I Got from my Grandma

My Grandmother (Nannie) was a sweet, soft and caring woman. She loved to take care of anyone who came to visit. My Grandmother lived until she was 94, she took pride in making sure everyone was well fed, and she always made sure there was a fresh, homemade dessert on the table. Everyone who knew her, loved her.

One thing that really connected me with my Nannie was her love for birds and animals. Nannie always had a bird feeder setup in the yard- she had Grampy build her a great big platform one strategically right outside the main kitchen window. There was no coincidence that the feeder was placed perfectly at eye level directly across from Nannies chair at the table. Viewing backyard birds during breakfast became a special ritual in their home. The telephone was also secured to the wall only to the right hand side of this window, where Nannie would chat each night her to best friend Helen. Here, she could sit by the window and wait for the frequent passing by of deer. Sometimes she would have a special treat to see a raccoon, coyote or fox.

Nannie could name each backyard bird that came to the feeder. Without hesitation she would eagerly announce the species as it landed on the feeder and add a cute comment like “I like the juncos because they’re so round”. Sometimes we would watch them during a meal and without saying any words at all, share a glance at the table to say “hey, did you see what that one just did!?”. She would always talk about how greedy the blue Jays were (see featured photo: A blue Jay hastily feeds at Nannies feeder). She would worry that the blue Jays wouldn’t leave enough for the smaller, less aggressive birds. She recognized the smart behaviours of ravens, but didn’t like when the seagulls came up from the nearby beach to see what they could find.

I was home to visit with my family a couple of springs ago. This would be one of my last visits with my grandmother while she was in her own home. I noted outside the large kitchen window, a family of three deer. I assisted Nannie, her strength declining, to a kitchen chair to watch the deer. The deer persisted for quite some time in the yard, giving us a special time to watch them together, my arm wrapped around nannies back, hoping that this moment would never end.

While nannie was in palliative care, I made a point to make sure we (the family) had breakfast together at the table before we went to visit her for the day. In our exhausted and emotional states we had forgotten to feed the birds. I made a point to feed the birds this day and really watch them from beside where nannie would have been sitting.

It wasn’t until a few months later that I found myself watching the birds more. I soon outgrew my 200mm camera lens and wanted something more. I purchased a 600mm lens and was immediately intrigued by watching birds. I wanted to know what species they were, what sounds they make, where and when they migrate. It took me a little while to put the pieces together, but I now know that this little part of Nannie now lives in me.