The Hedge Is Alive (28)

I’d thought I was noticing more House Sparrows in my yard again in the past few weeks. And then, all of a sudden, there seems to be a full community of them again. Did they actually return from wherever they went with that fierce wind months ago? Or did they just grow their community again here? Their return seems almost as dramatic as their departure was. Overnight, the hedge is alive.  I listen to them chattering, so new and surprising after all this time. And I shake my head at the unexpected cacophony. No wonder their disappearance from one day to the next left such a gaping hole. This boisterous song was a steady undercurrent to my days, and then it was gone, a marked silence in its wake. I can’t describe the pleasure I take in their return. But I thought I could let you listen if you’d like. I’m thinking it’s the next best thing to sitting here beside me in the courtyard.

Listen to the hedge.