July 4, 2001 ~ Bird's nest
Larry is home today because of the holiday (Happy Fourth of July, everyone!). This morning we were discussing how one of the cats has taken up residence on the tractor, usually sleeping on the seat or under the mower blades (I know, we ARE careful), and he casually mentioned that there was a bird's nest on the tractor, next to the hydraulic pump. Right.
"Can we go a month without using the tractor?" I asked.
"It's already too late. The nest has been there too long, and the eggs don't look good."
Of course I had to go out and take a look; I mean, how often does one see a bird's nest on a tractor? Not having any idea where a hydraulic pump would be or what it would look like, I just looked around till I saw the nest. So cute, with two tiny bluebird eggs, but they were discolored and clearly not going to make it. Larry said they got cooked! Not a pleasant thought, that.
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The cats keep bringing us gifts. Three times this week I've swept a baby snake off the back porch. Finally, I moved it far, far away... maybe it won't be back. I've tried telling the cats "No, thank you!" but it seems to hurt their feelings. After all, their people are such failures as hunters, right? So they keep bringing us things, dead birds and moles and little snakes, and I keep sweeping them away. When the cats aren't looking, of course.
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I remarked to a friend that one of our cats seemed to be missing, though it was still unofficial. They aren't REALLY missing until they've been gone for a couple of weeks. The friend assured me that the cat would return, and sure enough, she did. There she was, yesterday morning, ready for breakfast, just like she'd never been gone. And it occurred to me that sometimes when I think the cats are missing, they are probably right here all along, and I just don't see them. Maybe they're tending to other business when I expect to see them, or they're chasing butterflies or contemplating the meaning of life... or MAYBE they're off in the woods, looking for ME. Maybe they all get together out there and discuss the mysterious disappearance of their humans, and wonder what might have happened to us. Some mornings I feed them earlier or later than usual, so who can blame them for not being there? Maybe they think I've fallen of the face of the earth.
Just a thought.
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