A Family of Wrens

A few weeks ago, I noticed a little wren hopping around one of my hanging flower pots on my back porch. That evening, I went outside to water my flowers, as I do every evening, and just as I raised the watering can up to the pot, the little wren frantically flew out, barely missing my face. I peered inside the plant and sure enough…there lay a perfectly constructed nest, nestled in between the plants’ branches.

A few days later, three little eggs were deep inside the nest. By this time, however, I learned to let the wren know I was approaching her home in order to avoid dodging her frantic exit. 

Though watering my plant proved a bit cumbersome in terms of not disturbing the nest, I have enjoyed watching this little wren over the past few weeks. She and her partner were dutiful parents, feeding their babies constantly and chirping frantically when anyone was on the back porch…which happened quite a lot, I might add.

A couple of evenings ago, Tami was hanging out on the porch while I watered my plants. I did my usual routine as I approached the plant with the little family of birds. However, the mama bird no longer resided with her babies. She stopped by regularly to feed them, and definitely kept a close eye…but she was rarely in the plant as her babies fully inhabited the nest by themselves. But this time as I approached and started to water the flowers, a bird frantically flew out, barely missing my face.

“It’s one of the babies!” Tami exclaimed. 

And sure enough. The baby flew out, landed on the porch, hopped underneath the grill, and began to wildly chirp in its distress.

Both of my cats were hanging out on the porch as well, as they typically do, and, their interest perked, they both made a mad dash towards the grill, their eyes wide with delight:

Dinner.

Tami and I flew into action — scooping up the cats, throwing them in the house, and launched a mission to save the baby and get it back in its nest where it belonged.

But that baby bird? She just wasn’t having it.

She hopped and flew and chirped her way around the yard. Her little wings weren’t quite ready to launch so she couldn’t go far, and it was clear that she was tiring of this game as we were in hot pursuit. I finally got a lightweight kitchen towel and Tami threw it on her, quickly grabbed her and wrapped her up so there was no escape.

We gently placed her back in the nest, swaddling the plant with the towel so that she couldn’t escape, and waited.

Once it was quiet, I removed the towel and peered inside. There she was — huddled deep inside the nest with her siblings, comfy and cozy and safe.

Ah - success.

The next day, the parents were going crazy with all of their hopping around the plant and frantic chirping. It was clear that they were doing their best to entice their babies out of the nest. And so, once again, we locked the cats inside and waited.

By noon, the nest was deserted. I spied some wrens in the large tree in our yard, chirping away and flying from branch to branch. But by that evening? Perfectly quiet. No wrens in sight.

I will miss the little family the dwelled within my flowers. But I must say, my face feels much safer now.

And I’m grateful for that.

My Every Day

Lately, my days are lazy and long. By the time I get home from work, the evening stretches before me like a gift. Darian is home from camp and I have her for a whole two weeks before she flies off for another adventure with the boy. 

Once home, I make supper for the kids and then join them at the table while they eat, laughing and chatting away about nothing and everything. About the time the dishes are done, Tami bops in from checking out her house. 

“Doesn’t anyone want to see the paint? The walls are done,” she’ll say. Or, “Hey, our cabinets are in! I want to know what you think…” …or a litany of other things.

Her house is in the final stages now and it won’t be long before they are truly our next door neighbors.

I can’t wait.

Most evenings, Tami and I walk over together to inspect the progress on the house and talk about various aspects. It’s beautiful. It will be a fun place to visit.

Every day.

Afterwards, we change clothes and head out on our walk down Pecan Street. Most evenings, Craig is out working on his cars and he will holler something obnoxious at us. Tami is quick to holler back and I just grin and wave. Tami has been friends with Craig and Missy since time began, I think, so she knows them well. Once in awhile, Carlos will be out working on his house and we will wave as we walk by. “Hey, Carlos!” He waves back enthusiastically and I always feel a bit badly for him because I know he doesn’t remember our names. It’s all good. The only reason I remember his is because I purposefully wrote it down after I met him so that it would be engrained in my head.

Carlos and his wife Joleen (like the song) recently moved here from Illinois and they are busily remodeling their home.  We met them recently when they rode their bikes down to check out the new house being built at the end of the street. They are cute neighbors.

We walk down to where the street deadends, do a loop around the block, and then head back down the street towards home. 

Repeat.

Piper joins us for the first loop, but when we head off for the second, he pulls toward home. He’s had enough of that Texas heat, thank you very much, he says.

When the sun is just beginning to sink over the horizon and dusk has settled in for the evening, Tami and I head out to my back porch to water my plants. She hangs in one of the rocking chairs with her tall glass of ice water and talks to Piper, occasionally throwing his ball, while I fill up my watering can and soak my flowers for a bit. A little bird has built a nest in one of hanging pots and has five little babies that have hatched in there. I always rattle the pot a bit before I water it as otherwise she flies out frantically when she spies my presence and has almost hit my face a few times.

That’s fun.

After a bit, Tami and I head back in and settle down for a game or two…or three…of Rumikub. It’s my favorite game and if you haven’t played, you should. If anyone is around that enjoys games, they’ll join us. We laugh and accuse each other of cheating and play until we’ve had enough or until it’s after 10:00 — whichever comes first. And then Tami grabs her keys and heads out the door for the night.

And I head to bed.

I don’t seem to accomplish much during these lazy days. Sometimes I work on my photo albums as I literally have 15 years of photos that need to be organized.

Yeah.

15 years.

Since Jace was born.

And sometimes I may watching an episode of something, or read a couple of chapters in my latest book.

I’ve been known to throw in a load of laundry or two…or do a few other housekeeping chores.

But mainly I am just relishing my days, and giving thanks for the bounty of goodness that has become my every day.