Kids and birds

I’m tippy toeing around the house taking care of regular chores while three lads saw logs upstairs. The inescapable fact is—I really, really enjoy having kids in the house. They are so cool. Even when they’re sleeping. They bring something into the house that simply fills it up with exuberance and good cheer.

But they surely don’t observe normal hours. I don’t know what time they finally packed it in last night, but I’m pretty sure it was in the wee hours. I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as they get their 8 or 9 hours of sleep. I don’t mind the quietude this afternoon, either.

A couple of days ago, I picked up an air mattress for the friend who’s staying for the rest of the week. Living in a tiny house, we’re somewhat challenged for beds and space. I don’t have a ‘guest room’ so we make do. About the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while was three lads lined up on the edge of the lad’s bed last night, taking turns blowing up the air mattress. They were appreciative that I only bought the twin size.

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This morning I cleaned the kitty litter box and spilled a few crumbs on the deck as I dragged the bag out to the trash. A short time later, I noticed Abbie having spasms by the back door. I peered out and saw two mourning doves sitting around the kitty litter crumbs, pecking at them. Mourning doves aren’t the brainiest birds in the kingdom, but they are so sweet and gentle. I love it when they show up, which they haven’t done most of the winter. I feel a little more protective toward them than the other birds. They are slow moving and, therefore, the first birds that the red-tail hawks swoop in to nab. On more than one occasion, I’ve gone out to find a pile of mourning dove feathers left over. And I’ve watched a red-tail hawk make off with a mourning dove or two, as well. I try to place seeds for them in more protected spaces.

We’ve had a dearth of birds this winter. I don’t know why. But now that spring seems to be in the air, I’ve noticed a lot of birds showing up in the last week. This afternoon, the deck has played host to the mourning doves, a few chickadees, woodpeckers, and a couple of warblers that I haven’t been able to identify yet. The latter are probably migrating and stopped by for a bite to eat along the way.

The air is filled with bird song today and that made me aware of just how unusual that sounds. Where were the birds this winter?