Last May I started feeding the birds in my backyard. I started with just on feeder and only got Sparrows. After doing a little research I bought another feeder and filled it with food that was supposed to attract cardinals. That new feeder did the trick and in the darkness of my grief feeding my birds was the only reason I would get out of bed. I had to give the cardinals fresh food everyday.

One day while I was out running errands I drove past a store called Trellis Farm & Garden. The way this place looked had me curious so I pulled in. I fell in love with this store immediately.  The smell, the vibe, the staff. My first time in this store I spoke to a young man for 40 minutes only about birds. I had no idea that being a bird watcher was such a big deal. I remember coming home that day with 3 large bags of feed, a new finch feeder and hummingbird nectar I had to make at home. From that day forward Trellis became the only place I buy my bird food.  I found going to Trellis every 2 weeks comforting and healing – all of the energy I had built up for mothering my son was being refocused on this new hobby.

As the seasons progressed, from Spring to Summer to Fall to Winter, I found more and more birds visiting my yard. I would spend hours watching them while sitting outside or from my work station in the dinning room or from the guest room upstairs that was supposed to be Tek’s nursery. I even started taking pictures so invested in a nicer camera and a really good pair of binoculars. Today while I was going through my bird pictures for this post I was shocked to find that I am nearing 1,000 pictures of just birds!!

In grief you do anything to survive and sometimes the thing that brings the most comfort is really surprising. I never thought I would be this into birdwatching but here I am almost 19 months later still birdwatching, still going to Trellis and still finding the comfort I so desperately need.

Theodore’s Bird Oasis