Doves at the Feeding Table

At the back end of our garden, underneath the fruit trees, we have an old wooden table that became the place where I started to put the birdseed for the about eight or nine different  type of birds that come to feed from it. Of course, the squirrels are invited  and eagerly show up each day. My favorite birds are the mourning doves, who show up in quiet pairs, and eat silently , slowly. Our dog Yara, who just turned three in April, loves to watch the birds land and eat, and then decide, with great relish and anticipation, which of the birds she will chase up in to the trees again. It is a wonderful time in the morning for her and for me, before the white noise of the freeway in the distance kicks in and all the human made mechanical noises of cars and trucks and motor cycles in the neighborhood begin their daily grind. In the late afternoon, if some of the more greedy squirrels ate all the seeds before the rest of the smaller birds get a chance, Yara accompanies me to put out more seeds, also for the very young squirrels who have to wait their turn until the adults of more status are done. My husband made the astute and accurate observation that my feeding the birds and squirrels may also attract less desirable creatures. There is no denying that, and I am not talking about the opossums and the raccoons, some of which became friends of mine, but we are talking about rats. I have seen one, a rather nice looking one at that, with a rather pretty coat. Yara chased it back in to the forest last night. It got me to thinking how sometimes we choose not to do something good, because it might benefit someone we think does not deserve our good deed. Well, the way I see it, the good and the bad are intertwined in the human and animal experience. By feeding the doves, I attract the occasional rat. Seems about right, when I draw the line further and think about the people we deal with in our lives. It is hard to find good people without occasionally pulling in a rat. I find I sleep better if I don't worry about the rat, and just enjoy the doves in my life. There is plenty for every one, both in my garden , and in my heart.