IN THE MIDST OF WINTER.....

This past summer I had two morning doves decide that the flower box hanging from my balcony was the perfect place to lay their eggs and hatch them. Right there within a foot of where I  sit with my cup of coffee every morning.

These little moms sat on their eggs, keeping them warm and out of view from the crows that sometimes hang around the neighborhood. They never left their nest for the 2 weeks waiting for their eggs to hatch.  Then the little ones would be fed and groomed another 2 weeks before they were ready to try flying.

It was an awesome sight watching them. Once they were big enough to leave alone the mom would go looking for food. When the mom would fly away to get the little ones food, I would sneak in a handful of bird seed in the corner of the flower box just to help the mom along.

Each day the little baby birds grew larger and stronger. Every day I checked on their progress, making sure they had made it through the night. I was amazed at how quickly they grew feathers and how big they grew in the few weeks they stayed. I could get almost close enough to touch them.

One day I got too close, Momma bird flew away and to my surprise the babies followed her! When had they learned to fly? They stayed around my house another week, first in the flower box and then around the yard. And then one day, they were gone. They may still be around, I just don't know it's them.

During all my sneak feedings to the moms, it appears they had missed a sunflower seed. 

Now it is late November, the air has turned cold and all the leaves have fallen from the trees. But in the midst of winter coming on, an unusual site is found.... a single sunflower blooming in my flower box.

Just a simple reminder that new life can happen at any time, not just in the spring and  sometimes when you least expect it.