Instill

14 MARCH, 2025

The photo above was taken last night by Tricky, my partner and little Star's daddy. We had been doing a photoshoot at the other end of the yard, with Star in her adorable bee outfit sitting on her daddy's lap as I captured her tiny, perfect details. Tricky asked me if I wanted to switch so I handed him the camera and took Star into my arms. By the time we sat back down she was done with being on the bench and I figured the photoshoot was over. As I walked around with her in the lovely evening air, narrating what we saw and watching her reactions, Tricky kept snapping photos. In this particular shot, the downy woodpecker who has been frequenting our yard had recently landed just a couple of feet away from us to nibble at the suet cake hanging at the bottom of the tree, and then flew up to the top of the tree once she'd had her fill. I gasped in amazement & excitement when I noticed her, and I commented to Star that she was so comfortable staying in the tree despite us standing right there. I told her that we needed to be quiet so that we wouldn't scare her away, and as Doris hopped around from branch to branch I pointed out her position. Star never looked right at her - I don't think she has quite grasped the concept of the small little creatures who hang out in and fly around our yard - but she felt what I was feeling and babbled & gestured her own excitement.

I greatly hope that Star's love of nature takes root and grows as she develops, and I'm doing my part to teach her by example with respect, admiration, curiosity, and pure wonder for even the tiniest pieces of the earth. I look forward to one day looking back at this moment with her, of a mother sharing a fondness for a little black & white feathered friend with her daughter.