ACTIVE LIVING: Love of hummingbirds brings joy to everyday life

Legend holds that long ago a young woman named Alida came upon a magnificent hillside waterfall where she encountered a stranger picking fruit from the trees. Taroo was an Indian from an enemy tribe who had been left to fend for himself among the forest. They formed a close friendship during many secret meetings by the languid body of water.

Upon hearing of the forbidden romance, Alida's father arranged for her to marry a man of his choosing, putting an end to her friendship with Taroo. Grief stricken, Alida prayed that her god would intervene and keep her from marrying a man whom she did not love. Taking pity on the beleaguered bride, the god changed her into a vibrant red flower. Unaware of his beloved's fate, Taroo continued to wait by the moonlit pool.

Taking pity on the young man, the moon informed Taroo of Alida's transformation. In answer to his mournful plea for help in finding his lost love, the gods changed Taroo into a small, multicolored bird saying, "Fly, Colibri, find your love among the flowers."

When dawn broke, the Indians heard the hum of his rapidly beating wings as the new bird darted among the flowers, hovering over each one and kissing the petals. They liked the "bird with the music in his wings" and called it a hummingbird.

To this day, the little bird hovers over every flower he finds, returning most often to the red ones still searching for Alida. "Colibri" may never have found his lost love, but he has won the hearts of those enthralled by the mesmerizing whir of color they bring to our lives.

By luring them with the nectar of fresh flowers and sugar water, we engage in a courting dance, waiting for a glimpse of the magical, mystical creatures. At 90 years of age, LaVerna Perrey, devoutly tends to the flocks of hummingbirds that come calling at her garden.

"I imagine this summer she went through 60 or 70 pounds of sugar," her daughter Lois Thayer said. There can be as many as 20 hummingbirds at one time eating from her feeders."

Thayer admires her mother's devotion to the petite jewels and appreciates the joy that the interaction brings to all who encounter the rainbow colored symbols of life on earth.

"She is very dedicated to this, and it really gives her a sense of purpose," Thayer said. "It is truly a joy to behold."