There are many jokes and cartoons out there about old women and their cats, which is unfortunate because I know some women who have cats and they are remarkable people.  I am not one of those people however, mainly because I tend to be allergic to certain kinds of cats, so I have chosen something else – birds.  My husband has nicknamed me “The Bird Lady of Chantacleer” for that reason.

First of all,  as a spelling and grammar fanatic, I know Chantacleer is spelled incorrectly, but for whatever reason, this is the name of our apartment complex.  On my little balcony, I have flowers and herbs and a bird feeder.  I’ve always been attracted  to hummingbirds in particular, but they don’t hang out here much, so I began feeding my birds last summer just to see what would happen.  Now they come every day, seeming to have actual meal times which I find amusing.  They show up in the morning, then will show up occasionally during the afternoon for a snack and then a bunch again about dinner time.  I have cardinals, finches, doves and the occasional blue jay who show up.  They’re entertaining and just fun to watch.

This coming from a city kid who was not crazy about animals and the outdoors in general.  Sure, I loved riding my bike outdoors, but I wasn’t a big hiker or camper.  My idea of camping used to be a Holiday Inn, but unfortunately now it’s more like a Hilton or some little boutique hotel.  I’m high maintenance, I admit it.  The idea of sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag where you can wake up to spiders and whatever else may be creeping out there is beyond disturbing, so I’ll stick to hotels please.

However, watching birds has opened a whole new world for me.  I love watching the “pecking” order, so to speak of which birds feel like they get first choice to eat.  Cardinals and doves trump just about everyone else who choose to just sit on my railings, chair tops and table waiting for their turn.  There are finches who chase each other and males who annoy the females.  There are loud conversations and arguments between the birds on occasion usually ending with one chasing the other away.  The colors of the males are beautiful and I love just watching them hop across my balcony floor, picking up seeds flicked out of the feeder by other birds.

This bird thing has lead to other more adventurous outdoor things.  Like feeding squirrels ice cream from a spoon.  I had a squirrel this morning on the balcony who surprised me from behind the air conditioning unit, who then scrambled along the outer edge of the balcony, did a flying leap at the tree below, completely annoying the birds, jumping out of the tree, over a stone wall and scurried up another tree.  How fun is that? A few weeks ago, we went through South Dakota where I left the car to see how close I could get to big horned sheep out in the wild, and checked out a mama and baby deer in California last year.  It’s not a safari by any means, but for this sheltered city girl, it’s pretty cool.

I’ve always been a person who loves museums and architecture, skyscrapers and big city streets.  I love wonderful restaurants, beautiful hotels, concerts and Broadway shows.  But as I get older, I’m learning to appreciate the natural beauty of not only my little balcony habitat but the wonders of nature in general.  Having grown up with a father who was born and raised in Chicago and a mom who lived in the country but was afraid of all the things in the country, this is a big step for me.

For those of you who grew up with animals or in the country, this may all seem pretty silly to you, but for this girl, not understanding and sometimes being afraid of animals in general, this is a learning experience.  And one is never too old to learn something new, right?  My husband has always been an outdoorsy kind of guy and this has allowed us to share something that he loves.  It’s always a good thing to try something new when you’ve known someone for 40 years – it keeps things fresh.

So I’m okay being the “Bird Lady of Chantacleer and I’m grateful for my little visitors who allow me to slow down from my crazy schedule and breathe.