The Life and Hard Times of Mr. C

One of the first things I noticed when I got here was the birds.  I think I even wrote about how they never stop singing, even through the night.  As I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in Studio B aka the patio, I have become as wrapped up in their ongoing dramas with as much interest as anyone with an addiction to "As the World Turns".

My primary involvement has been with Mr. Cardinal who, until three days ago, would fly into all the windows of my little apartment in turn beginning around 5:30 am each day.  He would bang into the windows over and over, his beak and wings making the most alarming taps and thumps.  My response has been to jump out of bed and wave my hands at him to scare him away…until he returns later.  All day, everyday, Mr. Cardinal and I would have our little neck breaking flirtation.  Finally, on Friday, Lesley, the director of the Foundation, put stickers that look like spider webs on the window panes.  Apparently birds won't fly through spider webs and these stickers fool them enough so that they won't keep thinking that the reflection of the trees in the glass are actually the best trees to sit in, if only they could just reach them.

After a frustrating week or so of Mr. Cardinal and his hopeless obsession with the reflection of the trees, I began to see that we were not so different, after all.  I mean, it was almost too obvious really - both of us insisting that we knew what we were doing, banging our heads into a solid wall, insisting that the reflection of the thing was better than the thing itself.  The main difference was that, after knocking against plate glass 20 or 30 times, Mr. Cardinal sits in a real tree and sings a lovely song.  I'm usually a little more grumpy than that.

But the fake spider webs have mostly discouraged him.  The first day, he flew around and stopped himself before banging into the windows.  Then, he sat in a tree and sang very loudly.  I think he was pissed.  This morning, he came around and banged into the windows that didn't get the stickers.  Dude, c'mon!  The metaphor has been realized!  Can we just enjoy life now?

While Mr. C and I develop and deepen our relationship, there are other bird dramas happening.  The day the Blue Jay spent trying to get at the Robin's nest in the maple tree.  The hawks and vultures who scan the fields on a regular basis.  The Red Winged Blackbirds who rule, well, just about everywhere.  It's all happening - life, death, tragedy, comedy.

That's right, you deer, run away!

I think I am grateful that the other animals mostly run away when they see me.  Frankly, I don't have time to get involved in their lives.  I have other work to do.