Hummingbirds have always intrigued me.
When I was young my family stayed at the Y of the Rockies family camp just outside of Estes Park Colorado for a week. There were many things to keep a kid busy, but I really enjoyed watching the swarm of hummingbirds that would congregate at the feeders just outside of the building that served as the mess hall. I’d never seen hummingbirds before, so they seemed somewhat odd and exotic. I assumed that they only lived in somewhat wooded locations.
As an adult I enjoy watching the hummingbirds that visit the feeders my parents maintain just outside the living room of their lake home in Ely Minnesota. Again, I assumed hummingbirds would settle in Ely due to the north woods location. I just don’t get up to Ely as often as I’d like to see the birds, the rest of the scenic beauty, or my parents during the summer months.
Imagine my surprise a few Saturdays ago when I spotted a hummingbird lurking in the bright flowers that my lovely and talented bride had planted on our deck just outside the front door of our suburban Twin Cities home. After seeing him I scurried to find our feeder, make some syrup, cool the syrup, fill the feeder, and hang it by the flowers. I’m happy to report that we’ve had a few hummingbirds hanging around now. I’m enjoying their visits.
While using the Googles to get the recipe for hummingbird syrup (4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boiled –to remove chlorine from the water, and mold spores from the sugar – then cooled to room temperature) I ran across the following wiki post on hummingbirds:
http://symbolism.wikia.com/wiki/Hummingbird
“The hummingbird symbolizes many different concepts. Because of its speed,
the hummingbird is known as a messenger and stopper of time.
It is also a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. The hummingbird is also able to fly
backwards, teaching us that we can look back on our past. But, this bird also
teaches that we must not dwell on our past; we need to move forward. When
the hummingbird hovers over flowers while drinking nectar, we learn that we
should savor each moment, and appreciate the things we love.”
I thought that was a pretty cool sentiment. We could all use a reminder every now and again to stop and smell (or drink the nectar from) the flowers every so often.
Besides watching the hummingbirds another activity I’ve been enjoying lately is an early Saturday morning rollerblade on our local paths to the Hopkins Farmer’s Market to pick up locally grown produce and baked goods.
Typically, when on the trails, either biking or skating, I like to pick a person ahead of me who appears to be traveling at a good speed and use them to set my pace. Neither my bike nor any of my skates are equipped with cruise control, so I find this helpful when trying to move at a steady pace.
Years ago in an UltraWheels 10K event I actually found out, after the fact, that the person I used to set my pace was none other than the Super Model Janet Jones who just a few years prior to that day had become Mrs. Wayne Gretzky. The short fat kid pursuing a beautiful woman; Who knew? It probably worked out so well since I had so much practice chasing after the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on; my lovely and talented bride.
This morning I saw a rollerblader up ahead about 100 yards and figured I’d try to stay about that distance from her for the short trip home. At one point, not far from home I looked up and could not see her on the trail. There were no turn offs or cross streets, so I found it curious that she was no longer on the trail. As I approached the area where I last saw her I could see ahead of me that something was blocking our side of the trail, and that someone was next to the trail on his knees.
As I continued on I found out why my pace-setter was off of the trail. She was dialing 911 while an older man was administering some type of Shiatsu massage to his wife who had collapsed on the trail while they walked for exercise and to enjoy the day.
Fortunately the woman was breathing and had a pulse. The man alternated between massaging his wife, as if to wake her, and frantically calling his daughter. He seemed concerned that the pace-setter had dialed 911, but 2 squad cars and an ambulance all reached the scene moments before his daughter arrived.
Realizing that the authorities had things in hand my pace-setter and I went on our way. I thanked her for her quick actions as I did not see the family do so. I somberly skated the rest of the way home and thought about what I would do in a similar circumstance.
So, Laura and Jack, while I like hummingbirds, you know I’m no stopper of time (like the Wiki suggests hummingbirds symbolize) so my ass is dialing 911 first if anything happens to your mother. You’ll get a call too, but only after trained medical professionals have intervened.
I appreciate and savor every minute I get to spend with you and your mom. I just want to make sure there are as many of those moments as trained medical professionals can supply us with. The short fat kid planning ahead in case of an emergency.
Who knew?
