BIRD SPA

Now that we were spending our pandemic summer at home, I wanted to think of more ways to entertain myself in the back yard. This led me to pick up my phone and order a bird bath.

The day it arrived I couldn’t wait to install it.

While I sat in my rocking chair on the back porch I called out to my husband Steven who was holding the bird bath by the edge of our woods.

“A little more to the left!” I called.

Steven moved it over. “How’s that?”

“Maybe just a smidge more.”

I rocked back and forth in my chair making sure it was always in my view. “That’s perfect!”

Steven staked the base into the ground so it wouldn’t tip over in a wind storm.

I grabbed the watering can and went inside to fill it with water. Coming back out I poured the water in and swished my hand around. “Perfect temperature.”

I stepped back to admire it. “They’re going to love this!”

We could hear the distant rumbling of a storm coming. I looked up at the dark clouds pushing their way in and moments later the rain began to fall. We hurried inside to wait out the storm.

A few hours later the rain stopped and the sun was out.

When I peeked out the front window I saw a foggy mist rising from the blacktop in the street. I looked over at Steven who was sitting on the couch. “I wonder if the rain cooled things down a bit.” I headed for the front door to check.

“Nope!” I called as I stepped outside and stood on the front porch. “Oh, come on! Are you serious?”

Steven came out and stood next to me. “What’s wrong?”

I pointed to the end of our driveway where two robins were splashing around in a puddle. “I get you a beautiful new bird bath and you’d rather play there?” I called to them.

I looked over at Steven as he shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe they haven’t seen it yet?”

I looked back at the robins. “It’s right out back.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “It’s like a day spa for birds back there!”

The robins continued their fun at the end of our driveway.

I shook my head and looked back at Steven. “Seriously? They’d rather splash around in a mud puddle.”

Steven took me by the shoulders and steered me back in the house. “Let’s get you back inside before the neighbors see you talking to a couple of birds.”

I was confused. “I’ve always talked to the wildlife. You’ve seen me do it hundreds of times.”

“I know.” We were standing in the foyer as Steven closed the door behind us. “But it’s usually on the back porch where no one else can hear you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not like I think they’re going to talk back to me!”

“I know that.” he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. “But the neighbors might not.”