Homeless Love Birds

Our gutters get cleaned today. This makes me a little sad, actually. There's a a young bird couple starting a family in them. I've been watching them from my deck. One flies out finds a twig or piece of plastic, swoops back up, and the love birds decide what to do with it. I'm guessing they have bird babies on the way? Is that when bird grown-ups build homes? Either way, it's been fascinating to watch.

I appreciate that the birds use what's around them. Sure they'd rather have a cashmere-lined, polycarbon, two-story loft overlooking a worm farm. But they have my gutter and the random pieces of stuff scattered about my yard. To be fair, I guess we have a pretty nice bird bath that they're within swooping distance of. It's been fun, dare I say inspiring watching their shopping trips for quasi-suitable, building materials.

I dare say inspiring because the birds made me ask the question, "what or whom do I have around me, right now, that I could be building something with? " Are there trends or patterns that I could be noticing that point to something specific? I had this vendor show up to work yesterday and offer to design our events for us. I told him that we kind of exist to get volunteers involved in the game. I told him if we have a volunteer who shows up with painting/illustrating/kickboxing skills we'll do something with that. After I said that I wondered how true it was. Do I craft things based on what's naturally around me or do I craft things first and then go looking? Is one better than the other?

Anyways, those poor birds will be evicted by this afternoon. I have a hunch they'll be alright. Unless those babies are coming tomorrow. Then they might be screwed. Somebody call Oprah.