There’s something in the spring air that causes people, animals, and birds to abandon all logical thinking and do things that seem strange and stupid.
I’ve told you about Toby, our dog when we lived in Madison. He caught a scent of spring in the air and ran off in search of female companionship. After three days we thought he was gone forever. We were all very happy when we received a phone call that he had been found at a farm north of Middleton, many miles away from our home. When he tried running away again a couple days later, we took a trip to the vet and Toby lost his manhood, or in his case, his male doghood. The arrival of spring was much more peaceful for us after that. There is a force in the spring air that had a much more powerful attraction than his love of home and our family.
Another spring incident happened last week. Linda called me at work one morning and said it sounded like something was banging around in the air duct pipes in the basement. I said I’d come home at noon and check it out. When I investigated, I didn’t hear anything. I banged on all the air ducts, but nothing responded. I figured whatever had gotten in there, had either found its way out or had died.
The next morning before I went to work, I heard the banging. I went downstairs to investigate. Of course there was no sound when I tried to find it. It’s like having that banging or clanking noise in your car. As soon as you take it to a garage to have a mechanic listen to it, the motor purrs like a kitten and there are no strange noises. All I saw in this case was a robin sitting on a window well looking at me.
Later that morning Linda called again. She had discovered the source of the banging. It was that robin flying repeatedly against the basement windows.
You would think at my age I’d have heard stories of robins flying against windows. If you’re looking for answers in this age of the Internet—Google it. I typed in “robins flying against windows.” Presto! Just like magic, I found the answer, just a click of the mouse away. I found out that male robins are very territorial, and I might add from my own observations, rather stupid and have poor eyesight. They see their reflection in a window and think it’s another male intruding into their territory. They will fly against the window, repeatedly, trying to scare the rival male away. It gives a whole new meaning to the line, “Sorry dear, not tonight. I’ve got a headache.”
Over the weekend, I was able to watch the poor fellow beat himself silly several times. He never could get rid of that intruder. He was a formidable foe. Meanwhile, his mate was busy collecting dry grass and building a nest on a support beam under our deck.
As I watched them both hunting for worms later, I got to thinking. They may have super eyesight when locating worms, but the males could use a trip to the optometrist when it comes to recognizing other males.
We haven’t heard any banging against the windows lately. He either scared the intruder away, at least in his battered mind, or he got tired of beating himself up. As far as I know, he may be in bird therapy by this time. It points up once again, how fascinating nature can be.
Another great sight and sound of nature happened over the weekend. I heard a pheasant call one night from the grove of trees beside our house. The next morning he was roaming around in our back yard. I’m glad to see they survived the winter, hunters, and predators. Now if only our deer would make a return appearance.
Spring also brings out the latent farmer in me. I get the urge to dig in the dirt and plant some seeds. This week I used a shovel to dig up a small plot of ground for a garden. Then I chopped the chunks up with a old hoe. It’s not the easiest way to prepare the soil for a garden, but I’m too cheap to rent a rottotiller. By the time I got to the planting part, it was dark and I was using a flashlight. I guess that’s as crazy as that robin flying against the window. But, I need the exercise. I told Linda, some people shop at Big and Tall Stores for their clothes. If I don’t get rid of some weight, I’ll need to look for a Short and Wide Store!
Another thing, I only have the weekends and evenings to get anything done. When you work all day, it’s hard to find enough time if you’re involved in organizations that have evening meetings and other commitments. I’m contemplating dropping out of all organizations until I’m retired. I need time to do other things, like planting gardens, writing, carving, do a little trout fishing, and just sitting quietly in the woods enjoying nature and solitude.
As you can tell, these first warm, sunny, spring days certainly give me a severe case of Spring Fever. I may have a fever, but at least I don’t have a headache like our friend, the robin.
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