I read recently that birds would eat cantaloupe seeds. We have melon fairly often, since we all enjoy it, so why not put the seeds on the deck? Hoping they didn’t need to be roasted, I cleaned them and scattered them outside. It didn’t take long for song sparrows and Eastern towhees to help themselves. Tufted titmice used the spread as a fast food takeaway. Doves would have won an eating contest, since they practically swallowed the seeds whole.
I thought a mockingbird was coming for food, but he took a bath instead. I’ve seen birds flick a bit of water over themselves, but this bird meant business. He shimmied and shook, then flipped himself violently. It looked like he did a cartwheel, using his beak rather than hands. He was facing the opposite direction when he landed. He looked like a drowned mouse, and he didn’t seem to fly very well, either. It was the first time I’d seen an extreme bath routine worthy of a reality show.
Treats outside were one thing, but what we had inside was quite another. Nathaniel reads more recipes than I do, and he found the instructions for a Pecan Praline Layer Cake. Making it took hours from his two days off. I took a photo when he was finally satisfied with it.
The filling had tons of nuts, and the frosting was decorated with candied pecans. Before we cut it, I took a shot of the hungry men. The taste of the dessert lived up to its appearance. It was scrumptious.
We spoke to neighbor Bob and son Logan (7) the other day as they passed us while we walked. John said we’d missed seeing Logan and hoped he’d come over to play. As soon as his parents gave permission, the boy streaked over here. I saw him flying up our front steps and pushing the button of the defunct doorbell. He was through the door as soon as it was opened wide enough to let him through. In three seconds he shed his shoes, jumped up, pointed toward the living room, and said, “I want to play checkers with David.”
They played three games before having a short war with Nerf guns. Last, they pitted themselves against a computer game with motorcycles and loud explosions. Logan had control of the keyboard, with David giving advice on the side. When Bob called for Logan to come home, David turned the sound off and had the computer to himself to hone his game. I asked if Logan had improved with checkers, and David said, “Yes! He’s much better than he was at Christmas. He won one game, and I won two.”
It was lovely to have the house energized again with Logan’s enthusiasm.