We
are one of those families that simply doesn’t use our garage as a garage. I can’t remember the last time we have ever
parked a car in a garage at any house we have lived in, in fact. There are just too many other things that
need to go on in there. Storage, of
course. I think that’s why most garages
exist anyway, isn’t it? That has
certainly been the case for us.
Workshop. Now that’s for sure. The house we are in now finally has a
workbench that I am proud of (Not to mention the fact that I built it, with
assistance from my lovely wife Chris and my handyman grandson Micah). Great place for carving things, repairing
things, or in general piddling around (as Chris describes it when I am out
there). Recreation. Well, we had a garage in Denver that had a
pool table in it. Now it was a one-car
garage, mind you. We had some little
half-sized pool cues that we used so we wouldn’t be constantly poking holes in
the wall. Hiding place. I can’t count the number of times I have used
garage hiding places for birthday or anniversary gifts. It is great to have a place where Chris just
doesn’t go very often.
Well,
that was a bit of a ramble. All that to
say, our present garage is no different.
It is a one-car job with my workbench and tool box and storage shelves
on both walls and fishing poles hanging from the ceiling and bicycles and generator
and plywood sheets for covering windows during hurricanes and miscellaneous
yard tools and an extra table or two and beach toys and … so where would we put
a car in there, anyway? Our car sits
nestled comfortable beneath the ever-growing limbs of the sycamore tree that we
planted after Hurricane Ike to regain some shade from the treacherous evening
sun. And therein lies the difficulty we
have currently encountered. Somewhere in
the far away reaches of the sycamore tree, also nestled in a comfortable, safe
spot, lies a mockingbird nest. Don’t get
me wrong. We love bird watching. Do it all the time. And Galveston has some amazing species to
see. And we are especially appreciative
of the antics of the mockingbird. My
personal favorite bird-watching pastime, in fact, is watching mockingbirds dive
bomb cats. When we realize there is a
nest involved, we do our best to stay out of their way until the little sprites
are out on their own.
And
finally, speaking of little sprites. We
have somewhat of an issue with the latest mockingbird nest in the sycamore
tree. Well, not with the nest. It stays put.
It’s those youngsters from the nest.
They have decided to use our car as their own private practice perch and
bathroom. I have to admit it is kind of
entertaining to watch. They flop down
from the tree onto the top of the car.
And from the time they land, they are in a constant battle for territory
with … their own reflection. They squawk
and fuss and peck in quite the tizzy.
This really get dicey, though, when they realize the reflection
continues all the way down the windshield and onto the hood. I have yet to meet a bird that can adequately
grip a glass windshield. So, sure
enough, the minute their little talons hit that glass, they slip like a
Schlitterbahn water ride all the way down to the hood. Once they recover from the fall, they peck
around there for a while before remembering that other reflection-enemy up
top. So it’s spread their untried wings
and make the leap back up top to start the process over again. As I said, the whole thing is very
entertaining to watch. They aren’t very
well potty trained, though. At least not
from our perspective. I guess from
theirs they are keeping it out of the
nest. So who needs a garage for their
car when it can be a prime battle training arena / bathroom? Sigh.
Romans
14:17-18 says, “For the kingdom of God is
not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God
and approved by men.”
Father,
thank you for your fun creatures called birds.
And thank you for the incredible variety we have to look at here on the
Island. Amen.
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