Motherly advice

Fuzzy picture because I used my maxium zoom (12x) of the Mother Bird and baby on my neighbor's landscaping trim.

The other morning, I am thinking it was Saturday, I went out onto my front porch to retrieve the paper and saw a baby bird making quite a mess as birds are prone to do (if you know what I mean). I noticed he wasn't moving and I opened the door. He hopped off the porch across the part of the yard between my house and my neighbors and attempted to fly. He smacked into the side of their house and just barely missed falling into their window well. He landed on their landscaping trim next to a coleus and there he remained for about an hour.

Mother Bird was nearby encouraging him. He had no tail that I could see. Maybe this comes later? My daughter and I watched him for about an hour and the Mother Bird kept feeding him worms and chirping what was either warnings or encouragement. Eventually I took my own Mother's advice and left nature alone. When we looked outside later he and the Mother Bird were gone. I really hope that he figured out how to fly and nothing bad happened to him.

For a lady who lived her first 20 years secluded on a small family farm in West Virginia and later raised 8 children in Ohio my Mother was quite worldly in her wisdom. I expected her to know things about farm life and wild animals, but other things surprised me.

One job I worked at the boss was accused of perjury. Mom Mom explained that term to me and told me all about how he got kickbacks in the business. At the time I was 23 and didn't much think about it (my Mom was a walking encyclopedia), but as the years unfolded I often wondered how she knew so much. Reading, I guess. Her television consisted of soap operas (until she shut them off for good because of their racy story lines) and sci fi.

Aw heck. Who knows? Maybe she obtained her worldly knowledge from the soaps. LOL!

We are on our way to the Cleveland zoo today. Daughter's pick.