WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE GRAPHIC. YOU MAY NOT WANT TO VIEW THEM, IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.
This weekend, Harper Lee passed away. You know her- the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and Go Set a Watchman. She was a lifetime resident of Monroeville, Alabama.
Oh, Al-a-bam-a! A true southern state.
Mockingbird eggs
I have wondered for a while if it really was wrong to kill a mockingbird, and what the title of her book really means. The answer I always find is that it’s audacious and a sin to kill this bird that sings so pretty and entertains us so. I observed the mockingbirds closely on our farm in Tennessee on a yearly basis, so I knew their habits. It’s not pretty, folks. I’ve wanted to tell this story for a long time, but put it off til the right time.
There’s mockingbirds here too, at the Mason-Dixon Line. I observed them closely in the south, and knew their habits. It’s quite gross. I guess you wouldn’t believe it. I hate to put these pictures up- because I know some will just protest and turn away, but these are the facts. Mockingbirds hang up their dead prey in trees to come back later and eat them. I have found frogs, and snakes, and even a poor bluebird or indigo bunting. So I guess, to kill a mockingbird is supposed to be a bad thing (?). But in truth, they must kill to eat. It’s just a fact of life in the wild.
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An unexpected turn has been feelings of sadness of leaving the south. I can not explain it, but only can say it is a closed phase of my life that I grew to love. I will not miss the tornado weather, or the unbearable summer heat, the dusty roads that made me cough all night, and some other things. I think I will just miss the slow pace of life, the musical vocal accents, the BBQ, which is plentiful, and the mild winter. I like the feeling of the south, knowing that you’ll be getting good biscuits for breakfast, and some pretty good lemon pie for desert, and Red Velvet anything. I guess I’ll just have to create my own southern everything, here in my new/old home! I will be alright–“You alright?” “Bless your heart!” and rest in peace Harper. No matter how mockingbirds really are, you made a difference in the world with your books. Thank you.
