BIRDS FLY IN. BIRDS FLY OUT. A flurry of activity caught my attention in the backyard. Then I noticed that in the morning and late afternoon, the robins meet around our home, to visit the hackberry tree outside our deck. The branches overflow with orange berries. From all directions, the robins come to wait their turn. And that is the way it seems. A handful zoom into the tree, settle into a spot to taste berries, then leave and wait on the elm branches near by. A new group flies from the elm trees to peck away at the obviously delicious fruit, then departs to wait for another turn. It seems like such a polite system of taking turns. Online I found a recipe for hackberry jam, although it looked complicated and messy and why not leave this attractive treat to the busy robins? And I have only seen robins attracted to the fare offered by this tree. If I get the courage, I might try a bite of hackberry berry. We'll see.

HARD FREEZE. 26 degrees here in Omaha, NE. last night. Our neighbors covered their vining, pink flowers, but that didn't offer enough warmth to keep the blossoms going. NOw they droop in the sunlight. Bob sits in the living room, having coffee, while I sip my blueberry tea alongside him. Our 3 panel window looks out on the huge elms and assorted trees, still mostly green with hints of yellow. The sunlight dapples the scene. Then I see a leaf fall. Followed by another one. As I watch, none of them fall together. Just one by one, like notes, coming from different trees. They make a kind of silent music. And Bob and I are mesmerized by the rhythm of the falling leaves. Here. There. Quick. Quick. Slow. It's a lovely sight. As the morning warms, the leaf music stops.But we are happy to have seen mature's crisp morning song.

COMING BACK. Life took me away from writing for a while. My husband had some health issues, which occurred during the week of our family reunion and my birthday celebration. Now he's better and things have settled down. I like a quiet life without ER ambulances driving up to the house. It makes a person grateful, though once the worry and action is in the past. The calendar brought two events that cheered me up. One was reading my poems and free verse from "Cowboys & Wild, Wild Things", on the Century Link stage before the River City Roundup Rodeo. The wonderful part was the guitar background played by my grandson, Noah Sterba (he of one folk band and a couple rock bands). Having the music chords floating by made my part seem so much better. A grandma at a gig with her grandson. That's a memorable event The next day, I read from the book at The Bookworm, Omaha's only bookstore that encourages local authors, as far as I know. Seeing familiar faces made that a treat too. So the days have had the good balance bad. Family was here when Bob was whisked away to the hospital and the tests came back ok. I had a fantastic birthday dinner. I shared my writing with others and caught up with old friends. It's time to begin writing again.