After volunteering in a wildlife rescue in Tahoe for years, I learned a lot about raising chicks. June is chick season, but I was never involved in the glorious release of all these little birds into
You went through all the stages of parenting at light speed with that little bird: feeding, comforting, protecting, encouraging, letting go... Your last line could not have been more perfect, Sue. Take care of our own homes and back yards. Help our communities, our neighbors, our families. Iran and Gaza and our beleaguered nation will have to fend for themselves...
i'm speechless! so much to love here. the voice, the flow, the one-liners —"funny thing about living on a rotating planet" was a favorite! excited to read more of your work!
Thank you, Kaitlyn. Feel free to dive into my archive whenever there's a spare moment. And who has that these days, right? Glad you enjoyed this little story.
Sue, this is a delight from start to finish! Reading it has made me glow all over. I know what you're saying about the empty nest - it must have been such a wrench at the end there! Gosh.
We feed our birds dried mealworms, which we put out by the back door to supplement the sunflower hearts and peanut kernels in the feeders. A few weeks ago I found myself in town unexpectedly, and while I waited for my lift to arrive I popped into the pet shop to use some time. WELL! I discovered the 'live feed' aisle... which I heard long before I saw it. Lots of crickets and bugs and all sorts of things chirrupping and foosttepping their way around little plastic punnets with air holes in them. I came home with a tub of live 'giant mealworms' and I've been best friends with our blackbirds ever after! On subsequent visits I've only been able to get what I guess are 'standard' mealworms - anyway, the birds love them, and it's gorgeous to see them feeding their young with them.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. It's one of my favorites from long ago that I just HAD to share this time of year. And you're right, feeding the backyard neighbors makes for a joyous garden.
You went through all the stages of parenting at light speed with that little bird: feeding, comforting, protecting, encouraging, letting go... Your last line could not have been more perfect, Sue. Take care of our own homes and back yards. Help our communities, our neighbors, our families. Iran and Gaza and our beleaguered nation will have to fend for themselves...
Bingo! Thank you, Sharron, for always being there with me. You grok!
Um. yes. And even more clearly when at the bottom of a swimming pool...
A sweet story, and I liked the real "empty nest" feeling at the end!
Thank you, Linda
i'm speechless! so much to love here. the voice, the flow, the one-liners —"funny thing about living on a rotating planet" was a favorite! excited to read more of your work!
Thank you, Kaitlyn. Feel free to dive into my archive whenever there's a spare moment. And who has that these days, right? Glad you enjoyed this little story.
Sue, this is a delight from start to finish! Reading it has made me glow all over. I know what you're saying about the empty nest - it must have been such a wrench at the end there! Gosh.
We feed our birds dried mealworms, which we put out by the back door to supplement the sunflower hearts and peanut kernels in the feeders. A few weeks ago I found myself in town unexpectedly, and while I waited for my lift to arrive I popped into the pet shop to use some time. WELL! I discovered the 'live feed' aisle... which I heard long before I saw it. Lots of crickets and bugs and all sorts of things chirrupping and foosttepping their way around little plastic punnets with air holes in them. I came home with a tub of live 'giant mealworms' and I've been best friends with our blackbirds ever after! On subsequent visits I've only been able to get what I guess are 'standard' mealworms - anyway, the birds love them, and it's gorgeous to see them feeding their young with them.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. It's one of my favorites from long ago that I just HAD to share this time of year. And you're right, feeding the backyard neighbors makes for a joyous garden.