The Prettybirds @ Home

Across the way, one flight down next to an airconditioning unit, a pigeon has made a nest. She has sat for several days now. She is so still I didn't notice her at first. Then a larger pigeon came close to my window observing her from the fire escape railing. I called to him, "Hi, Mr. Prettybird! Coo, coo, coo." Unafraid, he turned to examine me which he has done every time we meet. I named the family, The Prettybirds. Then, I added Lester and Lena. There is one egg in the nest as far as I can tell. I'm giving it the name Abe and Abbie if it turns out to be a double yoker.  Why Abe? Perhaps it is because on Memorial Day, WQXR played a theme used by Ken Burns in his Civil War documentary. Oh how it haunts me! Naming has been a longtime hobby. I love the way Native Americans name themselves: Runs Fast as the Wind or Heals Like a Willow. Action names. And how descriptive the ancient Chinese were: August Heaven. Can't you smell the perfume of late summer flowers and hayricks? An ancestor of mine had several children of which my favorite was, "Garden Valley." An early memory is hearing a missionary reading a Bible story in which Adam's job was naming the animals in the Garden. I wanted that job! Very few friends have gone Unrenamed. There is something "chosen" about giving a friend a pet name. At the latest hourly quick-check, Abe and or Abbie have not arrived. I wait patiently to see the little eyes and for the day he will become Flies Like a Messenger or she will become Sings with the Sparrows.

...may the company of beasts large and small be yours...