Nice try, Nature

       Yesterday morning, while walking Olympia, I heard an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. 

       It was a lovely sound -- pleasing and melodious despite the fact that it was simply one note, sounding over and over again. 

       Then, a few moments later, I heard another bird song. This was not one I knew, and was complicated and multi-toned.  I looked for the source and saw an unfamiliar type of bird perched on a building light fixture across the street. If I was more aware of bird species, I might been thrilled to identify it, but instead I just watched. 

       And then the bird, still standing on the light fixture, started to flap and flap its wings, as if saying "Lookatmelookatmelookatme".  

       Were these birds and birdsongs here all along, just waiting to be noticed? Or was this some kind of trick of nature, trying to lure me into thinking I might actually enjoy this month? I half expected Bambi to come tiptoeing out from behind a dumpster.  

       Instead, I noticed that Olympia had pooped on some nearby grass while I was mesmerized by the strange bird.

       As I picked up her deposit, I felt life shifting back to normal.

       So if it was a trick, Nature, it isn't going to work. I'll be a lot more difficult to win over than that.

       And to prove it, while walking Olympia this morning, I failed to notice any birds at all.