We had four gorgeous, write-it-all-down-in-a-journal days here in Chicago for our Labor Day weekend. Cloudless, sunny, temperate, and relaxing. We spent every minute we could on our screen porch reading, talking, eating, editing, and spending time with family.
We did spend way too much time gawking at our hummingbirds. We rigged up six small feeders, one of which sits over a twig on which our normal hummer, a female, sits and feeds until her heart is content. Correct that, it does not appear to me that a hummingbird can be content. Those little pesky things are constant motion, alert beyond alert to everything around them that moves, eating and moving on to the next feeder and then, poof!, she’s off to another yard. What has surprised me is how cocky she is: she stares down the Cardinals and Sparrows the minute they get too close, and when another hummer comes near she flies off the handle for some aerial combat. She sometimes sits on the telelphone line, pretending she’s a big bird. Anyway, you can tell what we’ve done.
I edited aplenty this weekend — finishing up our forthcoming 40 Days with the Jesus Creed and getting ready to send it to Lil Copan, my editor. 40 short readings on how the Jesus Creed influenced the early Christians and how it can influence us. Kris and I took some lovely walks at Independence Grove forest preserve as well.
Laura, our daughter, ran a successful 10K yesterday and is getting ready for the half-marathon in Chicago next Saturday. We’re excited for her. Bob and Pat (Kris’ sister), who live in St Charles, were here Sunday evening for dinner, chatting and watching hummers on our screen porch.