FLYING BACK HOME

I was out on our back porch hanging our hummingbird feeder when my son Alex came out.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be putting that out?” he asked pointing to the feeder.

“Your Dad sent me an article a few days ago from NJ Fish and Wildlife that said our little friends should be arriving in the next couple of weeks.” I adjusted the bright red feeder so that it was nestled just right on its hook. “I just want to make sure we’re ready to welcome them back.”

“Don’t hummingbirds go back to the same area each year?” He asked as he sat down in the rocking chair.

“Yup.” I sat down in the Adirondack chair next to him. “Our two little jerks should be arriving any day now.”

Alex started to laugh. “I wonder why ours fight so much?”

“I know!” I cried. “Neither one of them will let the other get a drink.” Just thinking about it made me laugh. “When one finally does land on the feeder they have to constantly be looking over their shoulder for the other idiot to come zooming in, making them take off.” I looked out over our yard that was just beginning to show signs of spring. Buds were on the trees, daffodils in full bloom, even the chipmunks had come out of hiding and were scurrying around the oak tree. “I love this time of year.” I sighed.

“Yeah, me too.” Alex said as he pointed to a chipmunk. “Do we have any peanuts that we can toss to him?”

I got up from my chair and went into the kitchen to get the bag of peanuts. Coming back out on the porch I reached in the bag and tossed a fistful out into the yard. The movement scared the chipmunk and they ran further into the woods.

“They’ll be back.” I said as I sat back down placing the bag next to my chair. “Now, getting back to the hummingbirds…”

Alex laughed. “Okay.”

“Why are ours so territorial?” I looked over at Alex.

“Aren’t they all territorial?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” I said shaking my head. “I’ve seen videos where a half a dozen hummingbirds are all at the same feeder.” I pointed to our feeder. “I’ve never seen that here. But I’ve seen videos.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “They’re still pretty funny to watch.”

I nodded my head. “Agreed on that one.”

Just then a house finch landed on the top of our birdhouse. “Oh look!” I pointed over to the birdhouse. “It’s nest hunting!”

We watched as its mate landed next to them, taking turns going into the house.

“Good thing I cleaned that out last fall.” I said to Alex before calling out to the birds. “Welcome back!”

“How do you know it’s the same couple as last year?” He asked.

“Because house finches do the same as hummingbirds.” I stated. “Once they find an area they like they come back.” I looked over at Alex. “Did you know house finches rarely nest in bird houses?”

“Then why do they use our bird house every year?”

I couldn’t help but smile as I pointed to our bird feeders, bird bath, and bird houses. “Because I’m a very good yard hostess.”

Alex laughed. “I guess you are.”

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

It was late afternoon and I was standing in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open, staring inside, when my son Alex came into the room.

“What’s for dinner?” He asked as he went over to the cabinet and took out a box of crackers.

“Good question.” I moved a few things around on the shelves. “I was just in the pantry and didn’t see anything that inspired a meal.” I sighed as I closed the refrigerator door. “Nothing in here either.” I went over to the cabinet he’d just been in and looked around.

After a few moments I closed the cabinet, gave another deep sigh, looked at Alex and shrugged my shoulders. “I’ve got nothing.”

“So, we’ll get take out.” He reasoned.

I shook my head. “No. I have to go to the grocery store anyway. I don’t have any meals planned for next week.” I went to the closet to get my coat. “I think I’ll just go now and see if something looks good for tonight.”

Grabbing my keys and pocketbook I headed for the front door. “Wish me luck!” I called over my shoulder.

My husband Steven came around the corner. “What are we wishing you luck for?” He asked as he came to the door with a look of concern on his face.

“I’m headed to the grocery store with no idea what I’m making for dinner.” I said as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Why don’t we just get some take out?” He asked.

“I already tried that.” Alex said. “But she seems determined.”

By now I was at the car. “I have to do grocery shopping anyway.” I called. “I’ll think of something.”

As I was driving to the store recipes were going through my head. “Maybe nachos?” Shaking my head. “Steven doesn’t like the spice.” That imaginary recipe card got put back.

“Chicken parm?” But then I remembered I didn’t have any precooked cutlets and I wasn’t going to make that from scratch. So, another imaginary recipe card bit the dust.

“Maybe just a pork cutlet with some sides?” I shook my head. “This is hard to do when you’re not hungry.”

I’d arrived at the grocery store. Once I parked I grabbed a cart and headed right for the meat counter. “Might as well start with the main ingredient.” I said under my breath.

But as I circled the meat selection nothing was screaming, ‘make me!’ loud enough for me to stop. I was on my second lap around the meat counter when I spotted a fellow shopper who had the same look on her face that I was feeling. “Can’t figure out what to make for dinner?” I asked her.

She seemed surprised by my question. “How’d you know?” She laughed.

“Because I’m feeling the same way.” I laughed.

She was standing in front of the Italian sausage when I reached down and picked up a package. “Wait! What if I made this with peppers and onions, mixed in some tortellini and made a side salad?” I looked back at my fellow shopper. “That doesn’t sound terrible, does it?”

She shook her head. “Sounds good to me.”

“Perfect!” I dropped the sausage in my cart. “Thanks for your help.” I called over my shoulder as I headed for the frozen foods to get a bag of tortellini.

“Anytime.” She called back with a laugh.

I couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief as I was back in my this-is-what’s-for-dinner mode once again.

EGGSILANCE

I was standing by our dining room table, a cloth in one hand and a spray bottle of Windex in the other, when my son, Alex, came into the room.

“What are you up to?” He asked.

“It’s that time of year again!” I said as I picked up an alabaster egg, nestled it in the cloth, and gave it a squirt of Windex.

Alex looked over at the bowl in the middle of the dining room table filled with alabaster eggs. He picked up a green marbled one. “I remember these being out on the table every Easter since I was little.” He recalled.

“I’ve been collecting these since before you were even born.” I smiled as I placed the one I’d just cleaned into the bowl and picked up the next one to be cleaned.

Alex shrugged his shoulders as he put the egg down. “Well, I’m glad you like them.”

“You don’t?” I was surprised.

Alex shrugged his shoulders again. “They’re fine, I guess. I really hadn’t given them much thought.”

“Well, I like the marbled looking ones the best.” I placed the next shined egg in the bowl. “Did you know they make these in Italy?”

“Okay.” Alex nodded as he headed to the kitchen.

“Did you know Aunt Lizzy used to work in a card shop that sold these?” I called to him trying to get him interested in the conversation.

“You don’t say.” Alex leaned against the door frame holding a clementine.

“Seriously. It was right by the Shop Rite we go to.” I put the last one back in the bowl and stepped back to admire their shine. “The first time I went to visit her at her store I saw these and fell in love.” I moved the bowl so it was more centered. “That’s when I started this collection.”

“Interesting.” He said as he began to peel the clementine.

“Yup.” I moved one of the eggs in the bowl so that two of the same color weren’t next to each other. “The card store is gone now.” I sighed. “It got replaced with a liquor store.”

“Seriously?” Alex sounded shocked. “You mean to tell me they can make more money selling liquor than alabaster eggs?”

“Hey!” I laughed. “Now you’re making fun of me!”

My husband Steven walked into the room. “What’s so funny?” He asked.

“Ask Mom to tell you the story about her alabaster eggs.” Alex said.

“Don’t.” I laughed as I looked over at Steven shaking my head. “Clearly I just bored your son to death.”

“It wasn’t boring.” He insisted as he held out a section of the fruit to me. “Do you want a piece?”

“Sure.” I took the piece from him. “Thanks.” I said as I popped it into my mouth, still shaking my head but smiling.

Steven looked confused. “What’s the story with the eggs?”

Alex turned and headed back to his room. “They’re from Italy!” He called over his shoulder. “And for some reason people like buying wine instead of alabaster eggs!”

Steven looked even more confused. “What?”

“Never mind.” I laughed as I moved the bowl once again. “I think they’re beautiful!”

NOT IN THE HOUSE

I was in the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher, when I heard a strange noise. I stopped to listen, holding a glass midway to the cabinet.

THWACK, THWACK, THWACK, THWACK. It almost had a rhythmic sound to it.

I placed the glass in the cabinet and went to investigate.

THWACK, THWACK I was getting closer as I headed down the hall towards my son Alex’s bedroom.

Coming around the corner I could see my husband Steven with a pickleball paddle in his hand and the plastic yellow ball landing in the middle of it as he hit it back. I stuck my head in the doorway to see my son Alex hitting a return of the ball.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” I cried.

“What?” Steven asked as he hit the ball back to Alex.

“Do I really have to say no pickleball in the house?” I honestly couldn’t believe it.

“We’re not really playing.” Alex said as he tapped the ball back to Steven but Steven missed and instead the ball bounced off the television set behind him.

“Whoops.” Steven said picking the ball back up. “That’s a point to you.” He pointed his paddle at Alex.

“Seriously?” I shook my head. “You guys can’t play pickleball in the house!”

“But it’s raining outside and I wanted to try it out.” Steven reasoned as he tapped the ball back to Alex.

“We’re being careful.” Alex reassured me.

“You just hit the T.V.” I reminded him.

“Everything’s fine.” Steven said as he returned the serve. “You worry too much.”

I stood in the doorway watching them. My arms crossed with a don’t-keep-doing-this look on my face.

“Alright.” Steven sighed as he handed the paddle back to Alex. “I guess that’s enough trying it out for now.”

“So do you want to go to the court with me sometime?” Alex asked him as he put the paddles and ball away.

“Sure.” Steven squeezed past me as I was still standing in the doorway. “It sounds like fun.”

Alex looked over at me. “You’re not really mad are you?”

“I wouldn’t say mad.” I admitted. “More surprised.”

Alex looked confused. “Surprised?”

“I mean I expected the impromptu soccer games in the living room when you were a kid.” I began counting on my fingers. “The Nerf wars every Christmas.” Another finger tapped. “Even the occasional game of tag.” I shook my head. “But, two grown men playing pickleball in the house…” I sighed as I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Alex came over to me, a smile on his face, as he gave me a hug. “Aren’t you glad we’re still being kids at heart?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sometimes you two drive me nuts.”

Alex gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “You’re welcome.”

THE BEACH IN MARCH

“I can’t believe it’s March and it’s 70 degrees out!” I couldn’t help but smile as I looked over at my son Alex. “We’re heading to the beach to hopefully find some good shells.”

The car windows were down and a warm breeze was blowing in. “This is just what I needed to get me through the rest of this winter.” I pulled up to the curb and parked. “I can already smell the ocean!”

Alex started to laugh. “You know, spring is only a week away.” He reminded me.

“Just because it says it’s spring on the calendar doesn’t mean the weather cooperates.” I climbed out of the car and headed for the beach entrance. “We’ve had plenty of spring snowstorms.”

We passed a few surfers pulling their boards out from the back of their cars. “I guess the word got out that the waves are good.” I whispered to Alex as we had passed another surfer.

We walked the path through the beach dunes. Once we cleared the dunes the ocean stretched before us with its waves crashing against the sand. “Oh man! There’s something about being here.” I said breathing in deeply. “I feel like I need this.”

Alex was already wandering along the shoreline scouting for shells. “What about this one?” He asked holding up a bay scallop.

He handed the shell to me. “I haven’t seen one of these in a long time.” I turned it over. “It’s in perfect condition.” I said before I slipped it in my sweatshirt pocket. “I have a feeling this is going to be a good shell day.”

I picked up an Atlantic surf clam shell. “When I was a kid we used to call these Jersey ashtrays!” I said with a laugh.

Alex pointed to a group of seagulls who were combing the beach as well. “They’re starting their game of food-not-food early, too.”

We scoured the beach for close to a half an hour before my pockets were full of shells. “I think I’m ready to head home.” I said patting my pockets.

Once we were back in the car I unloaded the shells into the cup holders. “Definitely a good beach day.” I said as I started the car.

Driving through town, windows open again, I sighed as I shook my head. “I love seeing all the signs of spring!” I said. “I love that I’m seeing some of the greens of daffodils already popping up. The birds are chirping away. The sun sets later. Tiny buds are already showing up on the trees!” I sighed. “I love it all!”

Turning into our neighborhood my tire hit a pothole the size of a basketball.

“Oh, no!” I cried. “I swear that wasn’t there when we left!” I looked over at Alex. “I hope that didn’t do any damage to the car.”

“Well, potholes are just another sign of spring.” Alex reasoned. “You said you love everything about spring.” He started to laugh.

“Okay, maybe not potholes.” I pulled into our driveway and got out of the car to check the tire.

Alex came over and looked, too. “It seems fine.” He tried to reassure me.

I went back inside the car to get my collection of shells. “I also don’t like the rain, mud, and fluctuating temperatures of spring.” I called over my shoulder.

“So, you don’t love everything about spring.” Alex corrected me as he took the keys from me to unlock the front door.

“Nope, I don’t.” I said following him up the front walk. “I guess I’m just suffering from a case of spring fever.”

YOU’VE GOT THIS PUNCH

“Awww…” I cried out. “He’s making friends!”

“Who’s making friends?” My son Alex asked as he walked into the living room.

I was sitting on the couch with my phone in my hand. “Punch!” I held out my phone to show him the video of a baby macaque monkey holding an orange orangutan stuffed animal was being groomed by an adult monkey. “The other monkey is grooming him.” I couldn’t help but smile as I turned the phone back to face me as I watched the rest of the video.

Suddenly another monkey came up next to them and pushed Punch away. “NO!” I cried as I watched little punch run away, dragging his stuffed orangutan behind him. “They can be so mean to him.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Alex asked as he sat down next to me watching as Punch found a quiet spot behind a rock and cuddled his stuffed animal.

I shook my head. “For some reason his mother rejected him after he was born and the zookeepers gave him the stuffed animal to keep him company.”

Alex looked confused. “Where is this?”

“He’s at a zoo in Japan.” I pulled up another video. “It popped up on my Facebook feed about a week ago and I’ve been following him ever since.” I pulled up one of the first videos I’d watched to show him. In it, older monkeys are seen tossing him around while poor baby Punch is screaming and running to his orangutan stuffy for comfort.

Alex shook his head. “How can you watch that?”

“At first it broke my heart.” I explained. “But, as each day went by, you could see some of the older monkeys begin to accept him into their troop.”

I pulled up a video of one of them holding little Punch. “Like this one.” I couldn’t help but smile. “He’s slowly winning them over.”

Just then, one of the zookeepers came into the enclosure with a bucket of seeds and began tossing them around the enclosure. Punch quickly ran over and jumped on the zookeepers leg, clinging to him as he tossed the food to the other monkeys.

When the bucket was almost empty the zookeeper walked over to Punch’s stuffed animal, sprinkling some food around it, trying to get Punch to stay on the orangutan while he attempted to leave the enclosure.

Punch wasn’t having it. Each time he was placed on the stuffed animal and the zookeeper walked away Punch was right back on his leg clinging to him.

“Oh, come on.” I turned the phone for Alex to see. “Isn’t that adorable?”

Alex shook his head some more. “I don’t know. It seems kind of sad to me.”

“At first it seemed sad to me, too.” I agreed. “But watching him this past week I can’t help but admire just how tenacious this little guy is.” I looked over at Alex and smiled. “He’s giving everyone watching his videos the life lesson where you should never give up.”

Alex laughed. “You’re getting your life lessons from a baby monkey?”

“Hey, I can get a life lesson from just about anything.” I looked back at my phone where Punch was dragging his stuffed animal over behind a rock where he sat on the stuffed animal’s belly and tried to eat his food in peace and quiet.

Moments later an older monkey came over to him and sat next to him while he’s eating. “You’ve got this Punch!” I looked over at Alex. “He’s making friends!”

Alex got up, gave me a kiss on the top of my head before heading to the kitchen. “I’m glad you’re happy for Punch.”

“I really am!” I smiled as the video was almost finished.

REMINDER OF SPRING

“Well, it’s started.” I said with a sigh as I looked out our front window. The snow had just begun and the predictions were anywhere from a foot to eighteen inches dropping on us over the next two days. “The blizzard of ’26” I sighed again.

“Isn’t it nice that we’re all cozy in our warm house, with a pot of homemade chicken soup on the stove?” My husband Steven asked as he stood next to me by the window.

“I guess.” I said as I sat down on the couch, picked up my book I’d been reading, and grabbed the throw from the back of the couch, tossing it over my legs. I glanced out the window again. “It’s coming down fast.”

“It’s supposed to be two inches an hour.” Steven said as he headed out to the kitchen. “Is this soup ready yet?” He called.

“I’d give it another hour.” I looked at my watch. “I thought we’d have it for lunch.”

“I’ll just give it a little test.” He called back as I heard the lid come off the pot.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay. Let me know what you think.”

My son Alex came into the room and looked out the window. “So, it finally started.”

“Yup.” I could see the wind was picking up and the snow was starting to come in sideways. “Two whole fun days of this.”

“Hey, this is the easy part.” Alex said as he sat down at the other end of the couch.

I was confused. “The easy part?”

“Sure.” He grabbed another blanket and pulled it over his legs. “Watching the storm is the easy part. Shoveling it out is going to be the problem.”

I sighed again as I leaned my head back against the pillow. “I’m so done with snow.”

Steven came back in the room holding a pot of mini daffodils. “When did you get this?” He asked as he brought over the pot and placed it on the coffee table next to me.

“When I went to the grocery store yesterday to stock up on storm groceries.”

“Storm groceries?” Alex asked.

“Well, it was my usual grocery shopping day but I added some muffin mixes, chips and dip, and some ice cream.” I looked over at Alex. “You know. Storm food.”

“What kind of muffins are you making?” Steven asked.

“You have a choice. Blueberry or banana nut?” I closed my book and tossed it on the coffee table. “I can’t focus on reading right now.” I tossed the blanket off me and got up, ready to go in the kitchen to start baking.

“Wow.” Steven looked serious. “That’s a tough choice.”

I looked over at him and shook my head. “I could make both.” I said with a laugh.

“That’s probably a good decision.” Steven nodded in agreement. “The storm is going to go on for a few days.”

I grabbed the pot of flowers and placed them on the window sill. “This is going to help.”

“How’s that going to help?” Alex asked.

“Well, if I only focus on the flowers thinking that spring is only a few weeks away maybe what’s happening outside will fade away.”

Alex laughed. “I guess you could try that.”

Putting my hands on my hips I stared at the daffodils whispering to myself. “It’s almost spring. It’s almost spring.” I took a deep breath. “You know I think that helped.” I turned around and looked at Steven. “Time to get some baking done.” I said as I headed to the kitchen. “Both kinds coming up!”

“That’s my girl!” Steven called back.

PLANT DOCTOR

I was holding my phone up to my pothos plant, snapping a picture, when my son Alex came into the room.

“Why would you want a picture of that plant?” He asked sounding confused. “It doesn’t look very healthy.”

“I know.” I checked the screen on my phone. “That’s why I’m looking up how to fix it on my plant identifying app.”

Alex peeked into the pot, scratching the dry dirt with his finger. “Maybe watering it might help.”

“I was thinking about re-potting it so I didn’t want to work with wet dirt.” I explained as I began scrolling. “First off it says this plant needs attention.”

Alex laughed. “I could have told you that.”

“It also says I could be over-watering it.” I looked over at Alex and then at the bone dry dirt. “I think I’ll go with the second problem it could be which is a pathogen infection.” I looked at the leaves with brown edges. “I wonder where it picked up an infection?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. Did you have it outside this summer?”

“Absolutely not!” I cried as I shook my head. “I don’t know if you remember but, years ago I put it outside when it got warm enough. But, when I brought it back in, an entire ant farm came in with it.” I couldn’t help but give a little shutter. “I was finding ants around the house for weeks after that.” I looked over at Alex and nodded my head. “So, after that, no indoor plants will ever go outside again.” I stated firmly. “It’s a rule.”

“Sounds like a good one to have.” Alex agreed.

I looked back at my phone. “So now it says that in order to fix this problem I’m going to need to take a half teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of liquid soap, mix it in a gallon of water and spray it on the leaves every two weeks until the brown spots go away.” I put my phone down on the table. “That sounds easy enough.” I walked into the kitchen to find the ingredients.

Alex followed me slowly shaking his head. “You’re never going to remember to spray that on it every two weeks.”

I looked confused. “Sure I will. Why wouldn’t I?”

He pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the plant. “Because you’ve forgotten to even water it.” He reminded me.

“That was before it got sick.” I opened the cabinet and grabbed the container of baking soda. Opening the drawer below it I grabbed the measuring spoons. “I’ve had that plant for over twenty years. I can’t let it die now.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Alex said as he patted me on the shoulder and went over to the refrigerator opening the door.

“Don’t you have any faith in me?” I asked with a laugh.

“I have all the faith in the world.” Alex said with a laugh. “But if your indoor gardening skills are anything like your outdoor ones that plant’s in for some trouble.”

“Hey!” I cried. “I didn’t kill any of the plants in the garden this year!”

“I think the words you’re tripping up on are ‘this year’”. He took a bowl of grapes out of the refrigerator, placed the bowl on the counter-top, and popped a grape in his mouth.

I couldn’t help but sigh. “That’s true.” I looked back at my poor pothos plant before grabbing the liquid soap from the counter next to the sink. “But I’m going to try my best.” I called over to my plant.

“That’s all you can do.” Alex reminded me as he held out the bowl of grapes to me. “Grape?” He asked.

“Thanks. Don’t mind if I do.” I popped one in my mouth then began making the magic potion that was going to heal my poor sick plant.

MORNING PEACE

I was sitting on the couch reading a book, the sun just starting to rise, when my son Alex came into the room.

“Morning.” He said as he headed to the kitchen. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good.” I said laying my book open on the couch. “How about you?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen.

He had the kettle in his hand and was filling it with water.

“Can you put enough in there for me to have some?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I went over to the cabinet, took out my cup, got a tea bag, and dropped it into the cup. “I don’t know if you noticed it or not but I wasn’t on my phone when you came in the room.” I placed the cup on the counter.

Alex put the kettle on its warming stand and turned it on. “I did notice you were reading a book.”

“That’s because I’ve decided that I’m going to be phone free for the first hour every day from now on.” I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter top, a self-congratulatory smile on my face. “It’s my New Year’s resolution.”

Alex laughed. “It’s the middle of February!”

“It’s never too late to make one.” I reminded him.

“Well, I’m proud of you.” He came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Your phone seemed to be attached to your hand from the moment you’d wake up.”

I couldn’t help but sigh. “Yeah, it was getting kind of ridiculous.”

Just then my husband Steven came into the kitchen holding out my phone. “You forgot this on your bedside table.”

I kept my arms crossed not wanting to take the phone. “I didn’t forget it. I’m going phone free for the first hour every morning from now on.”

Steven shrugged his shoulders and placed the phone on the counter top. “All right. But it’s been ringing non-stop since I got out of the bathroom.”

I looked at the clock and then Alex, a grimace on my face. “I’ve got another twenty minutes.”

“You can do this.” He reminded me as he went to the cabinet to get out a mug.

“But what if it’s work?” I argued.

Alex shook his head. “It’s twenty minutes. Nothing’s that important that it can’t wait twenty minutes.”

My phone rang again. Alex picked it up and clicked the side to stop the ringing. “I’ll keep this from you for the next twenty minutes.” He laughed as he dropped my phone into his pocket.

“I think you might have to.” I said as I felt my hands getting sweaty. “This is harder than I thought.”

The kettle had come to a boil and Alex poured the water into my cup. Once he was done he handed it to me. “Take this and go back to reading your book.” He said. “I’ll bring you your phone when the time is up.”

“Okay.” I sighed as I heard the sound of a text message coming through. “Can you at least check it and make sure it isn’t an emergency?” I asked.

Alex slipped it out of his pocket and took a look. “It’s not an emergency.” He said as he dropped it back in his pocket.

“Promise?” I asked.

“Promise.” He said as he looked at his watch. “You’ll see in about eighteen minutes.”

“Okay.” I headed back to the couch. Putting my cup on the coffee table and picking up my book I sat down and took a deep breath. “You can do hard things.” I said under my breath. “You’ve got this.”

SINGING FOR YOU SUPPER

It was a cold winter morning with a blanket of snow and ice covering our back yard. The temperature hadn’t been above freezing for over a week. “This snow is never going to melt.” I sighed as I filled the tea kettle with water.

My son Alex was looking out the back door. “Come here. You’ve got to see this poor mourning dove.”

“What’s it doing?” I asked as I walked over to him.

“Just staring at me.” He laughed.

Sure enough a chubby little mourning dove was sitting on our deck’s railing staring at our back door.

“Feed me.” Alex said in a high pitched voice pretending to be the bird.

“Okay. Fine.” I sighed as I put the kettle down and walked over to the front hall closet.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“The bird feeders haven’t been filled since before the storm.” I said as I put on some boots, tucking my pajama legs inside them before grabbing my coat. “I guess it’s time for me to fill them again.” I put my coat on over my bathrobe.

“You’re going out in your pajamas?”

“No one’s going to see them under my coat.” I reasoned as I went over to the back door and picked up the lidded bucket of bird seed we kept there. “Well, here I go.” I opened the back door and braced for the cold blast of air that quickly hit me.

The snow had drifted over a foot high in places with a thick crust of ice on top. I had to stomp my way to the feeders, breaking through the ice one footstep at a time. “You better appreciate this.” I grumbled starting to feel winded as I continued making my way slowly through the drifts with a bucket of birdseed swinging by my side.

As I filled the feeders I could see several birds tucked in the trees watching me. “I know it’s too cold for you guys to be singing but a few little thank you chirps wouldn’t be too much to ask for would it?” I reached over to fill another feeder. “It’s not like I’m asking you to sing for your supper but come on… a little acknowledgment for my efforts would be nice.”

There wasn’t a peep from any of them.

“Okay. Fine.” I put the lid back on the birdseed bucket. “Breakfast is served.” I said before I turned around and made my way back to the house, trying to use the same footsteps I’d used coming out.

Alex met me at the door. “I’m sure they’re going to appreciate that.”

“They’d better.” I stomped the snow off my boots before coming back in the house.

Several minutes later I looked out the back door to see dozens of birds swarming the feeders. Several others were on top of the ice, pecking at the seed that had fallen from above.

“There’s the mourning dove that started it all.” I said as we watched it circling the base of the feeder, it’s little orange feet standing out brightly against the snow.

I cracked open the door to listen to the sound of dozens of birds squawking at one another trying to find a spot to get to the seeds. I looked back over at Alex. “Not exactly hearing them singing for their supper but it does sound like they’re appreciating the meal.”

Alex patted me on the shoulder. “They definitely sound like it.”