Those Late Bloomers

I thought that there was an unusual amount of flurry and activity amongst the robins in my backyard the other morning. Geesh, with all the trees, I knew that we had a lot of birds but I never noticed all these robins hanging around. Well, the reason soon became abundantly clear the next day when I stepped out onto the front porch to water my red salvias. I shouldn't be all that surprised really at what I encountered.The porch has all the amenities nearby. Water in the birdbath, fresh flowers, shelter under the roof, and lots of potting soil to root around in if you get bored I guess. I know that I encourage marching to the beat of your own drummer and I love fostering the late bloomers in all of us. However, I draw the line with those quirky confused robins who insist on starting their family at the end of summer. Don't they know that it was no longer spring time?

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Robin were back and trying to build once again on top of the porch light. I feel like I must have beach front Malibu real estate for robins. They are either quite bold or I am not as menacing as I think. Despite my broom, tinfoil in hand, and battle cries of "No baby, no. You can't build here," Mrs. Robin looks right at me. We make eye contact and come face to beak. I am pretty sure that she is mocking me and I am reading her mind as she says "this is my front porch now lady."

A few seconds pass and she eventually realizes that I am bigger than her and flies away. But not without attempting a few more return trips. Incredible. I knock the old nest out of the rhododendron, thinking that maybe they do not wish to live next to an abandoned home as it may be unsafe for the kids. I tell them that I will even offer a tax abatement or low interest mortgage rate if they would kindly consider the Rhododendron location and comply with my zoning and building laws. We'll see who wins this century's battle of Homestead.