It's a sin to kill a mockingbird

but this little guy, nesting right outside my bedroom window, has been keeping me up all night long.

It's quite charming at 1 or 2 in the morning when it's still nice out, perfectly calm and balmy and you can talk and drink and make plans and you don't want to go to bed anyway. But at 4 or 5 am you want it to end. Still, I count myself lucky to be able to hear one in the wee hours. It's a special case, and one of the great things about our diverse country. I never heard what the mockingbird sounded like until now. And being a night owl I can relate to more activity when all is dark. Its nice to have a friend up with you. I don't get up early in the morning greeting the day with a skip in my step. The first rousing wind comes for me at 10:00 pm and I'm ready to go. No second wind exists, unless it involves a special rosé from France. So, here's to the Mockingbird! the musical rainbows of avian life, incorporating many tunes into one. And one of my favorite books of all time.

Top left is a first edition, bottom right

is the copy I have, which for me really captures

the haunting beauty and magic of the story.