And then there was one...

Watching the bird's nest on my front door has been a real journey for me. I've discovered that even though I'm not the mother, I still can't distance myself from the needs of the babies. I've also discovered that most people have no idea what living in cramped quarters is really like. How often have you worried you would be pushed out your front door because you couldn't squeeze into your home? There are 5 birds in this picture. Can you count them?

The first time I checked the nest I saw one egg and one tiny hatchling. I thought that's all there would be until one day as I viewed the nest from the safe distance of the sidewalk I saw the rounded tops of 3 little heads. 3 babies!! A week later a neighbor wanted to see, so very carefully I put the step ladder by the door and checked them, only to see 4 little bodies crammed into a nest that a few weeks ago seemed quite roomy. When my neighbor looked she counted again. 5! I looked again. Sure enough, there were 4 little bodies on top, but there was an extra little eye peering up at me from the bottom of the nest, under the other 4 birds.

Mama and Papa were patient with me. I could hear them whenever I was anywhere near. Their cheerful warble in the morning would change to a warning "cheep, cheep, cheep" either telling me to leave them alone, or to tell them to keep their heads down and stay still. Baby birds are very obedient. One minute I'd see three little heads but after I heard the "Cheep, cheep, cheep" those little heads would disappear.
As the weeks went on I realized the wreath was shifting and the nest was tilting. The weather was bad, with cold nights and high winds and I worried that the wreath would fall. Placing a tea towel over the nest to keep the birds calm, I shifted the wreath and tried to stablize it. But after one very windy night the nest had moved preciptiously and I could see one bird flapping it's wings trying to stay in. As I went closer, I found 2 birds huddled together on my front stoop under the wreath, and 3 more still tucked inside the nest. The one on top was the one trying to stay in. Larry gave me his hanky which I placed over the 2 birds on the stoop, knowing if they can't see they won't struggle. Once again, I readjusted the wreath taking care this time to tuck the end of the wreath hanger into the woven part of the wreath. Then it was time to move the 2 birds back into the nest. The first bird went in willingly, but the second one flapped its wings the second I removed the hanky...and off he flew... sort of! He made a beautiful glide down into the grass and then, flapping his wings, made another short hop further away. This was encouragement enough for the other bird who decided it was time to make his get-away. His flight was clumsier with much flapping but little gliding. As soon as he hit the grass he burrowed in to hide.

At this point most people would be happy. The nest was secure. 2 birds had grown up and left the nest, but the silence around me, and the hawks in the area, bothered me. Where was the familiar warning call? Cheep, cheep, cheep? I didn't hear the parents. How would they find their young? Would a hawk see them first? Once again, with the hanky I quietly approached the youngest bird in the grass. He didn't move as I picked him up and carefully tucked him under a bush near the nest. Then I went after the bird that flew pretty well. Suddenly I heard the "Cheep, cheep cheep" that told me the parents were near. As I reached for the baby bird, he flapped his wings and flew a short distance away. "Good!" I thought." Now they know where you are. I'll let them take over."

Today, as I watch the nest we seem to be down to 1 little bird left. He doesn't hide from me but watches as I walk around the front yard trying to get a good look. It won't be long before he tries his wings. Once again there will be an empty nest.

When my kids flew the coop, I cleaned closets. This time I'll be cleaning a front door and stoop. Kids and birds have one thing in common. They are fun to have around but they both leave a lot of crap.

My Lawn Mower needs a GPS

One of the things I really like about going to Iowa to visit my daughter is seeing a part of the country I know little about. Farming is big there. Excuse me. Farming is BIG there. Jan married into one of America's farming families. 2 brothers and 3 sons farm 8,000 acres. When we first met her husband-to-be, we were a little ignorant as most people are when they come across something new. We didn't mean to be. We were really interested in hearing all about everything, but silly things made us laugh and I'm sure we came across as strange at least. For instance, my daughter lives on a gravel road 3 miles from the main road. When Mike first told us about the house he said it was 3 miles from the pavement. I'm sorry to say, a few of us convulsed in giggles. Pavement? I guess we thought of pavement as sidewalk or driveway, or something else. I think we envisioned a 2 rut road through the fields to a hardtop country road, followed by a long drive to town. For some reason we found this funny and it sounded like they were really out in the middle of nowhere.

Not so! The gravel road they live on fits 2 vehicles easily, or one really big tractor, combine, spreader--you know--farm stuff! Cars and trucks go by at 40-50 miles an hour leaving a trail of dust in their wake. During the planting or harvest season the Planters and Combines rule the road. When you drive down those roads, you learn to look for 'driveways', which is any place you can pull off safely without going into the ditch. Ditches in Iowa are pretty impressive. When they say to get into a ditch if you see a tornado coming, trust me. You are down pretty far. I've seen a few ditches that would easily hide a car in them. In order to cross the ditch to get into a field a driveway has been created for the tractors. In summer they are hard to see because the grass in the ditch is high but after my first trip out there I learned to look for them and try to arrive in daylight so I don't have to share the road in the dark with a piece of machinery that could drive over me and never know I was there.

My daughter's father-in-law has a new tractor that is equipped with a GPS. A GPS is one amazing piece of technology. It can find lost children, locate stolen cars and tell me how to get from my door to my daughter's faster than I can find a map of Iowa in a road atlas....and yes, I tell it, I will take toll roads. It knows the speed limits I will encounter, and can tell me to the minute how long a drive it is.

So what is one doing on a tractor??? Funny you should ask. It will take the tractor across the field in a perfectly straight row. Mike doesn't even have to use the steering wheel. Jan's father-in-law prefers to drive the tractor himself. He grew up old school and takes pride in how straight his rows are. He says he can do a row straighter than the GPS can, because when the tractor turns, it wobbles a bit as it self corrects and finds it's new position. This picture of a field was planted without the use of the GPS. Those are straight rows. Amazing!

This year, Larry bought me a new lawnmower. It's not a riding mower but it is self-propelled. I'm spoiled already. My favorite feature though is the bagger. Our last mower didn't have one, and on windy days I was so covered in grass birds tried to nest in me. The other day I was out walking and noticed a newly mowed lawn. It was beautiful! I could see the rows the mower had made as it was cut. They were straight and neat and I was impressed.

Today I mowed my grass. Our backyard is rough, but so much easier to mow with the self-propelled feature. It pulls me along and we bounce over hills and through ruts. As I look back I see a zigzag path behind me. Each row wibble-wobbles along. The wheel tracks overlap in places and cross each other in places. If an observant police officer drove by and looked he might have probable cause to give me a breathalyer and make sure I wasn't under the influence of one of my favorite end-of-the-day beverages. I have a long way to go before I can mow in nice, straight rows. I wonder if the next model of lawnmower will come with a GPS. I think I need one.

Amazing Birds

The wreath on our front door is home to a new family of House Finches. I was very worried on Monday when Larry discovered a broken egg on the rug inside the front door! That was when I discovered the first egg had hatched. It was also when we stopped using the front door. While mama was away, I carefully opened the door and checked the nest. A tiny bundle of gray fluff with a yellow beak lay inside next to a second egg.

Tuesday night the temperature outside dipped into the low 30's. I worried about this little bird. Would he be alright? How could he keep warm enough? Mama and Papa huddled together and did their job well. On Thursday I had to mow the grass, so Mama took off again. While she was away I checked the nest again. This time I saw 2 yellow beaks among the fluff.

Mama doesn't like it when people walk by the front of the house. But the nest is secure and safe from the elements. I'm still amazed that such tiny creatures can survive cold nights, but spring weather can be tricky and as always, Mother Nature usually takes care of her own.

Yesterday, Larry found two web sites that have live camera feeds from inside bird nests. One is a bluebird nest that currently has 5 eggs in it. The other is inside an eagle's nest with one baby and one unhatched egg. These sites are amazing. Today I watched as the eagle brought back a fish, ate it and then fed her chick. Try these links for a first hand look at some amazing birds.

www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objid=643557&mode=2 Blue bird nest--I tried to access this link directly, but it doesn't want to go through from the blog site. The best I could do was to write the link down and type it into the URL box. Once saved in my Favorites I can go directly to it.

www.hornbyeagles.com/webcam This site is awesome. I could watch it for hours!

Yard Sale

Today was our neighborhood yard sale. We have a nice sized neighborhood and great neighbors, but only a few participate. I, myself, am not a yard sale person. I don't like going to them and I really don't enjoy preparing for one. Also, I really like things that I own so I tend to keep them forever. By the time I'm ready to get rid of something, it is old, dated, and no one else wants it! However, I am too cheap to throw out my junk, so I usually groan and give in. I set my stuff out, but we don't often sell much.

At some point we will move from this house into a smaller one and when we do I truly hope we have gotten rid of a lot of extraneous stuff. From time to time I go on a clearing out binge and target an area. When I heard our neigborhood sale was this weekend it was pretty easy to gather some of the more interesting stuff and put it out there.

As we set things out early this morning, Maggie positioned herself behind a table. As much as I think I have the ideal dog, I know strangers may not realize what a gem she is, so we tried to get her to go inside. "Maggie, come!" Larry said. Maggie stayed. "Maggie... COME!" he repeated. Maggie stayed. She wouldn't even look at us. With her head on her paws, her straight ahead stare clearly said "As little excitement as I get around here, I am NOT going inside on the first really nice day that promises interesting people. No thanks! I'll stay right here."

Unfortunately for Maggie, we prevailed. She went inside while we finished setting things up. Every time we opened the door to bring something else out, she was standing in the exact spot where we left her. Fortunately for Maggie, we are suckers for the guilt trip.

Maggie came out for the yard sale and was a perfectly behaved dog. She got head rubs, back scratches, ears stroked, and didn't go after small children. We didn't sell much. I still have a lot of my stuff, but Maggie said the day was worth it. And I guess that's all that really matters!

Independence Road

I'm back from Iowa and it is time to do some blogging! Jan and Mike have satellite, and I found photos didn't upload very well. Of course I was busy watching a little boy run (and run, and run, and run...) so blogging was put on the back burner. Now that I'm caught up at home it's time to post!

My trip to Iowa was wonderful of course. It can't be otherwise when you are seeing your grandkids. I am very fortunate in that my children both want me to stay for long visits. The first year I wasn't sure how it would work. After living in Florida and getting company that stayed for several days I was well acquainted with the comparison between fish and relatives...! I always enjoyed our company, but during the first year we lived in Florida the quantity of it became overwhelming.

Much to my delight, I have discovered that my girls and I get along very well when I visit. I also think their husbands are the best ever. After I go I think they must be relieved that they finally have their house back, but they have never indicated that this ever crosses their minds. Getting along with family is such a treasure. I am so lucky for it! I had parents that taught our family well, because family conflict has always taken a back burner to family cohesiveness.

One thing that does set our family apart from many others is the ease with which we travel and separate from one another. This may not be a very good thing, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. People are often amazed that I drive alone from PA to Iowa or Florida. 30 years ago I would have been amazed as well. In thinking about it, I realize how living in Florida really shaped my sense of independence. Larry was a salesman and he traveled a good bit. I was accustomed to doing things with the girls.

The biggest problem with Florida was that it was so far away from PA. Worse yet--it was very far away from Connecticut, our family vacation spot. Larry's job was often hitting it's peak in August, right when I wanted to go to Connecticut. We missed a year or two until, one spring, I found myself very restless. I would wake up in the middle of the night and wander around the house. One afternoon I suddenly 'saw the cabins' in my mind. I was homesick. I had the southern version of cabin fever. Maybe I wasn't cooped up in the house all winter, but I had to get out of the state. I told Larry that evening, "If you come home some day and the kids, the dog and I are gone, wait 3 days and call Connecticut." And so it began. He couldn't take the time to drive, and we couldn't afford to fly everyone. That summer I packed the kids, and dog into the car, outfitted with a CB radio (and don't tell anyone, but a gun under the seat--I was scared doing this alone) and we took off. I visited family on the way, and once we got to Connecticut I drove to the airport and picked up Larry. Our family vacation pattern had begun. You'll be happy to know that after that first trip, I never took the gun.

The girls were both great travelers. We had a few interesting adventures, but mostly the trips were very uneventful. Even so they left an indelible impact on us. When our oldest daughter, Jen, was in college and needed to get away, the 90 minute drive home was too short. She didn't feel like she'd gotten away unless she was out of state, so she would go visit her cousin in Atlanta. At least that's how she explained it to us! As for me, I don't think twice about the distance anymore. Larry travels and is gone a good bit. It just seems natural for me to go when I need to.

That's how I became a long distance traveler and I am so glad I did. I may not live near my grandchildren but for a week a few times a year, I get to hang out with them anyway.

Pick Up Sticks

The blizzards and ice storms in Iowa were brutal this year. Janice gave us updates that went from scary to hard-to-imagine. From Mike finding his way home at 5am in a blizzard, or the January ice storm, to the 10 foot drifts down the road the recounts reminded me of stories I've read about growing up in a mid-western winter. There were pictures of Warren looking at the sliding glass door obliterated by snow in the first blizzard and snuggled in bed with daddy when there was no reason to get up for work. The snow storms were bad, but the ice storm was worse.


I'm in Iowa now and I have a new appreciation for the devastation the ice storm caused. The yard is still littered with branches. Janice compares it to the Florida hurricanes of '04 which is a good comparison. Everywhere you look the trees have lost their tops. Trunks have been split. The trees show the scars of dismemberment where large branches have broken off. The graceful rounded tops of the trees have been altered to a blunt cut across the top. The towns have been busy with cleanup, but those who live in the country must deal with the mess on their own. Now that the snows have melted the work can be done, but it is also time for the farmers to get busy in the fields.


Mike has obviously been busy here. There are several 'burn sites' where he has burned the debris in the front yard. But the back yard and the wooded area still show the effects. Warren looks forward to the work and any reason to get outside. "Pick - Up - Sticks?" he asks in his little 2 year-old voice. And we do. A game I remember playing as a child,with long toothpick sized colored sticks, is a big grown up chore here. But in this game the reward comes if you put a stick ON the pile. Some day when this little boy is older, maybe I'll teach him the other version.

And the winner is....

It seems official. I've been watching my feeder for the last few days and I haven't seen my Bluebirds. Today is my official "Feederwatch" day, and I hoped to get up early enough to catch them, but I haven't seen one all morning. The sparrows are definitely in control of the bird house and peace seems to be reigning in the yard.

The species of birds visiting the feeder have changed a lot as well. I have seen several Cowbirds, Goldfinches, Grackles, and Red-Winged Blackbirds. The Mourning Doves still visit, but in reduced numbers. With Spring comes fresh food for most of the birds and the number of visitors shows it. The Juncos, Chickadees and Woodpeckers are seen much less frequently. I haven't seen the first Cardinal this morning.

It is fun to see the nests pop up. Today, I had an "AHA!" moment as I looked at the pieces of grass on the stoop in front of the front door. I had noticed them before. It looked as though someone had recently mowed, but that wasn't the case. Then, I checked behind the wreath on the door, and there was the cause! The House Finches have built a nest in my wreath, just like they did last year!

It always surprises me that a door that is opened at least a few times each day seems like a suitable place to raise their young! As I faced the nest I couldn't see the birds at all so it makes a very nice hiding place for them.

When I open the door they fly off and watch me from the nearby Pear tree. Once the eggs hatch, we'll be careful not to use that door if possible.

Feederwatch officially ends next week, but I'll be watching all summer long. I learned so much from watching them. I can now identify some by flight, some by shape, and I'm beginning to pick out their songs. And sing they do! Their songs start early. With the windows open at night I may find my mornings start earlier too!