Cleaning House

  The rains kept me housebound today so there was no hiking about the hillside.  My outdoor time was minimal.  I would step out the door just long enough to grab another armload of firewood for the old woodstove.  It was doing a fine job ob keeping the chill away but needed stoking often.  I was certainly glad that I had the opportunity to take a leisurely stroll yesterday because I would be a fine mess of stir-craziness today had I not.  Instead, I baked, wrapped gifts and cleaned house in preparation of Christmas.

  Yesterday, someone else was busy cleaning house.  A quick flutter in top of the old black gum tree told me that the red-bellied woodpecker was quite busy.  Without stopping to acknowledge my presence, the bird worked on her nesting hole.  No, she is not planning on having a brood any time soon but is clearing out and preparing her site for herself.  She will spend the cold, wintry nights bedded down in the snug nest.  Yesterday, she was pulling out old nesting material, hammering a new escape route and making general repairs to her hole.  New grasses, mosses and leaves were being brought in to line her own little home.  She was preparing her "she-shed" for the winter.  Come spring, if she decides to reuse the same hole, she will, once again, gut the inside and rebuild her nest.  Everything will be tossed as she remodels!  Out with the old and in with the new!

  I watched for a bit and thought of how thankful I am that this bird will have a snug, cozy nest to sleep in during the winter months.  With the cold rains of today and tomorrow, I am sure she is thankful as well.  A little work on her part will keep her well protected.