My Grandma was an artist, she was my father’s mother. Everyone called her eccentric. Her house was covered in plants and paintings, she had cats, and the best climbing tree in her front yard. She fed the birds and the squirrels, and pretty much all of the critters that came to visit. She also liked to “chase bears” out of the neighborhood and back into the forest. They called her the crazy bear lady, and she was the absolute BEST.
Sometimes I forget how much I adored and admired her. She spent all day painting things and talking to the animals, it sounded like the best life to me as a kid. We lost touch shortly after I cut contact with my dad, and i wish we hadn’t. After she passed, no one told me, so all of her art went who knows where and I was lucky enough to have 3 paintings given to me, one of them was of me, and I have the matching photo.
I love birds. I always have. As a kid I wanted my superpower to be flight, I wanted to fly. When I moved into my current apartment, I was ecstatic to have such a busy backyard. Mind you, this is Ridgewood, Queens.We had squirrels, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, the little chickadees, Starlings, Catbirds, Woodpeckers, and most recently the Crows have moved into the neighborhood, and a Hawk has made it’s home nearby (like in the trees that border my yard nearby).
I have a special place in my heart for Cardinals and Crows. I taught my daughter to ‘call’ for the crows by calling. They always come.
To be continued….
