Bird Branch

A few feet away from the bird feeder on our deck, i have attached a dead branch to an upright post that supports the railing. The dead branch may not be very attractive to humans, but birds love it. They perch on any of its various twigs before, and sometimes after, grabbing a sunflower seed from the feeder.

Eating dinner on the deck, my sweetie and i sometimes proceed in freeze frame. Fork halfway to mouth stops in mid-air in order not to scare away the rose-breasted grosbeak. The situation calls for mindfulness. Sometimes i move, millimeter by millimeter--a form of mindful movement.

But I don't tell the chickadees that i'm having chicken (i.e., bird) for dinner.