Have I Told You About Our Dove?

This is Habigail and Nanook. They started squatting in that flowerpot that used to hold crops such as ficus plants about 2.5 weeks ago. It was the day after I had just started to plan the escape garden. Those are their huevos (family portrait).

Habigail pretending I can't see her (I can).

SHE'S NOT TOUCHING THE BREAD I LEFT FOR HER!
It's because mourning doves are essentially seed eaters. Oh.

So I got to the New Age pet food store in the East Village and get her some bird seed. Neither she nor Nanook, who apparently comes to sit on their huevos too at night (nature's lesson in equality between sexes if ever there was one), neither of them touches the seed and then I start to get nervous I have opened them up to all kinds of predators including but not limited to squirrels, lions, ocelot, and anything else that can get up my fire escape. Doves must be really tough, because no predators came up the fire escape, not even the squirrel who plants his walnuts (his name is Paulie Walnuts) to kill HAbigail or Nanook and scramble or poach their eggs.

She sat there throughout all kinds of weather conditions.
Poor little soaking wet Habigail!

I started to work out there, planting pansies and scabiosa and phlox and nasturtium, kale seeds went in, clematis went back outside where it had bloomed all winter in my dining room, roses got themselves pruned, tomato plant got punched down, sage, basil, poppies, geranium, sweet peas, strawberries, iris, etc. 
Did I mention it's a really small fire escape? Think, Hanging Gardens ala Nebuchadnezzar. Because that's what I do.

Icky is confused.

Mama bird is non-plussed. 

And one hour later from the minute I set down the words,
"WHEN WILL THESE GODDAMN HUEVOS HATCH ALREADY?" The huevos hatcheded! See the little guys under there? The ones that look like like little grey ducks? God I hope they're not ducks but if they were, how magnanimous would Habigail be to foster duck eggs like that? Amazing. But they are indeedy little doves.

A few days ago and just in time for Mother's Day we welcome to the world Lulah and Horten, named for my friends in Paris, Hortensia who passed away in February and her granddaughter who loved and must miss her very much. 
We have given this Spring it's due, full of nature and intrigue and little bits of life, popping out and life-ing up. 

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY HABIGAIL and also
to everyone who gives anything of themselves
and cares for and about anything at all.