What Possessed Me

Birdnapper

 

Robins have taken to nesting in a crabapple tree that shades The Little House That Could. For several years I've missed the big event - I climb the tree hoping to see babies only to find it empty. This year I saw a robin sitting atop her pretty little nest and I couldn't resist terrorizing her by going in for a shot (or three). She was monumentally pissed at me, so much so that at one point I thought she was going to dive-bomb my head, but she was within her rights so I wouldn't have blamed her one bit if I'd lost an eye in the pursuit of Making Art With My Camera.

It always amazes me how such ordinary birds produce such glorious eggs. Will you get a load of that color? That shizzle is robin's egg blue to the dizzle. Also, the eggs were bigger than I expected and I'm concerned about the state of the robin's punan and whether she will ever be able to use it again after pushing out FOUR of those puppies. 

(This is the kind of shit I think about when I'm on deadline, and pretty much explains why I probably won't get promoted.)

Anyway, what if I climb the tree this weekend and find BAYBEE ROBINZZZ? Shall I put one in my pocket and love it and kiss it and call it George? It may be difficult to resist temptation.

Girls, Girls, Girls

 

Spending a weekend with my delightful nieces, Pinwheel and Noodle, reminds me that I am quite happy to leave reproduction and child rearing to others so I can enjoy the fruits of their labor. The girls love the LIttle House That Could as much as I do, and together we celebrated a string of glorious late spring days. There was swimming, hair braiding, flower picking, tree climbing, and pie baking.  There were barefoot frolics and savage squabbles. But some of my happiest moments were reading aloud from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of my favorite childhood books. It brought me back to those dreamy days of boundless imagination and exploration.

 

The girls found a toad in the pool one morning and I was summoned (as the family toad-catcher) to rescue it.

"She's in the shallow end! Go get her!" they shrieked, hopping up and down with excitement.

The unheated pool looked pretty uninviting. 

"Uh...I'm sure she's fine. She's just taking a little swim." Nevermind the dead toads we fish out of the scupper every weekend.  

"Nooooo! Go get her, Auntie! She's getting tired and she can't get out!"

Christ. Realizing I had clearly lost the battle, I waded into the pool and watched as the toad made its way into the deep end, necessitating a cold water diving expedition. Emerging from the pool victorious, my triumph mitigated only slightly by a stream of urine trickling from the terrified toad, I let the girls hold our tiny captive and then release her into the garden. She came back several times to visit us. Toads are sociable creatures, just like little girls.

Discoveries

It must be up here somewhere.

Oh God, what if it's ruined? It's been fifty years...

And then, in the deepest, darkest recesses of the attic in the Little House That Could, a slightly mildewed, water-stained box emerged. 

WEDDING GOWN

FRAGILE

We held our collective breath and opened a box within a box within a box.

A tiara. A gauzy veil. A dress from Berdorf Goodman, circa 1960. Two crowns attached by a ribbon, worn to symbolize the joining of the two souls and the creation of a new household - a kingdom ruled with love.

 

All beautifully preserved for the next generation.

If I can ever stop eating jelly beans and Peppermint Patties, perhaps I can take it for another spin on April 24th...