A shocking day

Here are two sadly inter-related pictures. I imagine that you can imagine what the relationship is. I came home one evening recently, and had several shocks all at once. The first was finding Rachael’s boyfriend’s underpants (or whatever boy undies are called) lying on the floor of our spare room. The next and even more shocking shock was right next to the undies. I was leaning over to see what the undies were, when right there, almost in the same pile, was a poor little disemboweled bird. And most terrible of all, it was a wren! Wrens are one of my dearest birds, and I am always thrilled to see (an alive) one as they are a rather infrequently visitor to our garden. When I told Rebecca about it, she, being another speciesist (bird-wise at least), exclaimed, “A wren! That’s awful! It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been an English sparrow, or something like that!” This had been my very thought, and I was feeling guilty and thinking myself unreasonable. Hence, I was relieved when Rebecca had the same reaction. The fact that we both felt similarly proves that it was not unreasonable at all. I will spare you a picture of the bird, and give just this hint of its poor little self. Yet another shock was in store for me! I nearly sat on a gigantic horrible moth. (“Horrible Moth” is a trifle redundant, I fear.) Fortunately I saw him before I sat on him and got moth-dust all over myself. I went to fetch my camera so I could take a picture of him, but he was on to me, and flew away before I could find it.
PS. Rachael had a reasonable explanation for the undies. I won’t bore you with the particulars.

Another ornithological day

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young …. Only in this case, we are dealing with wrens – much cuter than a sparrow, and almost as cute as a swallow.

I was thrilled when a wren family moved back into the gourd on my back porch.  I can sit at my kitchen table, reflecting on what hard workers and good providers they are,  watching them bring dainty tidbits to their children, and thinking that my children now bring dainty tidbits to me!  And they (the wrens, not my children) have been remarkably tidy - tidy for birds, at any rate.  My experience tells me that birds are not known for their personal hygiene or for compulsively cleaning the areas around their homes.  Au contraire!  But this little couple has barely made bird messes at all.  

Imagine my shock when I got up one recent morning, looking at my nice little al fresco tea table on the porch, to find it covered with twigs and a few leaves.  How could this be, I pondered.  The porch is locked.  No one could come in here without breaking the lock on the gate.  The next morning, the answer was clear.  There are three gourds on my porch, all made by my sister-in-law, Angela.  To begin with, I had only the biggest one on the porch, but then when I redecorated my little outdoor breakfast area, I put up the other two, which had been inside.  I peeked into the doors of the smaller, newer ones, and what a shock!  More nests. Either my little wren family was building outhouses and gazebos, or their friends and relations were finding out what a good thing this pair had, and are creating a family compound.

Ancient wisdom tells us that “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” but I beg to differ with this.  A bird in the bush is a thing to be cherished and admired – God’s lovely little creature, sparkling and spritely.  A bird in hand is disgusting!  Have you ever had to hold one?  Ick!   

I have a nice birdhouse in my garden.  Do you think a bird would move into that?  Never!

A Spring Day

Happy First Day of Spring! It doesn’t seem that spring-like today, and Tobias says to tell you that he hates it.  Spring-like or not. He really is having a rough time.  First off, while he is a totally indoor kitty, he does like to sit on my enclosed back porch.  Happily for some, but not Tobias, the little wren family has returned to their gourd nest for another year.  Hence my poor kitten is not allowed to go onto the porch except at night when the birdies are asleep.  So he sits on my kitchen table and stares out at them, drooling a little at those tasty treats flitting by.  Last year, (I hate to confess this,) he actually managed somehow to eat one.  So no outsidies for Mr. Tobias.

 Not only is he teased by his little avian tormentors, but he had another spring related unpleasant episode.  I am, as you know, an arch procrastinator, but when I finally decided to take the Christmas pillow and throw off my couch to honor spring’s awakening, it wasn’t just due to my usual laziness.  I like the Christmas one so much better than the others, and the “Merry Christmas” pillow was, in her dotage, one of my mother’s favorite things.  Generally, her house was exquisitely decorated, and I was surprised when she got this somewhat kitschy bit of holiday decor. But she loved it. So as I sit reading or knitting in my chair, across from the couch, I see it and the also kitschy “cardinal in the snow” blanket, and am happy. Well, it’s almost Easter, so they had better go.  The couch, as you can see is fairly venerable. Theoretically, it opens up into a bed, but the last time I opened it, it was a major struggle to get it closed again, so and I’m nervous every time I have to open it even part way – as I do to change the blanket.  On my most recent cleaning day, I finally put away the Christmas one and brought out the “rest-of-the-year” one.

 An hour at least later, I heard a pathetic “Mew” from somewhere.  Occasionally when I open a cupboard or closet darling Tobias slips in unnoticed.  I called him and he didn’t answer.  I looked in the linen and coat closets.  I looked in the cupboards.  I called some more.  Finally, I went upstairs and to sew for a while.  Then I stomped down the stairs so that he would hear me from his secret lair and Meow again, which he did.  But where was he?  Nowhere that I could find. Finally, when he meowed more poignantly and loudly,  I realized that it was coming from within the couch.  What a silly!  I was so glad he wasn’t suffocated.  As he stalked out, he glared at me as though it was all my fault.  But he quickly forgave and settled down on my lap for a snooze.  He is there now, in fact. 

Another beautiful day!

Several years ago, my sister-in-law painted some gourds as gifts for my aunties and me. I had one of them, which seemed to be a potential birdhouse, hanging on my back porch – waiting for an occupant who never came. Until this year, that is. Yesterday, I noticed the gourd swinging a bit, even though there was no breeze, and then I noticed some twigs protruding from its little entryway. Then I noticed swift flit of grey. “Maybe it is a bird,” I thought, “but probably an English sparrow.” I have to admit that I am a speciesist when it comes to birds, and English sparrows, while kind of cute, are low on my list. Common little creatures that they are! Then I noticed that the grey streak had a long beak and a perky tail! A wren! Very high on my list! Maybe even at the top of it. I was thrilled. Now I have to pray that the feline viper Maria doesn’t scare it away. Or worse yet, (quelle horreur) eat it! She has been sitting on the kitchen table staring out the window at it for hours at a time.