The Buddha and the Birds

Recent mild weather and heavy rains cleared the snow off the deck at the back of the house, and one of the household Buddhas came into view unexpectedly after enjoying a sojourn of several weeks underneath all the white stuff which has accumulated on the deck this winter (as well as everywhere else here). It was a wonderful surprise to pull the draperies open and discover Hotei sitting comfortably out there on the old weathered boards and smiling up at us (Cassie and myself) for the first time since early December.

This is also the corner of the deck where one of our winter bird feeders resides, so my friend never lacks for company - flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, house finches, grosbeaks and sparrows visit almost daily and they seem to have much affection for Himself. Although my feathered winter friends do not consume their "nosh" in tidy fashion, and the rest of the deck is always speckled with bits of suet, wild bird mix, seed hulls and nutshells, there is never a speck of anything at all on the Buddha.

Yesterday it was very cold here, but when I pulled the draperies open this morning, coffee in hand, a dark heavy rain was falling. What an odd January this is turning out to be - temperatures are all over the map, and one cannot predict what the weather will be, even a mere day hence. Will tomorrow necessitate the use of snowshoes, cleats, or an umbrella and hip waders?