The View

I have five windows on the south wall of my living room. When we first built our home, the windows let in lots of sunlight and we had an unobstructed view of the field across from our house. Since then, the little river birch tree that we planted in our front lawn has become a towering sentinel, reaching high above the roof of our house. The sunlight streaming into my living room is now more dappled than direct and our lawn has a little more shade than when it was first seeded. The field across the street has also seen growth. Rather than a wide open space, there are houses as far as the eye can see.

All this has created the view from my favorite reading spot in my living room. At a glance, I am able to use the stately birch tree as a weather station. I can determine whether the wind is blowing, how hard it is blowing and what direction the wind is coming from. The tree provides my book weary eyes with an ever changing seasonal display. Spring is filled with bulging buds and flying seeds. Summer is head on, in your face greenery. Fall spikes the lawn with a mosaic of yellow and rust foliage. Winter limbs create dark outlines that bend and shape shift with the blustery air currents.  No two moments are the same as I watch the action from my reading perch.

The birds also seem to enjoy our tree. My favorite tweeters are the White-breasted Nuthatches that like to creep along the craggy bark. They use their tweezer-like bills to glean insects as they quickly flit about in jerky movements along the tree’s trunk. The robins also like to be a part of the tree’s graceful protection. Many fat little robinettes start their flying lessons on a branch of the tall birch. Fortunately, the lawn is a soft landing pad for those that need a few more tutorials.

I must confess that lately I have been especially enamored by another animal in our tree. One afternoon this past spring I saw a roiling, boiling mass of fur moving along the side of the tree’s trunk. From a distance I was unable to identify the animal that was causing the ruckus. On closer inspection, I realized that I was not observing one animal, but rather, five animals. Four baby squirrels were scampering over, under and around their spunky mother as they moved in one roly-poly ball upwards on the tree. As they parted ways, the little ones continued to chase and twirl about as only squirrels can do, high above the ground.  Every day their circus antics provide me with new adventures. I know I shouldn’t get attached to the furry bird feeder bandits, but they are just too cute with their little Velcro hands. I find myself having conversations with them and encouraging them to watch for cars as they scamper across the street. I do not want to find squirrel paste by my driveway some morning and know that one of my mammal friends made a bad move.

My views throughout the day are not always as inspiring as the one from my living room couch. Other landscapes often need my attention such as my kitchen, my computer, my laundry room and my closets. I am glad, however, that whether I’m peeking into my oven to check on a batch of cookies or looking into my clothes dryer to monitor the dampness of my laundry, I always have a lovely view imprinted in my brain that allows me to escape for a few moments if need be.

Enjoy your views this week.