I Have Bird Guilt

It's kinda like Mom Guilt.  You know, when you question every decision you make, wondering if it was the right thing to do?

I try to work really hard to make sure the outside of my house looks nice.  Every spring I plant new flowers in the front beds and spread tons of mulch.  I've replaced the dead builders shrubs (twice) to make sure the landscaping looks symmetrical.  And I replace hanging flower baskets on my front porch seasonally.

Last spring a couple of birds decided that my hanging flower baskets were a great place to nest.  TWO of my four baskets found themselves the home of a mama bird, a daddy bird, and a nest full of tiny eggs that eventually hatched into tiny birds.

It was kinda cute and exciting at first.  Every once in awhile I'd gently lower the baskets so that my kids could see the nest, then the itty bitty babies.  We all loved watching our babies grow up.

Unfortunately, in order to keep from drowning the babies, I could no longer water the flowers.  Hence, two out of four hanging baskets died.  And continued to hang there, a blemish smack dab in the middle of the face.  It was not the most attractive sight to see as you pulled into the driveway.  As soon as the babies flew the nest, I replaced the baskets.

A couple of weeks ago, I completed my spring planting.  New petunias, azaleas, snapdragons and geraniums went into the ground.  So many bags of mulch were spread.  And four beautiful new baskets were hung.  Then last night as we ate dinner, Gabe commented on the birds outside the window.

Not today, birds.

I immediately saw the birds he was looking at, perched on the side of my basket.  I ran out the front door, scaring them away.  I then proceeded to check out all of the baskets for anything they may have left behind.

Those damn birds built an entire nest in a day!

Thankfully, no eggs inside.  So in order to save my plant (don't judge me, they aren't cheap!), I pulled the nest out.

And as I did, they watched me.

The mama and the daddy perched right on the edge of my roof, watching me destroy their home.  And I'm pretty sure I felt their sadness. 

Seriously, my heart bleeds that much.  THE BIRDS made me feel guilty.  I come from a long line of bird lovers.  I keep several feeders in the backyard.  My kids and I love to watch them out the window as we eat breakfast every morning.  Young Gabe can now identify several species.  I even have a hummingbird tattooed on my body.  I love birds.  And I felt bad that those two house finches just wanted to start a little family and I crushed their dreams. 

I left the nest tucked away in the landscaping, so that in the midst of their grief, they could at least keep the materials and move onto a different location.

Mr. and Mrs. House Finch, I wish you and your family-to-be years of good health and prosperity.

Just not on my front porch.

Randoms

This morning, not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR sweet kindergarten girls told me as they passed me in the hall this morning that they really liked the dress I was wearing.  From now on, I shall wear it every day.  Okay, not every day, but still, what a way to start the day!

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Remember back when I wrote this post about birds?  Well, this morning, as I was driving to work, I had another quail sighting.  This time, there were probably fifteen or twenty of them!  And I spotted them in the same yard as the last time!  Are they pets, perhaps?  Does one keep yard quails like they do yard chickens?  Or are quail simply drawn to this particular lawn for some reason?  What does a quail eat?  Maybe it's found in abundance on this particular property?  Inquiring minds want to know. 

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I actually did an Internet search for a house cleaning checklist today.  I just feel like there are things that I am missing when I clean the house.  Lately I've been thinking about odd jobs that I need to do, like cleaning the vents that cover the air filters, scrubbing the grout in the kitchen, and removing excess lint from the surfaces in the laundry room.  What is wrong with me?  I am actually trying to find more things to clean.  (And J is cringing right now as he reads this...)

There is your dose of randomness for the day.  AND, I almost typed Happy Friday.  Joke's on me...it's only Thursday.  Boo.

Bird Odditites of the South

Before you all begin reading, I want to record to reflect that today, I am not posting about baby or fashion!  It's a bit of a miracle.  But yes, I am posting about birds.

Doesn't get much more random than that, folks.

This morning on my way into work, I saw a gaggle flock school fleet covey of quail.  In someone's front yard.  Not fenced in, not kept as pets.  Just birds, hangin' out.  (They run like chickens, by the way...with the whole head bob thing.  Now you know.)  I do believe that this is the first time I've ever seen quail!  It's certainly the first time I've seen them in a group, gallivanting around a random residence.

I just found this to be such a random occurrence.  I don't recall seeing things like this in Ohio!  (But then again, I always lived in Ohio Suburbia...here, my commute into work is a little more country, and a little less rock n' roll.)  I DO, however, recall several other weird bird sightings I've had since moving to the good ole' south.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The Wild Turkey

Now this guy I've seen on multiple occasions.  I've seen him in yards, I've seen him in fields, and I've even seen him on the side of the highway.  I'm always amazed at his size...he's a HUGE bird!  And I'm always amazed that there's a turkey, just standing there on the side of the road.  A TURKEY.  Maybe I'm easily amused.  So be it.

The White Peacock

This one has very little to do with the south, and much more to do with some family's oddness.  (Come to think of it, maybe the two go hand in hand?)  There is a blue house that I passed every morning on my way to my last job.  The owners of this home kept several white peacocks, I guess as pets?  (I find this hard to believe, as I happen to know from personal experience that peacocks are not very nice, and they will definitely bite.)  Some mornings as I drove past, there they would be, perched in a line along the rails of the front porch.  Once I saw them lined up on top of the roof.  Other times, they would just be milling about.  Beautiful birds?  Yes.  Warm and cuddly pets?  Certainly not.

And, my VERY favorite...

The Yard Chicken

Here in the south, many, many families have what I like to call yard chickens.  Northern folks, don't get confused.  Yard chickens are not found merely on farms.  They can be found in any residential yard that is not part of an HOA.  (Or maybe the HOAs here allow for yard chickens?)  I'm not exactly sure of the purpose of the yard chicken.  Maybe folks keep them for their eggs?  Maybe they butcher and eat them?  Maybe they are just kept as pets?  Whatever their reason for being, I just LOVE to see the yard chickens.  If ever we are in the car and drive past a yard where chickens are running amok, I must yell out "YARD CHICKENS!" as I press my face against the glass and point.  I'm certain that J is no longer amused.

I tried to talk my friend Kim into getting herself a couple, as she has a HUGE backyard and no other pets.  I wanted to name them Dolce and Gabbana.  Sadly, she refused.  I'd get a couple myself if I didn't think my dogs would eat them (or that J would kill me).

So there you have it.  My most memorable bird-related moments.

I warned you- it doesn't get much more random than this, folks.