November 2022

If you’ve read my columns or heard my radio programs for awhile, you’re going to read or hear something about songbirds. My interest in identifying these little fluttery colorful creatures was handed down to me by my mom. She loved the birds and taught her offspring all about them and how to identify them. I have feeders up around the yard, regular feeders and one that offers suet while this time of year, another that provides thistle seed. Add to this the two bird baths I keep operational and I could almost be considered the male version of Miss Jane Hathaway of Beverly Hillbillies fame. Thus it is with a troubled heart and furrowed brow that I come to you, my readers and listeners, with a dilemma. My birds have left me. About the time the first days of fall converged over the landscape, sending colorful leaves fluttering to the ground, I noticed that my feeders, loaded with birdseed, were just sitting there untouched. I even had a few seeds starting to sprout because they were being ignored by birds. The birds just seemed to have vanished. I wondered if it was just my feeders that were being ignored so I went to my favorite social media site, Facebook, and expressed my concern. The comments came quickly from scores of others who feed birds who have experienced the same dearth of songbirds in their yards.

The negative effects of isolation is something the vast majority of the world can now relate to. The COVID-19 pandemic forced people from all walks of life and from every corner of the globe to spend less time with friends, family members, neighbors, and other acquaintances. As the world cut back on in- person interactions to curb the spread of the virus, billions of people recognized just how difficult feelings of isolation can be. Feelings of isolation are a problem many seniors know all too well. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine indicates that roughly 25% of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated. That’s both sad and unhealthy, as the National Institute on Aging notes that research has linked social isolation and loneliness to problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My elderly father was very sick a little while ago, but he has since made what seems to be a full recovery. During the time when his health seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, he spent a total of three weeks between the hospital and my home. It was hard for him, and for a little while we thought he might not make it out of the hospital.