BIRDHOUSE ENVY

I pulled on my tall rubber boots then grabbed my sweatshirt before walking to the back door. “I'm headed out to do some house cleaning!” I said to my husband Steven as I passed him in the kitchen.

He had all the ingredients for a turkey and Swiss sandwich laid out in front of him. “Okay.” He said as he pulled two slices of bread from the wrapper.

I stopped at the back door and looked over at him. “Aren't you going to ask me why I'm leaving the house to do house cleaning?”

Steven looked up and slowly shook his head, he'd just dipped his knife in the mayo jar and had stopped, holding the knife in mid-air with the mayo on it. “I wasn't. But now that you want me to I will.”

I couldn't help but smile. “I'm going to clean out the bird house.” I walked over to the kitchen window to look at our little wooden birdhouse tucked in the woods. “I love that we've had a family in there every Spring.” I zipped up my sweatshirt and headed to the back door again. “If I do it today it'll make me feel like Spring is coming!”

“It's January you know.” Steven laughed.

“I know. But it's not that cold out today so it's the perfect time. I don't want to forget and then our house finches find someplace else to raise their family.”

“They could always use the new birdhouse I got you for Christmas.”

That made me stop. “I feel a little guilty about that new birdhouse.” I admitted.

“What?” Steven had finished making his sandwich and was headed to the kitchen table. “That birdhouse is beautiful! I thought you loved it?”

“I do!” I said as I followed him to the table and sat down with him. “It is beautiful! I love the copper roof and the lines of it are gorgeous!” I cried. “That's why I wanted to hang it in the front yard, so everyone could see it!”

“So, why do you feel guilty?”

“Well,” I shrugged my shoulders. “I kind of feel like we've changed the real estate in the neighborhood. Our backyard birdhouse is more of a working class house, simple and functional. But our new front yard birdhouse is like taking a stroll in a million dollar neighborhood.” I looked at Steven as he took a bite of his sandwich. “What if the back yard birds start to envy the front yard bird family?”

Steven swallowed then shook his head and started to laugh before he took another bite of his sandwich.

I shrugged my shoulders as I got up and went to the back door. I was finally ready to head out and get my house cleaning done when I stopped to add one more thought. “I have to admit when I unwrapped the new one on Christmas I really did think that whoever moves in it will feel like they've got the best house in the neighborhood!”