More Bird Trouble

The bird troubles continue at Casa Jones. Now a pair of hawks have moved in and decided to establish a household. I noticed them a few weeks ago. Whenever we'd go outside, we'd hear their crazy screaming. One day as I turned the corner to the patio, they flew off the fence around the propane tank. I thought they were owls--screech owls, of course. A few days later Jerry saw them on the old fencepost in the back yard and realized they were hawks. Usually I see two of them but Jerry has seen three at a time. They hang out in the woods near the house, or on the other side of the lawn in the cedar stand.

Last week as I came down the driveway I saw them sitting at the end of the stone wall. One flew into the trees, the other jumped down to the ground and seemed to be acting as if it were injured. No, it was trying to drag a dead rabbit away! Instead it flew off, too. I felt bad having disrupted their dinner. I know they worked hard for that bunny. Happily Abigail is big enough to not interest them. However, our visiting dachshund Daisy is a tempting little rotundo who may appear to be a tasty treat to the hawks. We'll have to pay close attention next time she comes over.

Living in the wild nature is a great adventure. But I'm just about ready for the hawks to move along.

Spring IS Coming

As soon as the new year begins, I start to think about spring and especially about Santa Monica. I accompany my husband to a trade show there every April, which gives me an excuse throughout the winter to shop for new clothes "for Santa Monica." But right here at home I anticipate certain signs of spring that mean as much to me as the annual California trip--like when the red bud trees sprinkled through the woods around the house light up the scenery with misty touches of pink. I also marvel at birds' nests. In the spring I love to see birds flying around with sticks and leaf stems and pieces of plastic in their beaks. How many trips does it take from the nest to the lawn or patio or woods to create a cozy nest? I took this picture last spring, of an amazing nest inside one of the many O's in the sign for DOWNTOWN BOOK & TOY in Jefferson City. My office is in the same building so I got to see these babies from egg to gone. They made quite a racket. I'd see them sitting on the edge of the nest, a little wobbly, before they took off one day.
Above all, when spring's on the way I listen for the tree frogs. That could be my favorite sound in the universe. Last week my son Max told me he heard the tree frogs around See Tal Lake in Hermann, Missouri. It's a little early, but maybe he did. He's tuned in to it, I suppose, because I always made a big deal out of it. But I hope he considers the joyous sounds of these tiny frogs one of the songs of his childhood.