A New Visitor

The latest storm blew in and brought a new friend along with the new year. I believe this little bird is a mourning dove. The picture is taken from inside the house. She is sitting on the cable that runs to the chicken coop. She's actually on our deck where it's somewhat protected from the wind and cold. And windy and cold it is. The blizzard brought winds over 100 klicks an hour and the wind chill was in the -20s somewhere. I'm not sure of the exact number; anything under -15 just becomes 'freaking cold' and numbers no longer matter, -23 or -35, it's all just freaking cold to me.

This delightful guest is charming us all. She sits on the wire waiting for all the other birds to finish eating at the bird feeders then she flies over and daintily moves around the trampled snow, royality showing in her every step. She delicately picks over the leftovers pretending it is the human equivalent to caviar on toast points. After she has her fill, she sometimes flies away or, more likely, comes back to the deck. She'll land between our dining room doors and the styrofoam insulation I left on the deck from building the coop. The little six inch space between the doors and the styrofoam is a very cozy, sheltered nook made just for a 'lonesome dove'. Finding a place for the styrofoam and storing it was one of those things that belong to the "Almost Season". Sometimes not being the most efficient and energetic person has it's rewards. Everytime I pass through the dining room, I take a peek at her, she looks back curiously but doesn't seem fearful.

I always thought perhaps procrastination has an upside, I just didn't think it would be soft-eyed and fluttery.