The Birds are Back - a Lala Land journal

David is sick this weekend so we couldn't babysit the grand boys as we intended. I'm amazed at how much my heart aches to be around them, however, I am enjoying the stillness this space has provided. I practiced the Ukulele and am learning Let it Be, by the Beatles.

It seems like there should be a song entitled The Birds are Back because the excitement we feel when Spring is approaching is palatable. The Titmouse is a species we are targeting and it appears to be thriving here at Lala Land. We haven't spotted a Bluebird yet, but we are on the look out. 

I set up a triangle of bird feeders (about 20 yards between each), with a bird bath in the center. I put a rock in the middle of the bath so the birds can perch and drink more easily. The starlings and a cardinal just jumped right in and rinsed the cedar pollen off their wings. 

One feeder has a camera in it (feathersnap), and though we really enjoy the pictures, there is just something about the impermanence of birds at a feeder that is so much more intriguing. 

The only time of year you can trim oak trees is after a solid cold snap, so I was just able to go prune our live oak tree in the front pasture. It looks like a tree now, rather than a bush. I'm very happy with the result and was careful not to disturb a blue bird nest I discovered in the higher branches. Joe (corgi) loves it when we go work around the property.

I also started trimming back some of the native grasses I planted in my front yard, since they have already gone to seed. I don't mow anywhere I don't have to - allowing nature to set it's own course here at this bird sanctuary. The quail especially seem to appreciate the undisturbed grassland. 

Tomorrow, I plan to install our road signs my daughter Aubrey made, so our guests and grandsons can map their adventures and discoveries. 

Lastly, I hired someone to come spend two days here, with his chainsaw. Rather than bulldozing juniper trees (less than 10 feet tall), and thereby disturbing the grassland and topsoil, we just cut them off at the ground. We will go back and shred the trees and use that mulch for pathways and to keep the grass down around trees we have planted. 

Spring is always a busy time but we reap the rewards for the rest of the year as we watch the birds migrate in and out. 

Love.

I'm not thinking about love because valentines is approaching, although I did get a valentine in the mail from my friend who makes me one every year.  They're always quite beautiful, and I rather love the sentiment since she makes them herself. 

I am thinking about love because I bathed the dogs today and it is back breaking work. Laska is awful. She moans like a tortured pig the entire time and won't stand still for a brushing. I have dog hair in my mouth and my eyes feel like there is sand in them. There probably is.  

But then, there is Joe. He is like a extra long squirrel sausage. He loves being brushed, bathed, and pampered in any way that involves touching. He even enjoys a blow drying. He listens when I tell him what to do. He is short, so it's still back breaking work. 

They're different. 

You'd think I love Joe more, but I don't. I love them both so much my heart aches. I can't imagine my life without this pair of dogs. Laska was supposed to be my service dog, but she is the most disobedient dog I have ever owned. Lord knows how much money I spent on her training, but she's even an awful car passenger. Service dogs are much use if they can't ride in the car. She tries to attack passing cars and literally NEVER sleeps or stops whining. She is a more attentive passenger than most drivers I have seen. It's exhausting having her along. 

I love her majesty. She is playful and gentle with my grandsons. She plays soccer with my oldest grandson and fetch with the middle. She gets along with every dog she has ever met and rarely wanders far from the house. She is a loyal companion. Despite being able to notice these attributes, I am generally hollering at her and trying to get her to obey. 

Joe never leaves my side. He wants nothing more than to please me. 

They are polar opposites so I love them differently. That doesn't make me a bad pet owner because I don't enjoy them in the same ways. 

It's pretty much the same with my kids.