Laughing with Di – April 2019

 Two mourning doves sit together on our patio wall in all of their sleek, silver-grey glory looking like they have an important job to do. Spring is approaching.
Let’s have a laugh…
So, Mr. and Mrs. Dove (we assume they are husband and wife and they mate forever) are once again preparing to build their nest in our patio rafter. They may do this forever! With a lot of flitting and fussing, they fly back and forth bringing branches and fallen pine tree needle straw to the nesting spot. (My goal someday is to harness the power of these pine straws and invent some clever use for them and make a million dollars since there are a million of them all around our condo).
Their chosen spot is directly above our doorway and last year we had to deal with a lot of bird droppings! This year, we are trying to predict their movements and discourage them from nesting and laying eggs in our domain. We placed a brick and a terra cotta flowerpot in their space above the door. The next day, we found the nesting preparation resumed – in the flowerpot! We then turned the pot upside down. We imagine this bird duo having smug, beaky faces, laughing at us as we glare at one another during our standoff. But, nature always finds a way and we know they will probably continue to scout for another crevice on the patio.
It is a perfect example of one of my many favorite movie quotes, this one from Out of Africa:
“Sabu is bleeding. She does not have this ox. This lion is hungry. He does not have this ox. This wagon is heavy. It does not have this ox. God is happy, Sabu. He plays with us.”
Guess we will be playing happy “dovelet” parents soon!