We usually make the trip to East Tennessee to visit David’s mom in May. This year, because her 95th birthday was this week, we went in April, instead. There’s always lots of planning and packing and getting things in place (who’ll get the papers and mail, who’ll cover at church, should we run the water sprinklers, etc.)

This year, there was a special problem.

I heard them peeping, peeping when I came home from shopping and errands, the day before we left. I was panicky for them, thinking they would surely die while we were gone. David he’d seen the parents going in and out of the garage through a small space at the bottom of the closed garage doors. He thought they’d be gone before we returned. We haven’t checked, yet.

Spring happens later there than here.

David’s mom had surgery last November and has been living in a rehab facility since then. The birds that have usually relied on her careful tending with water and seed were somewhat scarce. David started putting seed out on her deck, and some birds returned, including the usual (or, unusual) springtime and summer guests, the peacock pair.

We did some more interesting things, but we just rolled back into Waco a few hours ago, and I need to go to bed.