It seems to be snowier this year, but only in dribs and drabs. It snows, and the next day it rains and the snow is gone. But the wind is bitter cold and the air is raw. I hope all the little birds and squirrels find warm places to spend the night. I know they’re out and about even in terrible weather, looking for bits of food to keep them warm enough. Even the hummingbirds that didn’t fly south are sipping at the cold sugar water in the feeder. Poor little things.
I hope you are all helping to keep the birds alive this winter by putting out suet or bird seed. Please don’t feed them bread. It’s not going to do them any good. They need proper bird seed and sunflower seeds. And if you have a cat, be sure not to put the feeder where a cat could get to it. On second thought, if you have a cat, don’t feed the birds. Let your neighbour do it.
I hope you all have a happy time over the Christmas holidays. Be good to your friends, neighbours, and families. There is probably not enough of that kindness in the world.
With so much Covid fear, it seems that we are losing the closeness we had with friends and family. Everyone is afraid of this monster illness. But maybe we need to work harder at keeping up our friendships by writing, or phoning, or having more over-the-fence visits, until we get a handle on this virus.
Let us try not to forget that humans are meant to hug, and smile without masks, and love each other. I worry about the toddlers who are not learning to read their parents’ facial expressions as they grow up. Somehow, someday, we need to get back to the way things were.
Have a healthy and happy Christmas time. I wish you all the best for 2022.
PS. I noticed I said, “I hope” several times in this post. I was going to change it, but then I thought, “No, I DO hope a lot.”
I hope you have a lot of hope too.
December 19, 2021 at 12:17 am
❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 10:07 am
I’ve missed your posts, Matti!!! Have a great Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 10:12 am
I think something happened and I can’t follow your blog like I used to. I looked for it and can’t see a “follow” button.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:00 pm
Hallo Anneli,
ich habe jetzt einen Follow Button eingerichtet. Versuche es nochmal.
Liebe Grüße,
Martina
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:45 pm
I tried it and when I wasn’t sure if it was the right place, I clicked it again, so I might have followed and unfollowed again, but I’ll keep trying if I don’t get your emails, now that you have it set up. Thanks a lot for doing that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:23 am
We can never lose hope. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Anneli.
LikeLike
December 19, 2021 at 10:06 am
Thank you, Jill. Probably the best gift this year is to stay healthy. Have a good one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 6:51 am
Amen to all you say, Anneli, most of all to “let’s not give up hope”.
Have a great pre-Christmas week, and then wonderful holidays.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours,
Pit
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 10:04 am
All the best to you and Mary, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 7:02 pm
🙂
LikeLike
December 19, 2021 at 7:02 am
Covid Fear, well said. We will overcome this but it will take time. My family has had its usual early Christmas and it was so wonderful! Be safe, Anneli!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 10:03 am
Tnx, John. You too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 7:49 am
To you, too, Anneli. I’m working on repeated words right now in my book. Everyone shrugs, waves, and raises their hands–who knew? I almost skipped the word ‘shoulders’ that Autocrit spotlighted–glad I didn’t. The amount of stuff that happens to shoulders in my small tribe is stunning.
Hugs to you this holiday season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 10:02 am
Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll find what you miss. I feel like you’re cleaning the house before the cleaning lady arrives.
LikeLike
December 19, 2021 at 8:22 am
Your post is most definitely full of hope! I love it. The hummingbirds you mentioned are likely the Anna’s Hummingbird. I don’t understand why they don’t fly south, but they seem to enjoy staying right where they are. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Hope 2022 is a happier and healthier year for all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 9:59 am
Thanks, Sonja. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get rid of all that Covid stuff and go back to normal?! Meanwhile, we’ll do the best we can. Have a nice time with your family and friends.
LikeLike
December 19, 2021 at 8:39 am
A happy Christmas to you too and we won´t give up hope. Lovely post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 9:58 am
Tnx, Ursula. Happy holidays!
LikeLike
December 19, 2021 at 12:38 pm
I will make one final correction of my choice: if you have a kitty keep her inside where she’s safe and can’t go after birds!
LikeLiked by 2 people
December 19, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Yes, good point, Luanne. We always kept our cats in from dusk to dawn and in those days I didn’t feed the birds to attract them to my cats. But I know that many, many cat owners just let their cats run around outside all day, all night, as if they were barn cats. I know of one woman who put up a bird feeder right where her cat used to spend a lot of time, by the one tree in their backyard. So irresponsible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 12:57 pm
That’s awful! On another note we had to discontinue birdseed when we lived in California because it attracted roof rats which then chose our attic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 1:04 pm
You should have put up a sign: No rats allowed. (I know it’s always a competition for the food.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 1:24 pm
They could probably read it, but would they follow instructions?
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:48 pm
True. I hadn’t thought of that. They can be sneaky characters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 5:28 pm
haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 1:12 pm
I so agree with that, not just for the birds but for all the other wildlife that should be alive and isn’t. Here in the UK, cats destroy some of our most endangered species, and also spread a disease that causes brain damage to foxes and is dangerous to unborn children – and we still haven’t managed to have a constructive national conversation about it! I’d like to see legal changes to bring cat ownership into line with dog ownership. And I do like ‘catios’, purpose-built cat runs that allow cats to experience fresh air etc without putting themselves or other animals at risk.
LikeLiked by 3 people
December 19, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Well put, Adele. I love catios!!! I wish they would become a feature that some homes come with, like a garage or pool or mother-in-law’s apartment.
LikeLiked by 2 people
December 19, 2021 at 1:15 pm
Happy Christmas Anneli. It has been a tough couple of years, and I think many of us were hoping that we were over the worst until this new variant suddenly came on the scene. Keep safe, and keep reminding us of where we need to get back to. Hopefully a world in which masks and lockdowns aren’t necessary isn’t too far away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:51 pm
And the same to you, Adele. Take care of those dormice, and all your other charges. Let’s hope the normal world returns to us soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 1:50 pm
All the best for the holidays, Anneli! I certainly hope the coming year inches us all closer to healthier happier times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 19, 2021 at 3:46 pm
I hope so too, Belinda. Best wishes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 20, 2021 at 10:55 am
Thank you for this wonderful post. I am hopeful too, mostly that we learn to better take care of our planet and that covid becomes something we are able to manage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 20, 2021 at 11:03 am
From your lips….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: A Killer Dream, the 2021 Reveal, and Winners! – Susie Lindau's Wild Ride
December 21, 2021 at 6:16 am
A very merry, merry Christmas to you, Anneli, and all your loved ones. May you always be blessed with joy, peace and love. I wish you lots of success in all your endeavors and may 2022 be filled with hope!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 21, 2021 at 10:46 am
And the same to you, Carol. It’s always so nice to see you on my blog, and I enjoy visiting yours. So will Bau get a good portion of turkey for his Christmas dinner? He’s such a sweetheart. Have a wonderful holiday time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 26, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Lovely, Anneli. I hope (yes, I do hope a lot, too) you had a wonderful Christmas. We Zoomed with everyone, the next best thing to being together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 1, 2022 at 7:15 am
May the New Year fill you and your loved ones with hope and peace. While soggy and gray here in central Ohio, winter usually doesn’t get too serious until January.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 1, 2022 at 10:40 am
I think soggy and gray is a huge improvement over bitter cold. Our cold snap is turning and I’m looking forward to my old friends, Wind and Rain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 1, 2022 at 7:48 pm
Anneli, enjoy the favorable turn in the weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 2, 2022 at 9:07 am
Yes! Happy about the rain.
LikeLiked by 1 person