For the Birds

My husband is a good, kind man with a soft spot in his heart for all animals. His was a military family that moved often, sometimes overseas, and he wasn't allowed to have pets when he was growing up. I love animals too but our living and working situation didn't permit them. But oh the birds!

For the longest time I didn't know that he had a belief (superstition?) that if he fed the wild birds that it would bring him good luck. My own, more practical, opinion was that if you feed a wild creature you'd better be prepared to keep on feeding them from then on.

So we reached a compromise – a bird feeder. And a stockpile of 20 lbs of birdseed. I knew very well what would happen, but he was surprised at how quickly the news spread in the bird world about the free eats at our house. A full feeder would be emptied in less than a day!

And it wasn't like it was attracting anything exotic. Sparrows, mockingbirds, a few finches, mourning doves, and an occasional scrub jay who could empty the feeder all by himself. Not by what he ate but what he scattered on the ground. Ah yes, the seeds on the ground which remained uneaten sprouting up all over the yard. Who does the weeding? Yes, that would be me.

Another round of 20 lbs of birdseed and we had to have a little talk. I shared my opinion that he was overdoing things. That soon the birds would be too fat to fly. And seriously, the weeds – no I didn't intend to have a birdseed farm thank you very much. Let's give the little birdies a chance to clean up the scattered seed, shall we?

So, he pretends that he only fills the feeder once a week and I pretend not to notice when he sneaks them an extra serving now and then. For luck.