What does it mean?

Affinity . watercolor on paper . 18" x 29"

I'm perplexed - totally.  A strange thing is happening this year.  Birds want in the house - I mean they are knocking at the door.  Straining their little wings to stay in flight while beating against the door.  I swear I'm not making this up! 

The mystery began (indelicate alert!) when I noticed bird poop at my front door.  I have a covered stoop and there's a thin little brick ledge at the door - yes, covered with, ahem, leavings.  Stunned, I wondered "What in the world? Who, rather WHAT has been at my front door?"  Creepy!  Then the knocking began. . .well, it sounds like knocking - they are running into the door over and over while suspended in flight.  How strange is that?  Yesterday, while painting in the studio, I finally witnessed this odd phenomenon at my French door!  Having lived in homes with windows galore, I'm very used to the odd bird running into the window - but this is something entirely different. . .

What does it mean?  It's just a wee bit unnerving - what could be so enticing?  If you've had this experience, please let me know.  And if this is happening everywhere, then we might ought to take heed . . .

Speaking of unnerving, the awful hurricane Sandy carried my name right into destroying people's lives in irreparable ways.  Call me sensitive (duh!) it was felt deeply and not without some kind of strange guilt.  Not to make this about "me" but I was surprised/shocked at how personal it all felt - hearing your name spoken so often, as in the "wrath of Sandy."  Having lived in Florida for over thirty years, I'm well aware of hurricane damage and the lingering loss of life as you once knew it.  To have your name attached to that loss proved to sadden me beyond measure.  

Don't forget the American Red Cross at this time - they always need our valuable support.
www.redcross.org

I have been neglecting my blog of late - between my cold, the election, the hurricane, etc., it's been a time of racing thoughts coupled with lethargy!  An odd combination, but one that "felled this tree."  I have been painting though - back to a portrait of a woman who means many things to many people.  Margee will be turning 96 at the end of this month.  I'm painting her as I remember her, in her early 70's sitting at my dining room table.  Here's a peek into how the painting is progressing - soon I'll post the finished work - there's lots more to accomplish here.