A Not-Quite Empty Nest

Last night Ben was gone to stay with a friend. Tonight Hannah is on an overnight babysitting job. (It is Dave and Leta's 6th wedding anniversary and they have gone out for the evening.) Our nest is not quite empty and yet not at all full.

Yesterday morning the air was full of a mother robin's chirps. She sat on the edge of the barn roof and barked out directions. I'm not sure who she was commanding, I did not see her babies, but she was busy shouting out all the same. I suppose it is quite possible those little ones were out on the barn roof if baby robins can hop up the branches of a lilac bush. Either way, when I looked into the nest, I found it empty. I did not hear any frantic squawking or find any lip-licking cats, so it is quite possible that mother robin was successful with her little brood. I can always hope so.

In two weeks my house will seem strangely empty. My babysitting job... uh, I mean "garden tending"... will be over until fall. I will put the toys upon the shelf, return the children's books to the library, and venture out into my yard a little more often. Em will pop in a time or two throughout the summer, just to keep me company, and before I know it September will be here again.