Editor's note: Here are a few excerpts from Star news assistant Joyce Bertschy's blog, "Life Out of Range." Read more online at go.azstarnet. com/lifeoutofrange.
From March 24: Nesting doves.
The bird was invisible to me until one day Ed pointed out the bathroom window and said something about a nesting dove.
I looked out and saw a brown feather ball with a beak sitting on a nest in the crook of a eucalyptus tree.
The nest is an assortment of twigs and other unknown stuff that doesn't look safe or comfortable. But parenting has never been about safe or comfortable.
The bird and its mate resemble a picture of a mourning dove I found online. They're mostly brown and blend right in with the tree.
From March 27: Practical transportation.
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I live in Picture Rocks and I drive through Saguaro National Park West to get into town. Needless to say, I really depend on my car.
I thought about getting a new car about 18 months ago. But that was before Ed was laid off and our economic future became a little dull around the edges.
We're still making payments on the 2005 Dodge Intrepid Ed drives. If it's hard to make one car payment, it's best not to have two.
My 2001 Nissan Altima has 120,000 miles on it. The "service engine soon" light comes on just long enough for me to think about making an appointment with a mechanic. The light can't seem to commit itself to a course of action. To service or not to service … that is the question.
It goes off and I stop thinking about where to take it.
