School’s Out for Summer!
We had a HUGE spring thunderstorm overnight; but, with both kids out of school, we still consider Monday to be the unofficial start of summer. There was no rushing around in the morning hurrying The Girl along. And it didn’t matter that there was an enormous backup on the highway. That is one of the great things about summer. Life slows down. This morning, like many days in summers past and present, I was the only one who was up and about. California Girl gets up with me some days; others she sleeps in. She’s got work to do; but, with the house so quiet and peaceful, there is no reason to jump up and get started right away. Especially since we sleep better when both kids are home. Soon enough, they will have homes of their own and we’ll be reluctant empty nesters. Until then, we are going to enjoy these days.
P.S. Here’s a quick question for you homeowners out there. We’ve got a swallows’ nest in the eaves near the entryway of our house. I’m trying to decide whether or not to remove the nest. They are making a bit of a mess on the sidewalk; but otherwise, they appear relatively harmless. I’m fairly certain there are chicks in the nest that can’t fly yet so I would need to “relocate” them too. What would you do?
I say let them stay this season and make the top of eaves uninviting for next year. If you move them, then the babies probably won’t make it. Or was “relocate” a code word for something more sinister?
Chickie: Relocate was code for something more sinister. I’m almost certain their parents would abandon them if I tampered with the nest; so I would probably have some orphan baby birds to deal with. After all of the ducks in the swimming pool and the HUGE amounts of bird poop that they left for me to clean up I am not overly fond of the idea of going out of my way for birds. If they don’t become too big of a nuisance, I’m probably going to leave it and do something to scare them away next year.
I had swallows on an old garage on my property for years – I loved it. They eat their weight each week of mosquitos, Manitoba’s provincial bird. I lived on thirty acres near a wetland with ducks, geese, blue herons, yellow rails, redwinged blackbirds, yellowheaded blackbirds etc.
but they never nested on the house itself.
and yes ‘relocate’ = ‘ethnic cleansing’.
yondan
Yondan: So far, that haven’t made neatly as big of a mess as the ducks. I will do something about the nest this fall; by then it should be empty.