Juju

 I just checked and it appears there is not a new moon or full moon, and all planets seem to be behaving themselves.  No evidence of retrograde.  My juju is definitely off this week however.  I would like to enter a new phase of better juju, especially before we hit the full moon in another week.  As we move on, there is one last happening I would like to document.

For years now, we have had some sort of self-propagating bush growing out of control along the fence in an area that is not easily seen from our house.  Now I know it is not really self-propagating - it had to come from somewhere, but we never put it there.  We could have, over the years, trimmed it or tried to make it look presentable - for the sake of the neighbors.  But, we didn't.  Think arborvitae out-of-control.  It has grown to the height of the utility wires and the circumference is almost that wide.  The lawn guys despise it, and neighbors have trimmed on their side.  All our bad.

So, it was no surprise that as a new wi-fi company has been working their way through our neighborhood with prep work for "go-live" there have been crews clearing, measuring, installing new poles, wiring, etc. and they were coming for us and our bush.   

They were so polite as they approached the front door to ask our permission to "trim" the bush.  Heck, yes, I thought, trim away.  We don't have to pay a cent for work we should have been doing.  It's win, win for everyone and I hope for everything.  Boy, was I wrong.  

As I sat at my desk, workmen began to drag the full sized branches through the yard to the street.  They kept coming.  And coming.  And coming.  I'm not sure if the "trim" phrase was a guise or if it wasn't until they tackled the job they realized it all had to go as it straddled the utility pole itself.  Whatever the case - it was soon gone.  

The bush had served as a staging zone for our local birds, and those just passing by, to get to the feeders in the neighborhood.  It was the noisiest bush in the area - always packed with birds establishing their literal pecking order and waiting their turn.  Leaves or no leaves on the bush - it didn't matter.  Sun, rain, snow and wind - nothing mattered.  It was the bush of choice.  Included with the volumes of birds and the extensive variety of shapes and colors, were the cardinal couple.  Margaret and Jack.  Coincidentally, Margaret and Jack also happen to be the names of my parents.  

Margaret and Jack never strayed far from our yard - as best we can tell.  They were always in close proximity, although they rarely visited exactly at the same time.  As soon as Jack left the feeder, Margaret would appear.  They were often in the bush at the same, but gave each other space to occupy their own corner of the bush.  Sometimes we heard them chatting, but often they sat in silence.  Always vigilant, always present.

Since the bush was cut down, we have not seen the cardinal couple.  I'm sure they felt a little betrayed as they have been so loyal to us.  I'm hoping with time they find new housing in the area and begin to frequent our feeders again.  After all - they were always west-siders.  

I miss the birds - especially Margaret and Jack.  Spring in the northeast is still just a promise at this point.  Time will tell if the inevitable greening also sees the birds establishing a new routine for themselves - bringing their chatter, songs, and presence back into our lives.  

Margaret and Jack - bring me back some good juju! I'm waiting for you.