Buck Paulson

I want to share an un-edited e-mail that I received from a special artist friend of mine. It expresses a love for all of God's creations be they__ from mankind or from a hummingbird. I think you will agree that to have this kind of heart gives one a head start in the creations of art!

"TIME OUT FOR CAT CRAZINESS - Many hours later:Finally - I am hoping very very much that I may just have saved the life on one of God's creatures today. One of our two cats, Kukui, has become quite the hunter since he had a seven week POW experience under a neighbor's house a year ago January and SURVIVED =) Well - usually he brings in lizards and baby rats, which we dutifully send packing out in the back (alive). But - today he came in the cat door with that familiar growly sound of "prey in the mouth" - yikes. I couldn't tell what it was because it was so small - but I've learned to just pick him up and he won't let go and to take him outside. Well - long story short - it was a baby hummingbird!!! I had to make that quick decision - do I leave it for mama bird (hopefully) or take care of it??? Well - one leg looked really splayed out, and he seemed so much in shock - I just picked him up (all 1 1/2 inches of him) and took him in the house. I nestled him in a paper towel in a bowl and got some sugar water going for him. Called the local vet (wouldn't take wild animals) but they referred me to animal control (whose hospital is WAY too far for me in Friday night traffic - especially with Michael's piano lesson) so they said animal control would come pick him up and take him from me. Sounded too good to be true - so while we were getting late for piano, I quickly checked the internet and found you have to feed them 5 drops of sugar water every 30 minutes and I put him, the sugar water (and of course Michael) in the car on the way to piano. Well - he even chirped at me and I fed him many little drops and he was grateful until animal control came and actually met me at the music studio to pick him up! I told the "ranger" I was getting pretty attached - it was hard to let go, since he seemed to be getting so much better. He even opened his eyes before I handed him off for several minutes and looked right at me. What a little miracle!!! I just LOVE hummingbirds - they are incredible creatures. I hope mine lives. I worry about his leg - I think I'll call tomorrow and see if they can tell me about his progress. I worry that if he can't be totally normal that they won't let him into the wild and then what .............. I'd adopt him for indoors!! To be sure!Okay - so that was a short story LOOOOOONGGGGGGGGGGGG, my goodness! Anyway - someday I'll talk about perspective on life and how the little things you HAVE some control over somehow help you make sense - or maybe just accept - those situations about which you have no control. Bless little hummingbirds in need for helping a human know that caring can make a difference if even in the smallest ways. Ahh - the balance which is our life."

Thank You Nancy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. The cat painting is one I recently completed for Art Graham who is the manufacture of the greatest paint in the world: M. Graham. It is not Kukui of the story.