Hung Bird

I started a new project today. It is a project that involves yard work and one that I quite enjoy doing, not because it is easy but because I like the difference it makes. I'm talking trimming up bushes into more of a tree. At the new house there is a back hedge of sorts out of lilac bushes. I have been looking at it and almost drooling over the project. I took a little time this morning to start. I didn't get very far. These things are seriously overgrown and they are very thick on the inside. I don't know the history of the home but would venture a guess that it has been several years since anything has been done with these bushes. I actually cleared out a fair number of branches but barely made a dent and I am exhausted. I think completing this project is going to take a long time. You can see from this pic that there is lots to do.



It was interesting as I was cutting out branches and making my way into the first bush that I looked up and found a bird had flown into the bush and hung itself. Really weird. I am not talking a noose around the neck or anything like that. Just caught up in the branches and stuck there like it was in mid flight. I have never seen anything like it before. It is just stuck and it's head is hanging down. Pretty crazy. I snapped a couple of pics just because.





I guess one of the things that I love most about yard work is that it allows me time to enjoy the outdoors and to ponder on different matters. I look at something like this hedge that is completely overgrown and I start to compare it to myself and look at my own life. Where am I an overgrown mess? What do I need to tighten up on and clear out? I think it is easy to let things go sometimes. Eventually when we get back around to them we may find that things are a bit overgrown or laden with dead branches maybe even a bird or two that got stuck in the mess. Cutting things back to a healthier level can be a lot of work. I guess one of my favorite things about this type of a project is when I get done and have a chance to step back and look at it. I love what I see. It is hard and tiring work but the end result is worth it. So it is with making changes in our lives - it is hard, it is tiring and sometimes we want to quit. If, however, we continue to push along the end results will be worth it.