Aprons Gone Wild

Our own little bundle of Joy...

Just this past week while we were busy and preoccupied enjoying the company of our Vermont daughter and our Ohio daughter and her family, I noticed a tiny, gray ball of feathers nestled under the hedge in front of our condo. A closer look revealed a good size yet obviously young, gray dove. She didn't move when I came closer so I left her there with the intent to check on her later. As soon as she heard the slap of the screen door closing, she hopped over to the grassy area and revealed a broken or deformed leg. She'd try to fly off but couldn't get a good lift off the leg and once she was airborn, she couldn't land well with only the one good foot. As the day wore on, several of our neighbors joined in the effort to care for her, some even putting out bread crumbs so she wouldn't starve. We named her, "Joy."

Doves apparently take good care of each other and are usually seen in pairs. Eventually, we noticed that the mother and father of our little "Joy" were hovering and hopping around, keeping a close eye on their injured offspring. They even came and fed her. It became quite a sight to see Joy trying to lift off and then settle on something with Mom and Dad close by in case she missed her landing. Not much different than a set of human parents watching their offspring try and ride their first two wheel bike.

Joy is still out front where we are all keeping a close eye on her. I have faith in this little dove, that she will soon lift off and make it to a tree branch where she'll be safe from prey. But I do wonder what her future holds? How does a wounded dove find a mate and carry on a dove's cycle of life? We'll all be keeping a lookout to see if she survives and remains in our midst. She'll be easy to spot, that's for sure.

I didn't get much work done these past ten days with the daughters here but I got lots of sun and beach time. The most recent aprons are posted and two of them were sold to a good friend and neighbor here who is bringing them home to Canada as gifts. One was a lovely deep blue batik and the other was "Miss Modern Mauve," already pictured in an earlier post. The newest blue apron is a really pretty print with shell buttons on the bib and pocket that I have named, "Blue Medley." It's bright and happy and as blue as the sky is here in sunny Florida right now. It's looking like another great day is in store.

Be sure to check out all our aprons and tops at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/