It’s spring here in the heart of Texas and that means Mockingbirds. In the morning. In the afternoon. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Yes, seriously. These things sit up in the tree and sing at the top of their vocal beaks at 3 a.m. Sometimes one will go for an hour. In the distance, you can hear another one answer. Sometimes it’s midnight, sometimes, it’s 2 a.m. THEY DON’T CARE about us humans trying to sleep.

With the nice weather, I sleep with the windows open, but the Mockingbirds…well, they mock that effort. Last night around 2:30 a.m. Junior asked to go out. What the heck, who can sleep with all the racket going on anyway? I instructed him succinctly, “Take care of that bird. I don’t care what you do to it, just shut it the H*** up.” I whispered these important instructions so as to not wake husband.

When I went back to the bedroom, husband was awake. Who can sleep with all the racket going on anyway? I told him about my evil plan. “I instructed Junior to shut that bird up.”

The bell rang, indicating Junior had finished his “Must eat before leaving the house” and gone out. Not ten seconds later, the bird…shut up!!!!

Husband said. “Hmm. I think Junior shut that bird up.”
“He never listens to me.” I was secretly delighted.
“He did this time.”
“Cool!”

I don’t know what Junior did. The bird was in a tree. It was a full moon. Junior can and does climb trees. No, I did not look for feathers in the morning. I’m just so thrilled that bird shut up, I don’t want to know.