Sights and sounds of a new season
To the editor:
This is the last weekend of winter. Yes, even here in Guangzhou, close to the tropical zone, trees shed their leaves just as they do at home. Not as colorful as the reds and yellows of Aroostook County, but trees here still shed their leaves. During the winter months the leaves fall off, brown and dark yellow. Not all at once, a few here and there, and by the time we get to the spring season the new growth is already peeping through. Birds have been relatively quiet over the past few months. Now though, they are coming out.
In the early pre-dawn light the sounds of new families being started fill the air. As the sky gets lighter the whistles, warbles, chirps, and other commotions that mark the morning crowd begin to outweigh the sounds of construction and traffic that are part of the city. The lighter it gets the more action that takes place.
Birds are a lot like the rest of us. The first order of business is finding a house. In the trees around the apartment and the campus you see the flitting shapes swooping and dodging from the sidewalks and trees. Not certain what is being discussed by the various customers. Probably Mrs. Bird was complaining about the curtains and Mr. Bird was griping about the rubbish his neighbors are dumping on his lawn. Or it may have been the contagious flirting from the different birds flying around. The squawks and shrills are loud and amusing. Even the few cats in the neighborhood show interest in these games of chase. The minister and his dog collar gets no rest.
Saw the first bee of the season on some early blooms. Soon the blooms will be out, new leaves will go from bud to leaf in dramatic fashion and we will be in the midst of a glorious spring. For now, watch as the sun comes up and take a moment to stop, sip the coffee, stir the tea, and drink in all the glories that shine in these first tiny beams of light.
Orpheus Allison
Guangzhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com
