Sunday, February 19, 2023

Bird Watching Week by Merri Maywether


I have a designated writing area. It’s a desk in the corner of the basement with little distraction. This is where I have to admit that I spend most of my time in a recliner in front of the picture window. 

It has a view of the prairie, the Sweet Grass Hills, and the seasonal flora and fauna–occasionally, a vehicle drives by. 

Last weekend, the weather was nice enough for a walk. From my writer’s recliner, I noticed a lady walking down the road with her dog. 

I said something about her dog leaving the road and running through the barley stubble. 

Then the dog took to the air. 

It was not a dog. It was a crow that, from half a mile away, looked like it was the size of a black labrador. 

For the rest of the day, I was glued to the window, anticipating what I like to call the bird show. 

The Beauty of Birdwatching

Watching birds interact with nature is in itself relaxing. I’d never expected the fun that accompanies it.

For example, the sense of importance when I run to the store for seeds or the questions I play with in my mind.

Can birds feed themselves? Yes.

Do they like it when I buy them houses and plates and seeds? Their chirping tells me yes. 

The best is the feeling of interacting with nature. 

Annual Bird Watching Week. 

This week is the annual bird-watching week, but birdwatching is a fun activity that lasts all year long, brings immediate delight, and opens the door for some great discussions. 

In the days and weeks to come, people in our little slice of the world will post a picture of a bird they’ve seen, and the comment stream will go on for days. Some responses will share a tidbit of information about the species. Others will add other types of birds they’ve also seen.

We’ll talk about the kinds of seeds we’re putting in our feeders. 

People share links from websites with facts about the birds in the posts. 

Sometimes, they inspire stories. I give the birds backgrounds and dialogue that eventually makes it into a book.

So, with the weather warming, I suggest taking a gander out the front window or taking a respite in the backyard or a nearby park. Hopefully, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the ways nature, in the form of birds, will talk to you.

In addition to seeing crows and magpies, I've caught a glimpse of meadowlarks and an owl. Share in the comments what you are seeing in your neighborhood?

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Welcome To Three Creeks, Montana

The characters in my Three Creeks series spend a lot of time exploring Montana. Several of the places they've visited and sights they've seen are actual locations in Big Sky Country.

Get Well Soon

Becca and her best friend Donovan have an agreement. If both of them are single when they’re forty, they will get married. Which is a good thing, because every guy Becca has dated has been a disappointment.

A lot more is at stake when Donovan proposes. He has to convince Becca that his feelings for her are real without telling her he’s the reason all the other guys bolted.

Welcome Home

Abigail Cahill is returning home, and she doesn’t know how to feel about it.

She left when she graduated from high school, promising herself she would never go back. However, when Abigail’s father leaves her the house as an inheritance, she is willing to give living in Three Creeks a second chance.

Home Sweet Home

Thanks to Abigail and Kent’s wedding, Hannah and Keane are thrown together, and an unusual friendship is formed. When they spend time together, Hannah shows Keane what he has been missing, and Keane teaches Hannah to avoid men like him.

Things get interesting in Three Creeks when Keane is tasked with the challenge of convincing Hannah to give him the chance he may not deserve.

The Three Creeks, Montana series is a good fit for readers who enjoy characters who are over 40, stories where friendships are strong, and can appreciate the quirks of small-town living.

For a limited time the first three books in the Three Creeks, Montana series is 99¢







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