Perhaps birds can live by stale bread alone

I do not like to throw food away. Leftovers are not a bad thing in our house. This attitude probably came from being the fourth of four children in a poor home. We didn't have an abundance of food, but we had enough.Still, my mom had to sometimes dole out the food in order to make sure that each of us got our fair share. When I got a newspaper route at age 13, I would use some of the money to buy extra food items. You know, necessities like chocolate donuts, Pop Tarts and cookies.So now when we have some food left over from dinner, I put them in the Tupperware and eat them over the next few days. Last week, I examined a half-loaf of bread. The date on it said "best by December 25." It hadn't turned green or anything, but it was too old for me.You don't have to necessarily be rigid when it comes to expiration dates, but sometimes enough is enough. Discoloration is another good sign that it is time to throw it away.So I broke off a few pieces of bread and threw them out onto the front lawn and watched the ensuing bird show. Somehow one bird eventually shows up and soon there are others taking advantage of the new meal. I guess the word "leftover" is not part of a bird's vocabulary.A bushy-tailed gray squirrel even joined the party. You don't see many of those creatures in our neighborhood. I also saw a sight for the first time – a hummingbird stopped and perched on a branch for a few seconds. I have never seen a hummingbird stop before. The common hummingbird's wings beat about 53 times a second, from what I found on the Internet.If bird-feeding can qualify as a hobby then it is a part-time hobby of mine. It is enjoyable to see them come and eat and fly away singing. There is a story about a poor family whose father put a jar on the kitchen table and marked it "for the poor." In that jar the family would place spare change and pennies and then give the contents to some other needy family.It is just such an affinity that we have with the local birds. In tough economic times no one has food to throw away. Instead, we give some of it to the birds.Tom Rupp lives in Folsom and can be reached at truppfolsom@yahoo.com.