It's Catch Up Time!

I should have been an ornithologist. I had no idea birds could be so interesting. You are not going to believe this, but we had another nest of mourning doves just fly the coup yesterday! We thought it was unusual for birds to mate twice in a year, but three different times! (Not sure if it's the same mom or not...I hope not. That's a lot of work taking care of those babies for so long.)

Here are just a few patterns I've observed since it is right outside our front window and we keep the shutters open just where we can see them and they can't see us.

1. Mom and Dad scout for the nest together.

2. Mom flies back and forth until the big day.

3. Dad hangs around for a little while after the big day, then disappears.

4. Mom just sits there until they are hatched, then she sits on top of them some more. (It is so cute to see their little heads sticking our from under her thick down.)

5. They stay in their nest for about 3 weeks, then one day dad will show up again and he and mom will go sit on the roof for awhile and watch them. (There is always one that will venture as close to the edge of the hanging basket as it can get without falling...it's obviously a boy, and the "sister" just sits demurely in the middle.)

6. Usually mom and dad are making cooing sounds from down below telling them what to do, but we didn't hear a peep this time.

7. This group was a little more unusual than the last inhabitants. I saw mom and dad down below on the porch, and walked away for a few minutes. I went back and there was only one baby in the nest...all day! I saw dad up on the roof next door, but rather than watching the baby, he was looking the other way -- worriedly, I might add. I wondered if the boy went a little wayward and flew too early, or if mom was just giving him private flying lessons. We'll never know, but mom and both babies were tucked safely back in the nest by the end of the day, only to have disappeared by the next morning. Mom and dad will come by a time or two...kind of nostalgically to me, and then I will just have to guess if the next group will be one of them or not.

6. I clean up all the dead flowers from the basket, and the mess from below and we start all over again.

On another note, Red, Hot & Blue is open for business, we just haven't had our Grand Opening yet. We're still in the "practicing" stage, but Randy and John are meeting so many wonderful people who are telling others, so it is just snowballing for lunch. Dinner is still slow, but hopefully it will catch on as time and tasting goes on.

I have had the most productive week. (I wish my writing time could be this productive.) I have spent the week preparing for a women's retreat I am facilitating for a local Lutheran church. I am speaking on "Discovering Your Giftedness," and will help these ladies identify where they can best serve in the church. We also discuss personality types and how they help us to better understand ourselves and each other. I am quite excited. I don't think I've ever planned anything so exact in my life. It's quite refreshing to have had the time to do it RIGHT for a change. Next week my friend Susan and I paint pigs on the back fence at RH&B, then I have until the holidays to write, with a little trip to FL thrown in. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you're local and reading this, head on over to Red Hot & Blue for a taste of the dry rub ribs...they are not your typical NC barbecue, but they are deliciously different. (They're located over on Deacon Blvd. off of University Blvd.) Everyone raves about the potato salad, so give it a try too. Enjoy!