Singing Bo Diddly

Liquid cardinal calls and other happy things

Check out other birds and other Snowseasons work here.

The other day I saw someone on Substack mention that they find it calming to draw or paint a bird a day. Starting in the pandemic, I drew lots of birds — maybe you did too, or you made something else? And I did find it soothing.

Painting or drawing a bird or another creature (besides ourselves) allows us to meditate on nature in a way that is a bit like forest bathing, I think. As I draw a bird’s feathers, or a cat’s fur, or the branches of a tree, I breathe more slowly and tune out mind buzz.

Speaking of nature: we had snow earlier this week here in the subtropical zone, more than the area had received since 1973. It was more than some northern states received during the continental cold front. New Orleans, a 5-6 hour drive east of here on I-10, experienced an astonishing amount: around 10 inches of snow. Their fairly big dump resulted when a storm in the Gulf encountering cold air from the north.

Waking to see snow, walking and playing in it, and feeling the damply cold air all added up to what I often like about winter: it surrounds us with nature.

Summer can encircle a person with natural things, but in my opinion it is easier to absorb as a milder season than the one in the subtropical zone. Still, the last few days, as the weather slowly warmed, birds often sang in the mornings. They seemed happy with the influx of water.

So this morning I began making a creature daily. Here’s the Carolina wren I painted, then detailed with colored pencils. Do you know this bird? Here are some of its sounds, thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Do you want to join me in drawing a creature daily? Or will you create something else that you see around you, or from your imagination? Let me know.