Watch the birdie

What housing market? Photo Jennifer Weber 2010Yesterday while checking the mail, Boo nearly fell out into the street in front of our house.

As she opened the mailbox embedded in a brick column, something flew out of the paper box embedded beneath it.

We don't take the paper and even if we did, it's not flypaper.

Hey! Stop throwing virtual tomatoes! What exactly do you expect for free?

Last night after our walk, we investigated. 

A Carolina wren -- the South Carolina state bird, FYI -- has set up shop in our heretofore vacant paper box.

I went inside for my camera. The wren consented to be photographed while peering at me from deep within her nest of sticks, leaves, pine needles, and assorted paper shreds.

She may have muttered something about paparazzi but I cannot be sure.

As I headed back inside I had a lump in my throat for her courage. May I trust God for my needs as much as she is bound to do.

++++

In other avian news, there is a mockingbird in the neighborhood. Mockingbirds sing through gloom of night, sweetening the warm air with the re-created songs of other birds.

I go to bed well after midnight and most nights the mockingbird is offering its entire repertoire as I drift into sleep.

It can be clearly heard even though the windows are closed and the AC is running.

Sometimes the bleat of a diesel engine horn interrupts the birdsong, making me dream of faraway things as well as of things near.

The nest best thing. Photo Jennifer Weber 2010Another April is gone; another May has arrived. Soon enough the rasp of cicadas will pierce the hot sky and our days will be consumed with summer's unique celebrations.

I hope wherever I go from here -- wherever life takes me -- there will be mockingbirds in trees and trains on tracks … and brave little wrens nesting in unexpected places.

(I know that He whose mercies are new every morning will be there … for He is everywhere.)

And I hope there will be kindness and love and forbearance, without which our nests are cold and our nights devoid of song.

Comments

[Mari]

Jennifer - this is beautiful! A perfectly lovely Spring post!

[Skunkfeathers]

Y'know...years ago, I knew a couple who had a cockateil named Twiki...they tried to teach Twiki to talk (never happened); but they also taught him to whistle music (a bit more up Twiki's alley). At one point, my friend proudly pronounced that Twiki could whistle the theme song to the Andy Griffith Show. "Get ouddah here", was my skeptical reply; well, after some coaxing Twiki blurted out the initial whistling to the song...only to stray and slaughter it after about the first stanza or so ;-) Which, of course, cracked us up.

So...ya think that if you played that tune for the mocking bird, he'd/she'd pick it up?

[Jennifer]

Mari ... thank you!

SF ... I don't know but I'd like to meet the mockingbird who tries as hard as Twiki to please its audience!