Lucy's Nest

Every spring I purposely brush Lucy on the back deck so that the her fur can be picked up by the birds, squirrels and other critters for nesting material. I also did this with our beloved Duffer who now resides in heaven. This provides hours of cheap entertainment not only for Lucy, but for the inside cats, too.

Yesterday I looked out of the window and saw a clump of something in the driveway and upon further inspection, with Lucy leading the way, we found a birds nest that was lined with Lucy's fur. She loved sniffing it and I'm sure wondered why her fur was inside the nest. I have found nests with Lucy and Duffer fur before, but never just sitting on the pavement like this one was. I suspect a critter or another bird (maybe a crow or starling) tore the nest down in search of eggs or just wanted the spot under the eve of the garage for their own nest.

The nest was in almost perfect condition with only some of the moss detached. I didn't find any eggs in or around the nest, so I hope the birds who built it will have time to build a new nest before they have to lay their eggs. Birds are amazing and I know they were the first basket makers as witnessed above by the meticulous workmanship in this wonderful nest.

Every time I see a beautifully constructed nest, I think back when my children were in preschool and I taught a class (more like show-and-tell in a circle at that age) about baskets and basket making. I would always start the class using a nest that was lined with Duffer fur and ask the children what it looked liked besides a nest. I would then go on and show them other kinds of baskets and demonstrate their uses including a Nantucket lightship basket that swayed back and forth like a light (I know they were made on lightships not to represent a lantern, but this kept the attention of four year old kids longer); a feather basket with a lid that would close quickly before the feathers could escape (lots of laughter with feathers flying everywhere with this one); a Appalachian egg basket with its unique butt shape to protect eggs (I hard boiled the eggs for this hands on demonstration); a birch bark basket that the children would have to guess what it was made of (they always got the answer right); and finally a pine needle basket which they never could figure out what it was made with or how it was made. It was fun to pass the baskets around in the circle of children and have them practice the baskets uses and discover the colors and textures of this ancient craft. I always wondered if a basket maker ever developed out of those group of children...I certainly hope so!

Have a great day and keep an eye out for the beautiful and unique nests that are everywhere this time of year!