Cue the Doves

Yesterday afternoon I stood in my upstairs bathroom folding and sorting laundry and as I moved back and forth between the washer and the dryer, I stepped delicately.

And I thought to myself, "I wonder if I am the only woman on earth at this moment who is folding laundry with a white ring-neck dove pecking around on her bathroom floor."

This morning in a sleepy stupor, I heard the rustling of children downstairs. Moments later, I awoke to hushed giggles beside my bed, and opened my eyes to a dove preening her feathers on my pillow.

And I thought to myself, "I wonder if I am the only woman on earth waking up to a white ring-neck dove nesting on her pillow."

So before you begin to think that I've started smoking strange substances, I should probably back up and explain myself.

On Saturday, the girls and I made a quick roadtrip to my sister's house for the final leg of this on-going Christmas celebration. (Am I the only one with a few lingering Christmas gifts still to give?) My sister and I have been coordinating this giving of doves for awhile.

She works in a vet office and often comes home with the odd animal that needs some rehabilitation or extra care and Chloe the dove has been in her charge for awhile. It was at Thanksgiving that I mentioned Emma was saving up for a dove and she said she had one and wanted to give it to Emma for Christmas.

Of course we didn't want to leave Mary out, so we found another friend, and Chloe and Snowflake have now taken up residence in my kitchen.

The girls are obsessed, which may be an understatement. The doves spend more time out of their cage than in. Chloe rides around the house in Mary's arms like a queen, nestled down on a soft pillow. This morning I checked emails while she sat on my chest, preening her feathers and pecking at my buttons.

I've decided that I am now all about the menagerie. The chickens, the guineas, the finches, the doves. Bring on the turtles, the sheep, the ponies, the hamsters. What's childhood without a little animal kingdom craziness? right? anyone?