Snapshots of a Modest Life

Out With The Old, in With the New

There'’s a new resident of the tree outside my window. The female cardinal (who I fondly call Clementine) that used to live there disappeared some time last week, and now there'’s a new bird who is at this moment giving me the evil eye and puffing up his chest. Methinks he's not used to having someone watch him. I actually don'’t know if it'’s a male or a female, or what kind of bird it is for that matter, but I'm in the naming process right now anyway. Martin maybe, or perhaps Carl. I like naming things if you hadn'’t noticed, maybe it's from reading Anne of Green Gables too many times (if that'’s even possible), or maybe I just like being familiar with my surroundings. He'’s gray with a white belly, and he's really pretty. He seems a little suspicious of me, 'cause he stares at me and puffs himself up a lot. I'’ll try not to begrudge him the spot in my tree; I was rather fond of Clementine, she'’d lived in by window off and on for almost a year now and I liked watching the bright red gentlemen callers that stopped by from time to time. I have a suspicion that Martin/Carl/the Godpigeon (he's not a pigeon, but I love the Animaniacs, so perhaps the scientific inaccuracy would be permissible) drove her away. He is, however, starting to grow on me, and he'’s irresistibly cute when he grooms his feathers. I have officially welcomed him to the window shared by the tree and room 5.

There's also this lizard that crawls across my window screen from time to time. I've named him Gary. I don't know that it's the same one every time, but well, I'm assuming it is, because that would be cool. It interesting how many little animals are drawn to my window into their world. I do enjoy watching them though, even the little moths that somehow find their way in between the screen and glass and can't seem to find their way out. I don't usually name them though, I know they'll probably be dead by morning, so what's the point really.

Sometimes I wonder if they watch me as intensely as I watch them. I have been know to stare at Clementine for several minutes at a time (usually when I should be writing a paper, but that is besides the point). It's really relaxing to watch these creatures who just live in their simple lives and don't worry about much of anything. Their routines are always the same, no all nighters for them. They are constant, but still alive, and I am happy to share my window with them, as I glance into their world, and they glance into mine.