Bath Time! Everybody In!

It's bath time for the gulls and therapy for me.

I said goodbye to my friend Margie this morning as she left to return home to California and then I headed home. We had a wonderful time together and already have made plans for me to visit her early next year.

The gull photo session therapy has been necessary because I arrived home to find that my landlords have imposed a prohibition on feeding ANY birds, no matter what shape, size or color.

A couple months ago they asked to stop feeding the neighborhood pigeons because they were getting a little annoying. I could understand the request because I was overdoing it, and so I stopped. Of course, other people feed the pigeons so they're not going anywhere, but the objective is not to draw them to "our" yard. I contented myself by putting a couple of suet cakes out for the little sparrows and a few peanuts for the blue jays and the crows. This, sadly has been construed as my open invitation for every flying thing to invade the yard, hence the prohibition. So, I can no longer feed the sparrows, the blue jays, the crows or the northern flicker or anything else.

It seems petty to be upset about it but I am. Feeding the birds was a small pleasure that I enjoyed and it certainly seemed harmless enough. I've been made to feel as though I'm intentionally destroying my landlords' house and that I'm responsible for every dollop of bird poop that falls from the sky, apparently one step short of the damage I could inflict by operating a meth lab in the bathroom.

I lobbied to keep the suet cake but was overruled because the occasional pigeon will scavenge for the scraps that fall from the feeder. Peanuts were vetoed, even though the pigeons don't touch them, because they bring the crows and we don't want ANY birds on the property.

The sad ending to this that my landlady suggested that if I didn't like the idea of not feeding the birds perhaps I should move. It seems overkill to me to consider losing a responsible, rent paying tenant over this. Maybe it's also irrational of me to consider moving, but now there are bad feelings and I'm not going to live in fear that I'll be formally evicted (I see enough of that in court), or that they will raise the rent to an amount I could no longer afford. They are adamant that the place is overrun with birds and that it is my fault.

So, I'll begin the hunt for a new place. It's only a matter of time until feeding the squirrels is prohibited and Pippin is barred from the property. I don't want to be around for that.

This is very upsetting. Thanks for listening.