When Paying Attention Pays Off

I was busy doing something in Grandma's kitchen. I know it wasn't washing the dishes...but I think I was preparing dinner or something totally mundane. Emily comes running in. If you know Emily you know she is EXUBERANT about everything. There is no good way of knowing whether something is really important or not. Everything is an emergency, everything is the coolest thing she has ever seen, you catch my drift. And so unfortunately for us both probably I ignore most of her alerts. This instance started out being one of those times. She came running in about seeing a hummingbird and how totally awesome it was. The first thought that went through my head was that I have seen enough hummingbirds to not want to stop what I was doing. The second thought was that even if I did go outside to see the source of her excitement it would be gone. Out she went squealing to her sister, who was a willing audience. A minute later she comes running back in. "MOM! Can I PLEASE borrow you camera!!" I type that in caps to try to convey her excitement. I of course tell her absolutely not will she ever be allowed to take pictures with my camera. But then the good angle Mom started to out talk the bad angle Mom. (maybe there really is something worth seeing...it wouldn't take a huge effort to go outside and see...) So out I went to peek in the bushes to see her miraculous discovery. She said she had been swinging when she heard a buzz. She turned around to see a hummingbird fluttering around above her head. Then it zipped into the bushes. And she found it. Miraculously really. Because it was a good thing I had a guide when I took my peek into the bushes. It was soooo camouflaged and so tiny that I could barely find it. But there it was. How many opportunities in life do you get to see a hummingbird sitting and preening on a branch. (And we have already established how much I love birds) Never...so I owe Emily a huge thank you for this picture.