Joe -- That was a very touching story. Thanks(!) for sharing as we are
all in need right now of something that touches our soul as humans and fills
the heart with empathy. It so saddens me that Jason's clear lack of such makes
me as well as probably most tweeters including our Canadian friends cringe
with disbelief and embarrassment. I think we've all had enough on this topic
as it's going nowhere but spiraling downward. We could have just stopped
with Steve's excellent post and Joe's superb postscript. And Jason, you live in
one of the most beautiful regions on Earth (Banff, Alberta) filled with such
natural and inspirational grandeur, I find it so utterly astonishing that
anyone could squander such wealth, especially in light of your last comment
intended for no other constructive purpose but to rankle and offend. You
probably still have control of your physical and mental capacities, maybe youth
too, and I think you need to go take a long long walk in the snow for a little
introspection and sniff that magnificent environment around you of which you
are so blessed.

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate, WA)


Subject: Re: Re: Feeders, Humans, and Nature
From: "Jason Rogers" <hawkowl AT hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 09:07:58 +0000

Wow! Can you imagine the misery that senior citizens and recovering

patients must have had to live through for the decades before people were

maintaining birdfeeders for them? Certainly friends, family, pets, games,

and activities would have been of no help.



_ Regards,

( '< Jason Rogers

/ ) ) Banff, AB

//" " hawkowl AT hotmail.com



>From: Joemeche AT aol.com

>To: chris.comeau AT comcast.net

>CC: tweeters AT u.washington.edu

>Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Re: Feeders, Humans, and Nature

>Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 01:45:59 EST

>

>A friend of mine has placed hanging feeders outside every room in a local

>convalescent center. She keeps the feeders clean and keeps them filled as

>much as

>she can. She picks up the tab for the seed and does it just to give the

>folks

>on the other side of the window a bit of joy in their otherwise lonely

>lives.

>

>I've done informal species counts at the center and I've noticed how one

>chickadee can make the day a little brighter. I've seen the smiles and the

>trembling fingers pointing at "their birds."

>

>Imagine reaching a point in your life when all you can do is sit and watch

>the birds at your feeder. Should you stop feeding them?

>

>There's a different slant for the discussion.

>

>Joe Meche

>Bellingham