Jill's Journal: Welcome, to the jungle!

I feel like I’ve beem living in a Looney Tunes world. In this world, I’m Sylvester, the cat who has little to no luck in doing away with that lovable little yellow bird, Tweety.

It’s been a “cat and mouse” – or in this instance – a cat and bird battle, and it’s all been taking place right outside my front door.

Over the weekend, I discovered some breed of bird has been doing its best to build a nest on the outside light fixture. I first spied the beginning stages of the nest on Saturday,  as I swept away the debris the busy bird was leaving in the process of making the nest.

As the day went on, I happened to take a peek at the newly-cleaned off light fixture, and what to my wondering eyes should I see, but yet the start of another nest.

This “cat and bird” game went on for hours and extended into Sunday.

By this time, I had enough of the billed bandit taking up residency, so I tapped into my “how am I going to solve this” mindset and came up with the idea of wadding up handfuls of plastic wrap and stuffing it behind the light fixture.

After a long day at the office Monday, I checked to see if I had out-foxed this relentless little bird.

I hadn’t. 

As it turns out, the wads of plastic wrap I put up there only proved to provide some extra padding for the nest maker.

Hmmmm. Now what?

I decided that a larger, sturdier piece of plastic may just be the solution to this problem that I needed. So, I hauled out a plastic gallon bag that features a zip closure and locked it tight over the light fixture. When I left for work early the next morning, I couldn’t help myself from checking to see if I was winning this non-cooperative eviction war.

There wasn’t a single strand of grass to be seen – only the silliness of a zipped-lock plastic bag over the light fixture. I’m not counting my chickens just yet, however, as I surmised that birds likely don’t build their nests in the dark.

This isn’t my only bird battle. It seems another has taken up refuge in the wooden box that holds my mailbox and the neighbor’s, too. After being surprised by the flurry of a bird exiting the mailbox container, I’ve wised up a bit, as I smack the side of it before plucking my mail out of the box.

While the birds and I are in an out-right battle this spring, I’m sure enjoying the show that “Chip ‘n Dale” are giving in the backyard.

Welcome, to my jungle.

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Get curbside to cheer on the SD Law Enforcement Torch Runners

Get ready to cheer on the participants involved with the 2023 South Dakota Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Run steps into Brandon on Monday May 15, and will join forces with Brandon Valley’s Special Olympics student-athletes.

The torch hits the road at 1:15 p.m. from Brandon Elementary, proceeds on Holly Boulevard to the BV Middle School and ends at the high school.