Sometime on Thursday (exactly as I had calculated!) I noticed that Mama Robin was flying off the nest more frequently. On Friday morning, I saw a worm hanging from her beak. Ah! The babies have arrived.

I’ve seen both Mom and Dad feed the babies. There are at least 2 babies – maybe 3. When Mama was off on a worm mission, I opened the door to see if I could hear any peeps. They may be peeping but with all the other bird song around here, I couldn’t hear them. As I shut the door (camera not in hand) I saw little tiny open beaks. Of course, the minute I grabbed the camera, they disappeared. I did manage to get this shot:

See the little pink beak?  Tasty worm = happy baby bird.

Both Mom and Dad were on feeding duty in this shot.

Tired yet beautiful Mom.

I spend a ridiculous amount of time with camera in hand, lurking by the door, trying not to spook Mom. Patience is required. Lots of it. And then I have to leave for rehearsal. It’s not fair of the powers-that-be to expect me to work, is it?

Today is supposed to be rainy. Mom and Dad will be happy: lots of worms!

I don’t know if I’ve ever done a Random post on a Thursday… it usually seems to fall on Wednesday or Friday. Time to shake things up a little. (This is about as daring as I get.)

:: Chloe is with me on this trip. For those of you who are newer readers of this blog, Chloe accompanies on all my longer coaching stints. A few years back, I had to be away from MHC for 6 months. Yes, you read that correctly. I was a mess at the thought of being away from my husband and dogs for that long. Don, knowing me all too well, decided that Chloe should go along for the ride. I don’t know about you, but I need something to cuddle.

:: Chloe is sitting on the sofa in the above photo. Our company manager has done a nice job of temporarily decorating this apartment and I’m grateful. But all these beigey earth tones are getting to me. I miss my colorful home. (It ain’t so easy styling a photo for the blog, either!)

:: Big news: I am now driving a new rental car. It would be impossible to underestimate how this has changed my life here. No more obsessive looks at the gas gauge. No more wondering if the car will start. No more driving with the windows shut so I don’t have to smell the exhaust pouring from the rear of the car. The theater really listened. Thank you.

:: Because of this change in car status, I drove to a neighboring town yesterday. I didn’t have to worry about how much gas would be sucked out of the tank on a 19 mile jaunt. There were supposed to be 3 antique shops there. Farming seems to be the lifeblood of some of these towns and I fear the economy has taken its toll. Only one was still open. I saw a few interesting items and the owners had two dogs which always makes me smile. I may go back. Once again, I didn’t take any photos because it was raining. Someday… I promise you.

:: Speaking of farming, this morning I saw a lone golfer on the course. He was probably in his seventies. He had on one of those John Deere-like caps, a flannel shirt and overalls. He looked like he’d just climbed down from his tractor and decided to hit the links. Adorable.

:: Mama is still sitting on the nest. Any day now. I’ll keep you posted.

:: I couldn’t get to sleep for a long time last night. We had evening rehearsal, so I didn’t get home until late. Then I proceeded to read my mystery in bed. I read too long. I find that I cannot go past a certain moment of all-enveloping sleepiness. If I do, then I’m suddenly wide awake. That’s what happened. All the images from my reading were racing around in my head and just wouldn’t go away.

:: Thank you for all the wonderful comments about my last post. I love hearing your thoughts. I’m wondering if I should add a new category to the tabs at the top of my blog. Perhaps it should be called ‘Rants?’ Or maybe I should go with something less obvious.