This morning the dog's water dish wasn't frozen for the first time that I can remember. There was a robin out on the lawn jumping around and it snowed up on Bennett Mountain and spit a little rain here on the flats. These all look like signs of spring. Maybe I won't be a winter kill after all. I have a volunteer English Walnut tree that spreads out over my back deck. The droppings suggest a dove is roosting there at night. Years back we had this same problem. The red head swung into action. She started out hanging tinfoil in the tree. She moved to noise makers and lights, then finally bought a big plastic owl with red eyes that was motion activated. This all seemed very scientific and humane. Nothing worked. One night when Red was occupied, I slid the window open, blinded the bird with my flashlight, then shot him with my 22. Red heard the report of the rifle and the thud of the bird hitting the deck. I like to think of this as helping science along. I like birds. If it has been a particularly hard winter, I will put cat food out for the magpies. One summer my granddaughter and I were sitting out on the deck, taking in a little sunshine. There were quail in the pasture. I taught her the gathering call for quail. She was very good at it. There was a quail **** that was answering her with the mating call. I felt like having that bad boy for dinner, but I did not. I wanted her to think that I am scientific and humane like her grandmother. Life is good.