From where I sit at the table for meals, my eyes consistently peer through the sliding glass door that leads to our sunroom and out further, through a three-by-two window on the floor, a perfect picture frame for the ground, beneath a scraggly old pine tree littered with pinecones.
This scene would be a boring one, but for our neighbor who, despite rules that suggest no feeding wildlife, occasionally throws a handful of corn on that particular patch of ground, attracting squirrels, birds, and deer to feed themselves and entertain me. The squirrels are hilarious, stopping dead in their tracks and then with a jump start, chase each other tirelessly around in circles. Various types of birds swoop down, stay for a time and then leave. The deer, as many as seven jockeying for position under the tree at once, stick their heads together, gobbling. When one gets too greedy, another will lift up her hoof, in what I see is a playful way but who knows it might be aggressive, to discourage the other from eating too much. All of this is my own exclusive movie as Wendell’s place at the table is such that he can’t see the action.
About a week ago, the handfuls of corn were joined by a peculiar wood construction lying in the grass near the tree. Neither Wendell nor I could make heads or tails of it. What was our neighbor with a mind of his own and the generous hands up to now with his plethora of boards? It was our mystery of the week. Then the approximate 24 foot long structure disappeared. Detective Wendell learned that the neighbor had found the perfect tree for a treehouse in the woods. The structure had been the ladder. Since this would have been on city property, he wasn’t allowed to continue said project. The construction came back to its place beneath the tree and is now in the process of being dismantled.
In the meantime, the squirrels use it as a gymnasium and the birds as a stage for their performances. The deer pretty much seem to ignore it but I am sure they are irritated that it is blocking their buffet.
After I wrote this, I was struck with the fact that I had left one very important sight from my story. One that I couldn’t see with my own eyes. An old woman who watches birds, squirrels, and deer and tries to solve mysteries with her husband, like Perry Mason on television.
IMAGE: Yellow African Lady lily from Petal Express Club – a gift from Matt and Marcy.
