Dine & Dash

Every week or so throughout the winter; a cacophony of cedar waxwings land en masse in the mountain ash tree just outside my home office. I hear them coming long before I see them. They number in the dozens and their target is the collection of frozen mountain ash berries left on the tree from the early frost this year. The scrabble and caterwaul for about three minutes and then take wing as a unit, I assume to raid someone else's winter large of the disgusting-tasting berries, the last thing resembling fruit handing on the trees around here.

It reminds me of Christmas chocolates. You take all the delicious ones first, the chewy caramels, the chocolate cashews. A week after Christmas, you're down to the candy coated ginger and the ones with that white runny stuff in them. They're awful, but you eat them anyway....