Here’s a totally random post for your Saturday morning, mostly because it’s a little piece of our summer I don’t want to forget!
A few weeks ago, Jeremy and I had a sweet little visitor, this mourning dove, who made himself at home on our porch for a couple of weeks.
We think he had some kind of minor injury, as he was definitely big enough to be managing on his own, but refused to stray too far. I watched as he flew a bit here and there, but it was more of a hover and then he’d plop right back down where he began.
It was so neat watching his mama come a few times a day to check in on and feed him. And while she would always dart away when we needed to step outside, he gradually came to almost greet us when we passed him by. We also loved hearing the frequent calls between him and his family while he was here.
Because we felt like we were becoming such good friends, we decided we should name him. And he looked like a Joey, I thought. : )
So, Joey hung around long enough to heal and get his strength back. Every few days, I refilled a little container with water for him (and cleaned up after him.) We were feeling weirdly proud in the moment we got to see him, finally brave enough, take off at sunset on a beautiful summer evening.
I maybe got a little teary eyed when he didn’t come back the next day, and when I realized that, in his place on the empty swing, there sat a single, bitty, Joey feather.
Have you had any birds (or other wild animals) making themselves at home in your surroundings, or coming by for frequent visits? Do you insist on naming them like I do?
And, if you’re into animal symbolism like I am, you can bet I was feeling good about having Joey around, given what I discovered the mourning dove represents (it’s not gloomy at all, as the name might imply.) Read more about that here!
xo, Aly