Isn’t it strange how the most unexpected happens when we least expect it?  My TV remote recently demanded four new AA batteries. Finding only one AA in my battery drawer, I call my friend Peggy down the hall. Yes, she has batteries and will give them to me. This reminds me of my younger days when I’d walk across the street and ask Karnie for a cup of sugar.

I should have expected an invitation for tea, but I didn’t. Peggy is known for offering a cup of tea and I notice two cups and saucers  already on the kitchen counter. Peggy has a whole kitchen drawer dedicated to tea bags. Choosing your flavor of the moment is a real task.

As we sit in her living room in front of a set of windows we suddenly become conscious of movement behind us. I carefully set my tea cup on the table and turn to look. A shiver of surprise sweeps through me. I jump up and tell Peggy I will be right back. I walk down the hall, grab the camera and hurry back to this unexpected bonanza.

The golden rain trees and cedars near the windows are filled with a mixed flock of cedar waxwings and robins. Cedar waxwings always move in flocks, flitting swiftly  seeking berries or seeds high in the trees.

Think of waxwings as the most sophisticated guests who come to your party. I have never seen one with a feather out of place. Their yellow tipped tail is as precise as the black and white strips on their face. And if I am lucky I catch sight of that waxy red tip on a few of their wing feathers. Their brown cap, topped with a flattened short crest crowns their silky brown body and pale yellow belly.

Once more I never know when an unexpected break in the day for a cup of tea will result in the unforeseen highlight of the week.

Long ago my husband, Rodney gave me a green sweat shirt with white letters across the front saying, “Expect the Unexpected.”