Meet Gilbert

Jeff and I could retire right now if I had a nickel for every time I said, "We can't possibly handle any more 'pets' around here." And yet, we always seem to get just one more!

Today was no exception, but it was definitely something out of the ordinary! We were all out in the backyard playing when this strange bird started swooping down at us and trying to land on the girls' heads. Penny instantly went into protective mode and thought her duty was to protect her girls by lunging and snapping at the bird, and by default the girls' heads! I think it's safe to say we all screamed loud enough for everyone in a 20-block radius to hear. When I was finally able to get Penny inside, I shooed the girls in the front yard thinking we must have stumbled onto the bird's nest and got it all worked up. But that dang bird followed us and kept trying to land on our heads! Our screaming, clapping and frantic arm waving didn't phase it one bit!

Now, it should be said ... it's times like this when I'm ever so grateful for Jeff's ability to stay cool in the midst of what would seem a disaster! Upon rounding the corner and hearing all the commotion the three of us were stirring, he calmly chuckles and holds out his hand for the bird to land on. "It's just a baby robin - no worries!"  Ha! Easy to say when you're not the one being dive bombed, I guess!

And Jeff was right, there wasn't anything to worry about! For the remainder of the day, we got a little more acquainted to this new friend of ours, dubbed Gilbert, or Gill Bird as Addi calls him. We now think he's a young Starling, rather than a robin, but verdict's still out. Do you guys have any clue?

Whatever he is, he must have been imprinted on humans, as he is tamer than most pet birds. If we put him down in the grass, he instantly flies back to our shoulders or laps. He waddles through the grass after the girls like a lost little puppy dog - which is quite possibly the most adorable thing ever! When we finally managed to convince Hannah and Adelaide to come inside for a few minutes to clean up and have lunch, Gilbert sat just outside the window squawking at us until we came back out to him.

Gilbert driving Penny nuts just outside the window while we ate lunch.

Later in the afternoon, we ever-so-briefly went into the house through the back door to get a snack, and then came out the front door to say hello to neighbors, and Gilbert flew around the corner of the house at lightening speed in order to land on my shoulder before both feet hit the first step!

Cute as this may be, I was getting a bit worried about the 20-minute feeding schedule Gilbert was demanding! But, after doing a little reading on what and how often baby birds eat, we were relieved to discover that he can catch ants, box-elder bugs and spiders on his own while playing with us in the grass, so hopefully he'll just need a little boost from us for a day or two until he can make it on his own in the wild.

But what a reminder at just how wonderful it is to live in the moment! When we woke up this morning, we had planned to stain part of the deck and maybe replace a garage window or two today. (We really know how to live the high life, I know!) Now that evening has set in, of course none of those projects even got a consideration! Instead, we have spent almost every minute catering to a very gentile Gilbert and basking in the girls' laughter! The two of them dug up countless worms for him, picked raspberries from their treasured garden patch and helped cut up cherries into little pieces to drop down into his very large mouth.

It has truly been a remarkable day!