Seasonal Chores: Item 7
Having utterly lost the ability to prioritizeshifting from foot to foot, rubbing my face
and really, just flat pissed at myself and the whole thing
because I was vain about refusing to use what I had (brightly colored rope) to
secure the side panel on the swamp cooler -- up on the roof where
all the neatly-tucked-in neighbors could see
because the panel had blown out three other times
and I had lost my patience
because had I waited too long to get the extension ladder
out of the shed and go check.
When I finally climbed up and opened the remaining side panel to start cleaning,
I was startled/ scared
AND so were the two baseball-sized baby pigeons whose wily parents
had seized on the perfect nesting spot?!
Because it serves me right:
Last year I watched them nest next door under the eaves of my neighbor's garage
and secretly felt superior.
So having replaced the wall of their nursery and
hauled the ladder
back to the shed,
I am shifting from foot to foot, rubbing my face
not quite able to switch gears and vacuum the hallway
or put away the dishes in the dishwasher.
Because now I am hot. Running the ceiling fans with the windows open
thoroughly irritated with myself.
Who else can you be mad at?!
And waiting for the babies to fledge.
Fly away little birds, fly away....
June 12, 2021 - Update
The bird experts say that it takes roughly 24-31days for pigeons to fledge, so I shrugged, took a wild guess and waited two weeks before climbing back onto the roof.
The good news?
The 2 youngsters were gone.
The bad news?
There was a NEW nest with 2 eggs in it!
I felt badly, said a prayer to the universe asking for forgiveness, then disposed of them. And spent hours dangling from the roof trying to get everything clean. The most perplexing part was how to get to the dried poop which had fallen past the blades down into the housing of the fan (where they had walked carefully along the blades coming and going, and left little 'gifts'). There is only an inch or an inch and a half between them. I came up with a way to tape some old irrigation pipe onto the existing attachment on the wet vac. I think my father would have been proud.
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