With Help Like This …

A Black-capped Chickadee inspects Susan's work

This morning was one of those times when working in the usual solitude of my desk didn’t seem to fit the reality of the day. Since I have a plethora of electronic toys (iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac, iBook, iBroke as the saying goes) I opted to work outside on the deck, knowing that a distraction or two might come along, but willing to pay the price.
Susan was busy doing the gardening stuff that never seems to get finished, along with cleaning and making some much-needed repairs to several of the bird feeders. In a word: It was so bucolic it was almost nauseous.
She had no sooner left for a birding adventure, leaving the repairs-in-progress for later, when a helper showed up. A family of Black-capped Chickadees decided this morning was a great time to introduce the kids to human-provided treats—and show the kids how to distract a human from what ever task is at hand.
The first adult hopped down to the table top and inspected the work on the feeder, so far. In true monkey see, monkey do fashion, the youngsters followed suit. One of the fledglings, Braveheart I called him, wanted to see the human up close. He inspected me while I fumbled with my iPad to get a photo. I’m not sure what the bird learned about me from the close encounter of the feathered kind. I, however, learned that as a camera, the iPad makes a pretty good writing instrument.
The chickadee circus lasted about an hour and was a welcome distraction.

And little Braveheart inspects me