I really wonder why other people want me out in the nature…

 

I'm a distinct indoors human being

- which I find different opinions about

- depending on if you are a psychologist

- or me.

I can easily spend all time indoor for months, if I have enough

coffee - bread - and cigarettes. 

 

"You do need some fresh air" I'm told by the ones, who think they know better.

And when I answer them: "That air I have on my balcony"

they send me eyes with compassion

- in the very same way they would if I had a serious sickness

- of that kind you can die of.

 

Even of this missing need to mix with others

- I can feel close to the nature.

On my balcony there can be happy days.

Just take the spring - some years ago.

 

 

 

 

To my great pleasure a couple of blackbirds

started build a nest under the roof of my balcony.

I'm not that observant, that I can see the different between blackbird-couple

- and I did have some other work to do,

therefore I didn’t look at the blackbirds every second

so when I saw 2 started nests I was very clever thinking:

"Oh…they build terraced house - how socially".

 

Later I was told, that blackbirds build 2 nests to fool the cat or the fox.

Those blackbirds didn't know that the fox don't come at a first floor balcony.

 

The couple laid eggs - 3 of them. 

 

Because of the place of the nest I needed a mirror to count the eggs

- otherwise my head would turn against the roof.

3 blackbird-babies came out of the eggs

- and when the babies where alone at home I took a chair to look at them.

It was for sure, that the babies was told to hide, if some stranger came along

- but one of the babies was just as curious as I

- a little tousled fellow with morning-hair.

I did enjoy getting eye-contact with him.

 

A very busy time came along with the babies for those blackbird-parent.

 

One day I heard a different sound from the balcony and saw to my big worry

that one of the babies was on the balcony-table.

The baby was so little - too little and was almost without "clothes".

 

Once I did learn (as child) that you may not touch a bird-baby,

if you do, the parent will not know their babies anymore,

that’s why I didn’t' took the baby to the nest.

I felt awful - and was thinking:

"If that is the cost of being close to the nature - I will not pay"

and I decided that when the blackbird left

I would through their "terraced house" away.

 

Then one parent came back

- placed herself at the balcony and looked at her baby.

She turned around and called all over the country.

I was sure, that she called for her husband,

 that he had to hurry back, because they was in big trouble with their baby,

which wasn’t big enough to be on his own wings.

 

But her husband didn't arrive - and the next day all the family was gone.

Then I thought that the call all over the country must have been:

"You don't need to bring more food,

now our children is big enough to be on their own, and we can relax".

 

I didn't through the blackbird-terraced house away

- after all I had got more pleasure than worry,

having these visitors on my balcony.

 

 

 

Next spring another blackbird-couple moved in.

I'm sure it was another couple because of their parent-behaviour.

 

After collecting the nest they moved in and made 5 eggs (I saw them in a mirror).

As the spring before I sneaked

 to see how many babies there was

 - when they was alone at home (5 babies of 5 eggs).

 

Also those babies was told to hide if they saw un-inspected visitors

- and they did

- except one (as the spring before).

I saw an extreme little one too

- and I wasn't sure if she would survived this summer.

 

But all the babies made it.

 

Unlike the blackbird-couple from spring before,

these parent (the mother I presume) did

whatever they could to help all their babies.

 

4 of the babies felt on the table - down on the floor - was coaxed up on the bench

- up on the border, from where they could through themselves on their wings.

 

But the youngest wasn't that easy

- and just for make more work for the mother,

the baby looked around in my living-room (by mistake)

- she ran along the panelling under the radiator

- and to the corner between the wall and the bookcase.

Of course I stopped what I was doing to help the little one out to her mother

which was waiting with worry

- a worm and some calling-sounds.

 

It is maybe hard to believe, but the baby had a beak as sharp as an awl

- and I didn't want my hands near that beak.

That’s why I took a towel to through over the bird.

That was the way we catch my fathers canaries

when we want them back in their cage

- after sightseeing in the living-room.

 

But it didn't work this time

- that little one didn't gave me space enough.

I also was surprised how fast it could run along the panelling.

 

After some hunting I managed to get the mother and baby combined

- and the mother went on coax the baby on the bench

- then to the border (after several try) and out in the world.

 

Later that year a balcony-painter through the nest away. 

 

 

  

 And what about the little crow, which sit on the gutter of the balcony?

He stretched his neck to get bread  -and came to me several times every day.

I managed to coax him on the border, as I told him:

"If you want anything from me, you have to come down here".

I even teach him to eat from my hand.

 

" I'm not sure I want this to develop in such a way,

that he enters living-room" my husband said.

 

But who feed the crow-kid with cheese?

And who was it to blame that the very same crow-kid wanted cheese every day?

 

It wasn't all kind of cheese he enjoyed.

It had to be fat, and not too tasty (as the Danish "Gudrun").

He also wanted bread.

But his favorite was the border of toast-bread with "Gudrun".

 

If I had friends visiting me and he felt overlooked

- he told me with his "kra-kra".

He supervised me if I was in the kitchen, and if I didn't see him

waiting and walking at the balcony-border - right away

he let me know by sitting on the cornice and knock at the kitchen-window.

 

He also sit on the balcony-chair from which he could knock at the window

and look into the living-room.

And when he saw me come closer he flew to the balcony-border from where he

walked impatient from side to side.

 

It was so funny observing him.

If I had put some bread and cheese on the border and a magpie or a seagull

- which was much bigger than him - came near him

- he blow himself up -and looked very danger.

He always made the distance.

 

If I was unsure that it was "my" crow sitting at the balcony,

I just need to open the balcony-door.

All other crows disappeared in a hurry

- "mine" always stayed.

 

He was a pleasure every day during months.

I visualized that he would bring his girlfriend next spring

- to introduce her to me

- and to introduce me to her.

I looked forward to that introduction.

 

I got a bad conscience if I couldn't evade me from family visit.

I even had a bad conscience when I went on my honeymoon 

- it was a little comfort, that the neighbor feet him

- even that I felt, that he couldn't feet him with the same care as me.

 

But:

One day the crow didn't come!

I was worried and was thinking:

"The fox took him"

"The cat eat him"

"The swan took him"

"The water took him"

 

He maybe just found another (better and more stabile) place to eat.

 

 

 

 

Having those experiences I must wonder

how other people can be so busy telling me what is good for me

- fresh air is good for me

- the nature is good for me.

 

And I wonder how it comes, that the same people try to make me sick

' cause I can be content with fresh air and nature-experience

at my balcony.

 

From my work in the psychiatry I know that it becomes a problem

if a patient isn't frond of out-doors-experiences.

 

"The patient had isolate himself at home"

"The patient is isolate herself in the hospital"

 

It must be a symptom of………

one or several mental sick ness.

 

From other - who has consulted a psychologist by different reasons I know

that the psychologist - because he knows best - told his patient

- to socialize

- to visit museums

- to go outdoors in the nature.

 

I wonder - and I think:

It that device the own need of the psychologist?

 

 

More wondering