Birds of a Feather

Byrdes of on kynde and color

flok and fly allwayes together.

~William Turner, 1545,

The Rescuing of Romish Fox

She doesn't have a flock,

this sweet girl of mine.

She attends a small-ish

school and often feels like

that lone bird, sitting on

a branch or telephone wire.

It's challenging to fly 

amongst birds who are into

Lady Gaga,  Juicy Couture,

Glee and the leading men

in the Twilight series when

you are more interested in

  U-2, drawing and art, collecting

vintage things and loving

all animals {and fascinated 
by raptors and even sharks},

mystery and forensic shows

and the fine art of taking tea,

just to

name

a few.

I'm weird, she laments.


You're special, we console.


Mature for your age.
An old soul.

Just wait, I often 

say, until you get to

college and find a whole

world of interesting people

with so many, many

different interests.

Just wait.

She will nod and

smile a quiet smile, her

hazel eyes reflecting the

encouragement in my

voice.

But it's hard to wait,

when you are that lone

bird on the telephone wire.

Red tailed hawk by Elizabeth


Last week my daughter,

my husband and I made

our first college visit, driving

700 miles round trip to

check out a potential 

school for the fall of 2013.

Gorgeous country near the university


Elizabeth was nervous,

excited and didn't really

know what to expect.

Eric and I were mainly

just....excited.  {Okay,

he was also a bit nervous

about footing the bill.} I 

found myself wistfully 

thinking how much fun it 

would be to do it all, again.

Our school has many,

many clubs, said the student

guide as he lead us around

the campus.  We even have a

Raptor Club that helps to care

for and rehabilitate these birds.

My daughter and I locked

eyes; hers as big as saucers.

Here in the student union,

we put up a large movie

screen when big events are

going on, like the World

Series.  Just last week it was

 up for Discovery Channel's

Shark Week.

My daughter looked at me

and smiled.

Shark by Elizabeth

This all-women resident hall

serves tea every Sunday and

houses a huge tea cup collection.

Prominent guests have visited

for tea, including Helen Keller

and Jackie Kennedy.

Our eyes met again.......

All-women's resident hall


Maybe there is a flock 

out there for me, after all,

they seemed to say.

Maybe Mommy 

really does know 

what she's talking about.

I like it here!


After the campus tours 

and lunch, Elizabeth asked if

we could drive by the raptor

house, just to see it.  When

we pulled up, there was a

young lady sitting in a chair

under a tree, reading a book,

with an owl on her arm.

{Cue U-2 here.}

My daughter approached the

pair and introduced herself. 

The enthusiastic pre-veterinarian 

student asked, Would you like 

to meet some more of our residents?

She did.  And meet them, 

we did.....for over an hour!

Charlie...He's been here since 1981.

It was truly a highlight

of her summer.

Back at home the next

day {home away from home,

as we are still visiting my

parents in the Pacific NW}

Elizabeth found an injured

hummingbird and tried to

nurse it back to health. 

This is the stuff my 

lovely girl is made of.

And in two short years, 

she will find her flock....

and fly.

Just wait.

xx

Suzanne


paintings: my daughter
photos:  me