THE JEWISH MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY

[editor’s note: This little story originated with Jack naming the Mockingbirds that came every year to raise their broods in the pear trees. Inspiration for the characters came from Jack’s own family.]i

Some years ago there was a Jewish mockingbird family that lived in our pear tree every spring. Sol and Sally Mockingbird worked diligently building their nest with twigs, grass, leaves, and bits of colorful string that I left out for them. Sally laid her pretty little blue spotted eggs and then sat on them for the required couple of weeks while Sol defended their territory by divebombing marauding cats, dogs, other birds and any human that happened to come too close. When he wasn’t defending the home front, he was busy gathering food for Sally and building the next nest the couple would use that spring. When the little Mockingbirds hatched, Sol and Sally worked tirelessly to keep them fed until it was time for Sol to teach them to fl y and Sally to lay the next batch of eggs over in the nearby pear tree. Then tragedy struck! One morning, as I was driving out I saw Sol lying on the side of the road with both his little legs stuck in the air. He had been hit by a car. I jumped out and picked him up. He was as stiff as a board. Dead as a doorknob. It is customary in the Jewish religion to bury the dead before sundown on the day of their death, so I got the shovel and immediately buried him at the base of his pear tree where a patch of bluebonnets bloomed. Poor Sally. Widowed with three newly hatched chicks. What was she to do? It was still chilly in the evenings and her babies, their little eyes still closed, weak, naked and helpless, needed her to cover them with her warm body for at least another week or so. Of course, their voracious appetites had to be satisfi ed, too. That had been Sol’s job in addition to his homeland security job. Word went out to the other Mockingbirds in the area, and they began arriving to sit Shiva for the next seven days. They brought grasshoppers, worms and other delicacies for Sally and the kids and took turns singing and mocking wheel barrow creaks. As Sol had always greeted every morning sitting atop the light pole proudly going through his repertoire while fl uttering up and down in the air, his older brother fi lled that spot for the seven days of mourning. He didn’t do as good a job of fl uttering as Sol had, being somewhat of a klutz and missing the post top several times, but he gave it his all. As all the visiting birds returned to their own lives and families at the end of the traditional mourning period, Sally was overcome with the responsibilities facing her. How would she ever be able to do it all by herself? The Mockingbird family was not rich. There was no insurance to hire a nanny for the chicks while Sally foraged for food, plus the added responsibility of laying another clutch of eggs in the next nest Sol had prepared for them. She hung her little head and her feathers drooped as she was overcome with grief and longing for Sol, but she took a deep breath, and picked herself up saying, “Lethargy will get me nowhere. There’s only one way to handle this situation. Work it off !” And with that, Sally got busy catching bugs and grasshoppers for the kids. About that time, Sol’s bachelor brother, Marvin, started fl ying by with the occasional worm or especially nice seed. Sally, never one to “roost around,” hesitated to get too friendly with Marvin. She did like him, and thought he had exceptionally beautiful plumage and a glorious beak, but it was just so soon after Sol’s death and she was still numb from her loss. She sure could use the help, though. The chicks were getting their big-bird feathers and Sally really needed a partner to teach them to fl y and protect them while they hopped around on the ground. Spring continued its glorious march through a new cycle of life. The mares were having foals with their little ears plastered close to their heads as they lay in the sun drying while their mommas licked and nuzzled them. The spring fl owers were a riot of color. The trees were a beautiful shade of lime green. Sally just had to get on with her life. She had another clutch of eggs to incubate and chicks to raise. This was not possible without a mate. As the days passed, Marvin continued to help out, never pushing himself on Sally. He sang and creaked his heart out, appearing early every morning on top of the light pole, hopping, jumping and fl uttering as he never had before. He was very much in love with Sally and more than willing to take on his brother’s family if only Sally would have him. Sally had begun to take Marvin’s daily presence for granted and when he didn’t appear one morning, she was devastated. She just couldn’t imagine her life continuing without him. Late that afternoon, Marvin appeared explaining that he had been looking for a new site for the next nest and time had just gotten away from him. Sally was so relived she fell into his open wings. This was a bird she could spend the rest of her life with.