Gardening For The Soul

For the past week we have been observing nature up close and personal from our dining room window.  A pair of robins chose our rhododendron bush to build their new home and Sarah discovered this treasure a week ago last Monday, complete with four eggs.  For those of you not familiar with these things, robin’s eggs are the most beautiful blue color and either Mum or Dad are sitting on the nest about 80% of the time, peering up at us suspiciously as we take yet another peek to see what’s going on.   One thing I never really thought about is that birds actually sleep as at night Mum nods off on the nest, getting a good night’s rest before she has four new babes to feed and water.  I am full of anticipation, waiting for the day when the shells open and the little birdies crack their way out of their blue safe haven.  I plead with Mrs. Robin to make sure that our offspring plan their arrival for a weekend as I’d hate to miss the grand event.

A few years ago we had a robin’s nest in the other rhododendron bush.  We couldn’t see what was happening, but the squawking coming from between the leaves and twigs gave the game away.  One evening, there was a dreadful bird hullabaloo outside and I found the neighbor’s cat lurking, licking her lips with anticipation with one of the baby robins out of the nest, running around on the ground.  The parents were in a panic, dive bombing Oreo (fluffy black and white cat), so I put on gloves, gathered up the bird, kept it in the bathroom overnight where it pooped over absolutely everything and after spending a good 30 mins the next morning setting up the step ladder, stuffed the bird, plus a sibling I also found, back into the nest.  I subsequently discovered that this is how robins work – they jump from their nest when they are 13 days old and it takes them about two weeks to learn the ropes before they can venture off on their own.  After that time, I never saw the parents or the babies again so either Oreo ate them or they were so traumatized by being unceremoniously returned to the very nest they were trying to leave, that the did not live to tell the tale. 

This time, I am wiser!  It’s a cat eat bird world out there, so today when I saw Oreo in my garden, I hid in the sunroom and as he crept closer, I leapt out and yelled ‘Boo’, scaring the bejesus out of him.  Childish I know but hopefully he’ll think twice before he tip toes through my tulips again.  As an expectant mother, I have to do everything I can to keep my babies safe.

I’ll keep you posted as to when they arrive!