It’s time for another edition of Friday Dance Party here on Acorns On Glen.  It’s the time where we give thanks for making it through another week and for being alive and present here on Earth.  How do we celebrate another week of living?  We dance.  So, are you alive this Friday?  Are you and your family safe and sound?  Take a few seconds now to be in the moment and realize what a great life you truly have.  Did you give thanks for that?

Good, now let’s dance.

If my calculations are correct, I am just finishing up my eighth Summer here on Glen Road.  It’s crazy how time flies!  Over the course of all these years, I’ve done and seen so many things on our property.  I’ve worked to landscape our huge yard (both in the front and in the back), built several raised beds to grow vegetables in, planted fruit trees and, as you well know, I’ve witnessed a lot of wildlife that either lives or visits our property.  Some of these critter interactions are bad ones (woodchuck, I’m talking about you!), but the majority of them are really quite pleasant.  The one that is absolutely my favorite is to watch and listen to all the different birds that fly through on a daily basis.  I’ve seen cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, goldfinches and lots of other unique varieties.  Some that I can’t even name.  I think I’ve seen most of what Connecticut has to offer in the bird arena…..except one and it is my favorite.  The bird that never seems to visit my yard is the smallest of them all and that is a hummingbird.  I was never sure why I had never seen one.  In fact, there were many times I would discuss this with my Dad (another bird lover).  He didn’t know why either.  He said I had sufficient red flowers everywhere, lots of Spring/Summer/Fall bloomers, enough forest for them to nest in and I even had a hummingbird feeder.  It was a true mystery.

Well, I’m happy to tell all of you that on Sunday of last week, I was taking a little break from an intense day of gardening.  It was what I call a quiet moment.  One where you sit down (or sometimes lay down) right where you are gardening and you just lay still and listen to Nature.  You listen to the wind, you watch the birds, you listen to the birds singing.  Basically, you just sit there and appreciate life.  Meditation for gardeners.  As I laid there last Sunday, something wonderful happened.  I saw two hummingbirds fly to a butterfly bush and begin to feed off the blooms.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  So small and so quick.  They eventually made a couple of sounds to each other and then sat on a low-hanging branch at the beginning of the woods.  As they flew away, I slowly picked myself up off the ground and started to walk back to the house.  On my way, I ran into another hummingbird enjoying my zinnia patch.  This might sound weird to many of you, but my eyes filled with tears at the sight of this third bird.  Yes, I had finally seen some beautiful hummingbirds in my garden, but more than that, I am sure I was witnessing some divine intervention or, better said, what I believe to be some Dad intervention all the way from Heaven.

So this week’s song is dedicated to the three hummingbirds that finally visited.  It’s Rihanna’s big Summer hit “Where Have You Been”.  It’s another week down and, for most of us, a three-day weekend.  Happy Labor Day!  Turn the speakers up and celebrate life and say goodbye to Summer.  Hasn’t it gone by so quickly?  Dance to celebrate that we’ve made it through another week and, better yet, another season.  As well, know that I’ll be out in my yard this weekend asking those three hummingbirds…..”Where Have You Been?”  Do you think they’ll answer?