The deep south recently experienced a winter storm for the record books. It wreaked havoc on millions of people in various ways. I was shocked and amused at the same time at how ill-prepared the state of Mississippi is for this type of event. The entire town essentially just shut down. Our mail didn’t get delivered for an entire week. An ENTIRE week! All the government offices were closed. Most restaurants were closed. Even the grocery stores and casinos (which never close) were closed. Hotels along the interstate were overflowing because the highway was shut down and people were stranded. It was epic.
Here’s a picture of my sleepy little town from last week. You’ll notice there is absolutely no life on this main street.
I spent most of the week sheltered inside my cold dark house, most days by myself since my husband had to go to work. While he works at one of the casinos, which eventually closed, he had folks stranded at the hotel and he had to relieve his employees who were also stranded there for the entire week. I did, however, spend a lot of time looking out the windows of my office, where I spent most of my time. I noticed that certain things just go on despite it all. Despite the snow, the ice, the constant cold.
Squirrels foraged through the ever-increasing snow and ice layer on the ground, not worried at all about the weather, just digging until they found something to eat. Birds, lots and lots of birds, fluttered about pecking at any specks visible on the white blanket of snow. All kinds of birds congregated together, not once worrying that they were different from one another. Bluejays pecked next to robins and wrens. Woodpeckers hammered away at the frozen trunks of pecan, oak and pine trees. Cardinals chipped away at the crusty layer of snow alongside sparrows and cowbirds. Juncos and starlings shared the bounty of frozen berries that dropped from the crepe myrtle trees lining the roads. Nobody fought or argued, they all just hopped along content in their own quest for food.
When the sun said goodnight, tiny finches huddled in the notches of trees, under bare, ice-encrusted branches, alongside cedar wax wings and chickadees, all content to simply share safety and warmth. No winged creature was pushed away because their feathers were a different color. No bird perished because the others wouldn’t let it peck the same ground. No species hoarded all the berries or forbid the others from partaking. It was share and share alike.
I think everyone should spend some time watching the birds. Lessons can be learned. The birds set a good example of how to thrive despite being different, despite being forced to live in grueling, unpleasant conditions, despite not knowing where their next meal might come from. I say, let’s all be like the birds; worry a little less, share a little more, just keep pecking away while we mind our own business.
How you guys, are you bird watchers? Did you experience any wicked weather? Have you ever spent any time learning from your pets or wildlife in general?
Word of the Day: Abstruse
Fun fact about me: I enjoy watching birds. I used to consider myself a birder and went on many bird-watching excursions all over California and Nevada. Fun times!
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, February 2021. Images by Patricia Rickrode and Google.
Stay connected with news about my books and other fun stuff by signing up for my newsletter: http://bit.ly/JansenSchmidtNewsletter
On Common Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2BBu7bb
On Hallowed Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: http://bit.ly/2KONmnf
On Solid Ground is available at fine retailers everywhere: https://bit.ly/BooklaunchOSG
jansenschmidt 
Beautiful pictures. Once in a lifetime (I hope🤗). Up here on the Canadian prairies, we’re prepared for the snow and ice. Winter tires, snowplows, heated homes. But then, it’s a yearly event, almost six months of the year (which hopefully is coming to a close by the end of March).
I love your bird analogy. Let us all work, eat, be happy, side by side.
LikeLike
I’m from Northern California where it snows every winter and there too, people are prepared. I used to carry tire chains, winter boots, extra socks and bottles of water in my trunk for those unexpected winter storms. It’s just so amusing to me that nobody here in the south knows what to do when it snows.
Stay warm up there and I also hope you’re nearing the end of your cold weather. I’m not sure I could survive in colder climes. I’m not a cold-weather person, although I do love me a good snowstorm once in awhile. Especially if I have a fireplace to sit by (which I don’t here).
Thanks for visiting. Only 19 more days until spring!!
Patricia
LikeLike
Your pictures resemble exactly what hit Oregon. The ice is so lovely, yet can be so destructive. If only all people could pick up on some bird characteristics, this world would be a better place! Although, I do know quite a few birdbrains, not gonna lie. I hope your week is warmer!
LikeLike
Yes, I know some birdbrains as well. And . . . truth be told, sometimes I feel like one.
I saw a report about a wicked storm that blew into the west coast. I hope you didn’t suffer any damage. We were fortunate here at Casa Baer, just inconvenienced for a few days
Only 19 more days until spring, so there’s that to look forward to. Thanks for visiting. Stay warm and pray for sun.
Patricia
LikeLike
I know that photo of Vicksburg isn’t intended to draw visitors but it makes the town so quaint and charming it should be used on the Chamber of Commerce website. We sure lucked out this winter. Every storm coming up from the south petered out or stayed west of us by the time it got here. Only one inch snow all winter.
We are big bird watchers. We have all the feeding stations right outside our big picture window in the kitchen. So fascinating at times it’s easy to burn the food, particularly when male birds are feeding their mates. We have a bluebird house in a nearby tree and watch them build their nest and raise their family each year.
At the end of our backyard is a canal which goes out to a lake. It attracts all kinds of water birds, ducks, geese, herons of all sizes and colors, cormorants and I’ve even witnessed an osprey dive for a fish there (they’re usually only over at the beach, ocean fishing.) On one rare occasion, we had an eagle perched on one of the tree limbs. I don’t like that though since our dogs are on the smallish side.
I guess you must have really enjoyed the movie “The Big Year”.
Have a great day.
LikeLike
Weather is so weird how it’ll devastate some places and just down the road . . . nothing. Tornados come to mind. I’m glad you didn’t get the ice. That stuff was nasty.
So, birdwatching huh? Another thing we have in common. How come our paths haven’t crossed yet? Take some pictures of your birds. I’d love to see them on your blog.
Thanks for visiting. Take care and enjoy your non-winter.
Patricia
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will do. Just changed my blog header to the blue birds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We should be more like the birds for sure! And what lovely photos!
Like Al above, we got lucky in this snowstorm – it missed us by maybe 30 miles. There was a nice, diagonal line across TN, and we were just east of it on the non-snowy side. We get snow here a couple times a winter, and people still don’t know how to drive in it. Glad to see you made it through! I’ll bet the kitty was entertained by those birds so close to the house. 🙂
LikeLike
The sparkly, glittery world was so beautiful when the sun finally came out, but it sure caused some uproar here in Vicksburg. Craziness for sure. And now we have some good stories to tell about the big one from 2021!
Stay out of the winter storm path and take care in the snow. Spring is just around the corner.
Thanks for visiting.
Patricia
LikeLike