Amy Lu's View

Happy Feed the Birds Day!

I’m surprised this holiday is of interest to me–up until just a few years ago, I had almost zero interest in birds. In some cases, I actively disliked them, and not just at the obvious times when seagulls stole part of my sandwich on a beach in Florida, or geese hissed at me on a run, or when an unidentified bird pooped on me while walking in downtown Minneapolis on my lunch break. 

But then Covid hit, and Chad and I spent a lot more time at home during the day. Luckily for us, we have a lovely little sun room we can often hang out in, so we started noticing birds. 

Or maybe we’ve just discovered that one of those cliches about being middle-aged is true: One day you wake up and you’re just into birds. 

We officially became Bird People this Christmas when I got Chad a bird feeder with a camera for Christmas. This was a desperation gift–I was completely out of ideas for Chad presents–and I got the inspiration from some of our friends who would post images and videos from their feeder on Facebook. 

I was dubious about this gift, but luckily it was a hit. Not only does Chad like it, I’ve now expanded my social media feed to include bird photos and videos, along with re-posted photos of funny and disgusting seventies food, and running selfies.

We get some highly entertaining squirrel footage, too, which does seem a bit distressing to some of my Facebook friends. I appreciate the interest and advice (and I’ve now learned what a “bafflement” is) but we’re not sufficiently motivated (at least not yet) to try and solve The Squirrel Situation. 

We have been a little stressed (okay, initially panicked) by the birds and squirrels throwing the food out of the feeder because StanLee eats it. Luckily, we’ve learned that it is not dangerous to him, although it can make it really hard to get him to come back in the house.  

I’m hardly a bird expert–I can only reliably identify the cardinals that come to the feeder–but I got Chad a Minnesota bird guide for his birthday (yay, another present idea) and I have some aspirations of learning more, especially as spring and summer arrive. 

Having our bird feeder is a little bittersweet because my sister isn’t alive for me to share feeder footage with (including the occasional video of StanLee pooping, which I haven’t shared to Facebook, you’re welcome). I wouldn’t have expected my sister to love bird images (she used to actually hate birds) but she would have been entertained, or pretended to be entertained, by my enthusiasm (and I’m pretty sure she would have enjoyed the squirrel antics). And I did learn recently from my sister’s daughter that they did in fact recently get into bird watching, so she may have even found the birds interesting in their own right. 

So I think it’s pretty cool that it’s Feed the Birds Day, but I’m not going to stop with my commemoration of this little known holiday….I announce my latest blog challenge: “Every day is a Holiday” (nod to the Carpenter’s “Merry Christmas Darling”). From now until my birthday on March 3 (the best holiday ever) I am going to blog about an obscure, quirky, exists-only-to-market-or-give-media-folk-something-to-talk holiday, such as one that might be found on https://nationaltoday.com/today/. 

Why, you may I ask, am I embarking on this hero’s quest? I’ve been lacking inspiration for my blog this year, and want to jumpstart my 2024 blogging. So why not look to a source that other “content makers” have been mining for years? 

And as I was thinking yesterday about starting this challenge, I realized that it could also help me be more appreciative of some simple joys. For example, when I learned that yesterday was National Ukulele Day, I actually picked up my ukulele for the first time in weeks (maybe even months). 

Even though my challenge will be long finished by then, I will have to be sure to celebrate Blogger Day on August 5!