February 2021 Crafting!

Last month in my post I confessed I hoped we would get a little snow and I posted a photo of the pretty little snow we got.  I had resigned myself to being satisfied with that...until THIS HAPPENED!  SURPRISE!

In the upper right corner of this photo you can see a little hummingbird perched on a metalic star mobile.  During the snowstorm days I had to defrost the hummingbird feeder several times.  Poor hummers.  It was so cold.  Two of them dive bombed my head when I put the feeder back up one time...not sure whether they were mad at me for taking the feeder away or glad they finally had food again!

When it was snowing the wind  formed big drifts of snow in our neighborhood.  In my first two years here I was able to brush the snow away with a broom after snowstorms. This year I wished I had a snow shovel! A young friend came over and cleared my front step and a path to the mailbox out in the street.  A plucky 80+ year old neighbor across the parking lot from me used her shovel to make a path to my gate, and I used my dust pan as a little shovel on the inside of the of my patio to clear a path to the gate.

While I did not make a snowman, my neighbor's teenage granddaughter and her dad did while they were visiting!  I also saw some snowballs flying back and forth.  There were some fun moments during the stormy days, although there were many life changing problems as well. Some folks lost power for days, some lost property and some lost their lives here and across the country as the storms raged. The difficulties of such times highlight for me how precious life is and how I want to grow in having an attitude of gratitude.

One neighbor has a property away from our community here.  She had a Pussy Willow tree that was broken by the storms.  While cleaning it up her daughter gathered a bouquet of Pussy Willows for me to enjoy...so kind and generous of her.

For the last month I have been ordering groceries online and then driving to the store to pick them up.  I ordered Cheerios and was surprised to receive a limited edition box of heart shaped Cheerios!  Fun...and cheery!

 

This month of February I also learned about Comfort Birds, carved wooden shaped birds meant to fit in the palm of one's hand and be stroked. A friend in New York got together with another friend back East and carved a little flock of Comfort Birds this past summer. My friend very kindly flew one out to me this month and my hand instinctively held the little bird and stroked it before I knew that was meant to happen. I read online several interesting articles about Comfort Birds should you want to search to know more about them.  In the  month of February I had my 70th birthday and I am so grateful for the comfort I received through the lovely gifts and cards and texts, emails and calls I received to help me celebrate...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.  When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT

Have you known storms and celebrations in February?

Gracie ((hugs))❤️