Midwest Mary

I would never have guessed this to have happened. Elmer picked up his family and left the property without a word. No good-bye. No discussion about damages to the house or how to handle his security deposit. Not one family photo with the little ones.

Nothing.

One day, Irma was in and out of the house feeding the chicks. The next day, everyone was gone. I doubt I’ll hear from Elmer or Irma again, not even in a Christmas card.

When I first noticed the house was quiet, I thought the family went out for flying lessons or a bite to eat. But evidently, that was not so, because no one has returned.

The Wren family is now the talk of the town.

House Finch said the quick getaway was Irma’s idea. She may be correct. After all Elmer and I have been through, I don’t believe he wanted things to end this way. We had a solid friendship.

Or so I thought. Maybe I really didn’t know the guy. Perhaps he wasn’t the wren I thought he was.

Goldfinch said Elmer did the same thing last year to another neighbor before moving into my birdhouse.

Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe said I should have known better. But then, with a name like Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe, that creature thinks he knows everything.

Honestly, I’m disappointed and sad.

I wonder if the little ones will return to where it all began next spring. They may come to start their own families here. And you know me. I don’t hold grudges. I’ll rent to them. After all, they’re not responsible for their parents’ actions.

But I guess, I can’t expect any better from the young ones than from their parents. Who would have taught them any differently?

**Photos by Mary K. Doyle

**Here are other posts on Elmer. You might want to check them out.

“Elmer the Songster Wren”
“Update on Elmer”
“Elmer, Sylvia, and the Mess They Made”
“The Return of Elmer”
“Elmer’s Got a Girl”

©2024, Mary K. Doyle