THE ROBIN

Today is sandwiched in between yesterday's Earth Day and tomorrow's Arbor Day. We celebrate these two occasions by sharing with you Charlie Bullis's poem "written and read Arbor Day, May 4, 1906," when he was 14 years old.

THE ROBIN, by C. R. Bullis

In the bright days of early spring
A robin from the south took wing
Thrilled by memories of the past
He flew to the north straight and fast
Through the pale ethereal blue
Unto his native land he flew
Through the bright day and starlit night
He proceeded in his long flight.
At last all wearied from his flight
As the first rays of the sun's light
Appeared over the eastern hill
At home on a pine he sat still.
For a few weeks he flew about
In every tree and bush and out
And in the balmy evening air
His song resounded clear and fair
And floated up to the pale moon
And died away very much to soon.
His singing soon brought him a mate
And they sang together in state
On a swaying evergreen bough
Never chriping his song enow
Until warmer the day did grow
Melting away the lingering snow
And birds became more numerous
The robins grew less humorous
They worked two or three bright days
And constructed a little maze
Of dry grass interlocked and round
With fine feathers all lined and downed
They constructed their little nest
On a brace high above their pest
The cat that goes prowling around
And catches young birds near the ground
Soon two little blue eggs were laid
In the warm nest all in the shade
In due time the blue eggs were hatched
The robins taking turns to scratch
And sit and search for grubs and slugs
And juicy angle worms and bugs
It was a busy time indeed
With two small gaping mouths to feed
But the robins tended them well
And their forms began to swell
When the sweet hay was being mown
I looked and the young birds had flown.

A CALENDAR FOR THE NEW YEAR

You may already have a 2009 calendar hanging on your wall, and have several appointments and activities jotted down for the new year. Or perhaps you use an online calendar program to plan your busy days.

Looking through the shelves recently, I found a different kind of calendar in the General Science section of the collection. And it's as current today as it was when it was published in 1892. This calendar is in the form of a book titled Sharp Eyes: A Rambler's Calendar of Fifty-Two Weeks Among Insects, Birds, and Flowers. Illustrations by author Wm. Hamilton Gibson enhance the descriptive prose between the covers of this unique book. Open it at random and you're sure to find something inspiring and informative, no matter the page.

Sharp Eyes impressed me so much I did a web search and, yes, copies are available online. (I've sent a link to my favorite Santa, in hopes he takes the hint.) Fortunately for all of us, it's on the shelf here in the Bullis Room and you're invited to stop by on a Thursday morning to take a relaxing ramble through this beautiful seasonal calendar.