Greg and I have been down in the Desert for the month of February. It’s a wonderful change of scenery and though I am a Pacific Northwest girl through and through, the Desert offers plenty of magic to me in the way of beauty.
Every morning we get to sit outside in the warm sunshine and sip our coffee. Surrounding the back patio are some magenta-blooming bougainvillea bushes. For us, they act as a garden wall, giving us some pristine privacy from the neighbors and walkers that go meandering by. For the birds, the bougainvillea is a network of commerce and community and they are positively alive with twitters, chirps and songs of every variety.
A Sympony
A couple mornings ago, I found myself humming a random bar of music from Johann Strauss. Weird, because the last time I can remember actually listening to that piece of music, I was a kid in my parents’ living room. Dancing to the music on a record player. I’m sure I’ve heard Strauss since then, but he is definitely not one of my go-to listening choices. In fact, it took me some googling to actually find the piece of music and confirm that it was Strauss I had been humming. It was. Greg was impressed.
And then I heard it! The birds were chirping the melody from the music that I had stuck in my head. The birds! I couldn’t believe it. Greg heard it too. From the blooming bougainvillea came the Radetzky March by Johann Strauss. Amazing.
So now I’m wondering if it was the birds that gave the music to Strauss to begin with. If good old Johann took his coffee and croissant out into a warm little courtyard some June morning and turned his attention to the birds. Bursting with music. Not unlike Johann himself. And then just like that! The Radetzky March was born into the world.
And now I’m reminded of another song. One by the wonderful, departed Rich Mullins: “There is so much beauty around us, for just two eyes to see. But everywhere I go, I’m looking.” And listening~
If you love birds and music, or need to be touched by beauty, let’s be friends~
And if you’d like to hear Strauss for yourself, click here and be delighted!
Of course the birds were chirping the melody. They know all the good ones! 💕