Bed and Breakfast

When the warmer weather arrives, my hubby and I like to take our morning coffee out to the back porch.  We gaze out at the yard, planning our next project.  We love gardening, and the yard is our little piece of heaven, ever-changing, evolving, affirming our connection to the earth.

On one of these blissful mornings, I noticed that the chickadees weren't at the hanging feeder just outside the screened window.  Their chatter and playfulness usually keep us entertained through breakfast.  I took a closer look, and was shocked to see a small fur ball at the bottom of the feeder.  This feeder, made of wood and designed to look like a three-story bird house is capable of holding seeds, and has small holes that aren't really meant for doors, but were apparently used as such the night before!

We took the feeder down from the hook to get a better look.  This apparently woke our friend who began to stretch and investigate what all the fuss was about.

It seems that the little guy, out looking for a midnight snack found himself a cosy bed and breakfast, and ate so much that the hole through which he crawled got smaller!

This photo was taken moments before he leapt out to freedom, assisted by my husband who graciously lifted the roof off to let him out with a warning.  Much to our surprise (and delight, quite honestly!), the cute ball of fur was found sleeping there again a few days later.  He did not, however, care to leave so quickly this time and stayed until nap time was over.