signs of life

(Note: thanks to the kind reader who found this little gem for me! this is him!)

yesterday as i was blogging, then editing, the brightest little yellow bird--audaciously bright, with a slight black cap and touch of black on the back (looked like it was on the wings when closed), lighted in a huge pine just outside the window. i've yet to identify this bird. it was as bright yellow as a canary, but touches of black. i've ruled out the warblers and the yellow finches. but i'm still searching. perhaps he'll show himself to me again and i can get a better idea of what i'm dealing with.

the ravens have been about much. i'm partial to ravens. they call me to embrace the mystery. during the years when i went to powwows and lived in the high desert of california, ravens frequented my life. they were everywhere. this was frowned upon by my comache friend, who was dear to me, because to him they were harbingers of evil.

a dear friend went to alaska and brought me back a whale bone carved into a raven's head. so the northern pacific tribes do not dislike ravens as much as some of the other bands of tribes i've known do.

the trickster is a common motif in native stories, perhaps in other stories too, but i hear it mostly in relation to native tales. the trickster is very helpful at times, has much wisdom, but it is deciphering this wisdom that is the tricky part. or not being tricked into doing something you don't want to do. the trickster can be portrayed as clown, snake, rabbit, or raven (there are probably more, but these are the one's i've most commonly encountered).

so the ravens calling me to mystery is an interesting sirenesque call. do they lead me to my doom, or no? but i've come to understand this aspect of God as well. so the raven is not so far fetched for me, as trickster and Godtype, or mouthpiece of God. Certainly

the trickery comes to an end and we must obey God straight out

as don potter says, but i find many times when things are not what i think they are, or thought they would be, that God's hand has somehow kept info from me so i wouldn't judge based on my preferences.

this apartment for example. there were two we were deciding between. had we known there would be someone rumbling about the floor above us, there is no way we would have come here. but here is where we were supposed to come. trickery or not, i have to bless the God of Heaven for his stupefying ways. for i don't understand them.

so this little yellow bird's appearance speaks to me of something delightful. some new friend or accomplishment. though i can't yet understand and say with certainty what that is, or who that is, my heart rejoices.

the squirrel i mentioned before, he apparently lives on or around my apartment, and yesterday stopped and regarded me for quite some time. this writing turret puts me up at tree level and i think many birds, squirrels and whatnots are surprised to find me here when they happen upon me. but the squirrel quit darting away and sat there for a good five minutes scratching and regarding me. then went about his business.

it is good to befriend squirrels. maybe he'll get brave and regard me when i'm not enclosed in glass.

he's back! the little yellow gem just lit upon a branch, he has a touch of black on his tail that i didn't notice yesterday and a delicate golden beak (stubby triangle like a v). i really need to put my binoculars nearby so i can really stare him down and check him out. i've thought i really need to use a camera, instead of just words.