There’s been much discussion around my house about the need (or not) to provide mealworms for the bluebirds and their babies. You will recall that’s something I’ve never done, amateur that I am at the entire bird-nesting thing. In fact, the birdhouse I bought on a whim turned out to be the wrong kind of birdhouse altogether—a decoration, for heaven’s sake—except that this Mama bluebird went right on in and built a little nest and laid five perfect blue eggs and is now doing her best, along with her faithful mate, to keep them all nourished, safe and alive.

And then along came Onyx, the blacksnake who shares the shrubbery bed with foo foo, the little brown rabbit. (Oh my.) And then that ol’ mean hawk who keeps dive-bombing our house and who we now believe attacked a nest of Morning Doves up on the roof. (There were feathers everywhere.) As if that weren’t ENOUGH, then there was that threat of intense severe weather, rain and hail and wild whipping winds and possible tornadoes and YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE HOW I SPENT TWO FULL DAYS WORRIED ABOUT THAT. Should I try to move the lightweight birdhouse which is simply sitting on top of a lightweight metal table on our downstairs open-air porch? Should I try to anchor the birdhouse with a brick in the underneath opening? Should I move the entire thing????

See?

Thankfully, the storms never materialized. And while I haven’t seen the snake in three or four days, I did see sweet foo foo just last night, foo foo the brown bunny who is not the slightest bit skiddish about me or my camera.

foo foo, the world’s friendliest bunny

I did spend some time down in the studio looking out the big window, hoping hoping hoping for a bluebird sighting. My heart longed for a little reassurance, just a glimpse of Mama or Papa coming or going, proof without intrusion that things are going okay for those babies.

It wasn’t long before she gave me the incredible gift of this confirmation.

Wow. Oh wow.

It took me a minute to catch my breath. Then I did a little dance in my studio, happy to have the birds nest, happy the babies have made it to Day 3, happy to be reminded there is nothing on earth more powerful—or beautiful—than a mother’s love.