I’m still in my robe.  Had breakfast (off today, yeah!) a delicious, caloric plate of, potatoes, fried onion, green beans (cut up very tiny from last night’s dinner) and two over easy eggs…salt, cut it all up, the egg yolks a delicious creamy sauce, ground pepper and inhaled like a lumberjack of old…

I write in my sunroom.  A small room the former owners built, very cheaply on the ground, just a slab. The four windows huge, let in light and also the freezing cold.  I write in my robe and a blanket thrown over me.  My socked feet feel like they are sitting on ice, the floor is that cold….

I have bills to pay, the house to clean, doctor visits to arrange, lab tests, letters to write and mail ( still write letters!) closets to change over.  Still have summer things in there..new insurance to review ( ugh!!!!) desk to clean, basement to clean, laundry….

I turned around to look out the window again and saw a big fat robin in the bird bath. Spread out like you do in the bathtub. Looking relaxed in the sun.  The water still freezing cold. it must be it’s 30 degrees out. Everything just stops when looking at birds.  It sat there in the water alone for a while like someone enjoying their bubblebath. Then it splashed around two or three times shook itself and flew into the tree.  A couple of robins came and drank the water, perched lightly on the bird bath— the dirty bath water!  Then a cardinal came, like a little King with a crown on its head. All cocky and it chased a couple of birds away.  Then  it left and a couple of more robins came and drank, quietly, delicately, dipping their heads down quickly .. looking like Japanese with their gentle polite bowing motions.  I love watching them drink.. the way they dip down their heads and upper body so pliable, supple, the motion so quiet like a ballet.

Then the mean one came the robin who chased everyone away earlier, it barred its teeth?  beak? and they all flew away, but another robin, one who would not be chased away stood there a couple of feet away looking, waiting and staring until it could safely perch on the bath and take a drink.

In a little while I will fill the bird bath again, with fresh clean water.  Birds do like it clean, even though they often drink and bathe in it … until it gets very mossy and murky.

I could watch these creatures all day and probably will.  Feel like putting on a few layers, pulling out a chair and sitting in the pool of autumn sun and just watch them, be there in the last rays with them, everything else I have to do today not urgent, not worth doing, or worrying about.  Today the birds reign and bring more pleasure and joy than just about anything.