Remember the Little Golden Books? Some of the stories were absolutely wonderful. Some, not so much. Some are no longer considered suitable for young readers or for readers of any age for that matter. The content of some is particularly cruel or violent, sexist, offensive and the language no longer politically correct.
Ah yes, I recall many of the stories and the nursery rhymes for I read them over and over to my son and then to my grandchildren. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times and in an era when I might be excused for not really thinking it through beyond the surface level.
Uninvited Dinner Guest
Last summer I found a woodpecker on my patio working like crazy and making a racket. Let me tell you, I was NOT pleased. Yes, the patio is showing signs of age with the wood now grayed, weather beaten and perhaps a haven for tasty little insects, but I wasn’t in the market for portholes and I wasn’t the least bit interested in providing dinner for that miserable creature.
I came tearing out of the house, shirt tail flying, waving a broom and screaming like a banshee. There was no doubt I was a sight for sore eyes and would probably have frightened both young and old.
“You miserable bird! You won’t be making any portholes in my ship today”.
a line from “Woody Woodpecker Takes a Trip” … perhaps?
But people don’t always understand the circumstances. Didn’t the captain want to make away with Woody at first? Ah, but he didn’t understand that Woody’s loud and incessant TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP! was not intended to drive him out of his mind and ruin his beautiful craft. Oh no! Instead Woody was just doing his thing to help. He was drilling portholes, making the ship seaworthy and ready for the trip.
Now don’t be alarmed! I may have scarred my children for life with those books but I had no intention of hurting the little woodpecker and it wasn’t as if it was going to starve to death because I wouldn’t provide a meal on the deck. For goodness sake the table and chairs weren’t even out yet.
Woody Returns
I was doing some garden cleanup when I heard it. Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Now there’s no shortage of trees in my garden but I finally spied the culprit. There was Woody, back again. Lucky for me, he wasn’t interested in fine dining this year. His attention was focused on one particular tree. I tried to take a picture but he was camera shy. Each time I approached, he circled around to the other side of the tree avoiding my clever moves to circle the opposite way. It was so interesting to watch.
Being in the middle of a small forest means I hear and see woodpeckers all the time. Yet, except for the patio and the tree circling, I had never given much thought to woodpeckers and their behaviours.
A few days later, I showed my sister and brother-in-law the tree. It was she who first noticed there was an occupant.
I mimicked the tap of the woodpecker to get the fellow to present himself at the entrance for the photo session. It was so much more effective than the broom and the cry of the banshee.
With a little bit of research, I discovered that it is a Downy Woodpecker, the most common species found in eastern Canada. The Downy family will search for just the right place to make the nest with the female making the final choice. Then the male bird takes over to do most of the drilling. Together they create the cozy little spot that will become the home for their soon-to-be family.
The stories we choose to tell
It has been so much fun telling this story and showing those pictures. But it did get me thinking about books, children’s books in particular, and the potential influence on young minds. Thankfully my son and his children do not appear overly scarred by the stories I read.
They deplore violence, injustices and intolerance, standing ready to fight for what is right. They have grown strong in their understanding of circumstance and differences in people and themselves. Those differences are a part of who they are. Regardless, I wonder which books I would choose if I could reverse time. Would I be more particular? Would I choose more carefully?
It had been so cold overnight – below freezing they said. But you’d never have thought it possible by mid-morning. By that time the sun was high in the sky and the earth felt warm to the touch. The crocus and the daffodils (all 2 of them) were in full bloom and the leaves on the daylillies were green and tall. In a few more weeks they would be flowering.
There’s something to be said for the power of the sun, particularly in the Spring. The earth that had been brown and dead comes to life with patches of green showing itself once again. Everything seems to wake up, especially the birds. As for us, it gives us a mood makeover. Our step is lively. Our smile is quicker. Our energy level is higher. Laughter comes easier and our troubles seem to shrink just a little.
Perhaps it is also influenced by the books we read and the stories we choose to tell.
“Woody Woodpecker Takes a Trip”
The Downy Woodpecker
Source: Hinterland Who’s Who
There are 198 species of woodpeckers. The Downy Woodpecker is most commonly found in eastern Canada. Woodpeckers are particular about the trees they choose to build their nests. They are especially attracted to dead trees or stubs dotted with old holes from former nestings. They may start several holes in different trees before the final choice is made, usually by the female. The entrance hole is round and is usually from 3.6 to 9.0 m above ground, although it may be higher or lower.The entrance is through a short narrow neck at the top.
The male does most of the drilling. He spends nearly half of the daylight hours each day working on the hole in average sessions of about 20 minutes, resting and feeding in between. First he chisels out the passage, making it just wide enough for himself and his mate to squeeze through. Laboriously he taps and digs out the walls of the cavity, widening and deepening the room inside and throwing the loose chips out over his shoulder. When the hole is deep enough to allow him to turn around inside, he brings the chips out in his bill and scatters them with a shake of the head. After that, he usually sleeps in the cavity at night.
The Stories We Choose To Tell
Woody Woodpecker Takes a Trip! Remember that book. I must have read it every night for two or more years when our son was a toddler
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I have had a family of woodpeckers here on my property for the past 10 or so years too. And I love to see them come. (I think it’s the same family every year??). But I was telling Pete just this morning about how they come up to the bird feeders and how they crack the sunflower seeds. First they pick up one seed. Then deposit it into a shallow crack in the 4×4 posts. Then they best the shell off with their tough beaks and swallow the seed inside. Then back fur one more. Jim and I used to watch them! He said to me one day, Wow. what if you had to bang your head on the post every morning to get your breakfast? Always the sharp younger devil that b’y !
Beulah, I wake up most mornings to the tap tap tap of my local woodpecker. It makes me smile to watch it working on the hydro pole. Thnks for the story!!