and watched the birds fly in.
I know Mom wanted me to see the birds and learn their colors and eventually be able to identify them, but I know she also took delight in their gentle presence.
My mother loved beautiful things, like china and glassware. She loved her flowers and cherished our dogs. She willingly watered the plants, feed the dogs, and lugged in sacks of birdseed along with the week’s groceries.
She loved all of us in the family and loved taking care of everyone, which often meant cooking for us, fixing our favorite foods, and making meal time special with pretty dishes and colorful tablecloths.
Mom took care of the birds, too, no matter where we lived.
When it came time to take care of my mother, one of our small adventures was to go to the local antiques shop where we both enjoyed seeing so many beautiful things.
One of her last purchases was a ceramic Cardinal salt and pepper set from the 1940s. She loved being able to have those colorful birds around her at all times, and I now love having them in my collection.
It’s because of my mother’s caring ways that I love birds, too.
I show that love by lugging in sacks of birdseed myself, putting out cups full everyday, and replacing squirrel-damaged feeders as needed.
I also have a growing collection of books, pictures, and figurines depicting our feathered friends.
I have a dozen or so guidebooks and coffee-table books about songbirds and seabirds and birds of the world and just as many illustrations of birds. I have quite a few plates and mugs decorated with bird motifs, and I already have a flock of bird figures.
Each bird in my collection reminds me of my mother and how she instilled in me an appreciation of beauty and of nature as well as the impulse to take care of the things I love.
That reminds me that it’s time to fill the feeder again and the backyard birds will be showing up soon.
I guess that makes me The Bird Lady now.
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