Stories

 

A couple of years ago, I hung a bird feeder over the deck and attracted the neighborhood sparrows. I loved wathching them in the morning. One bird would come check things out, fly away, and a flock would return to feed. They threw bird seed all over the deck and into the planter under the feeder. Then the pidgeons took over. The sparrows fought valiantly and lost. The pidgeons took over the deck, flew into my apartment to be chased out and finally brought baggage and tried to move in. One walked through the open door and tried to face down the cat. I took down the feeder, and I still miss the birds. But last spring all sorts of foreign, anonymous stuff sprang up in my planter, some of it lovely in wildfower way. I got some spontaneous sunflowers, too. The plants died and dried up and left some lovely seed pods. I took pictures. I brought some in and put them in vases along with things left over from the occasional husband bouquet. They are mostly gone now, and I have lettuce and succulents.