Two years ago, early in the spring, a robin flew into the car with me one morning. She didn't seem panicked or frantic to escape Just curious. And friendly. Ever since, she watches me from her nest.

When I water the herbs on the porch, or if I'm sitting in the swing, she comes down to the yard, walks toward me and looks like she wants to talk. She especially likes grandkids. When they play in the yard she sometimes stands nearby watching, inching closer and closer as they play.

Her baby bird fell out of its nest just before it was big enough to fly. It went running across the yard, and out under my car. I shooed it out and scooped it up in a pillowcase, fearing the neighborhood cats would find it before it found its wings.

A quick google search suggested it would like raw liver. Canned tuna seemed a good substitue, so I mixed some with egg yolk and headed to Adrienne and Tyler's house, bird snuggled in a box in the front seat beside me.

Every time Odetta sees the Mama Robin in my yard, she wants to hold it. I figured she wouldn't want to miss the chance to see its baby eating from an eye dropper.

I sat in the rocker on their porch, and Odetta talked eye to eye to the little one in my hand: "Hi, little birdy. How did you get here?" (Odetta)

"I brought it in the car, wrapped up in this pillow case, in a little box" (me)

"Little birdy, where is your car seat?" (O), then "Do you like samiches, little birdy?" (O)

"Maybe it likes worms more than sandwiches." (me)

"Oh!!!! Do you like worm samiches?" (O)

It ate some of the concoction, and then Odetta bid it goodbye. It chirped for the first time on our way home in the car. When we pulled up at my house, its mother was sitting on the fence. She scolded me as I carried her baby, still wrapped in the pillow case, into the yard.

I lay the box on its side in the grass and unfolded the pillow case. Then went inside. An hour later, they were both gone.

The next morning when I headed out for work, the mama robin was in the yard. As soon as she saw me, she did a fake-broken-wing pose, lying as though hurt in the grass.

"Your baby's still alive, isn't she? But you don't have to try to divert my attention, Mama Robin. My intervention's done. The rest is up to you."

Later in the day, I saw them both running across the yard, pecking for food. The baby still wasn't flying, but it was exercising its wings, almost ready. I haven't found a heap of feathers in the yard, so believing it took flight before a cat could get it.

Today, Odetta came over with a little teddy bear. She says it's a bird, and carries it in a little white sweater that she says is its blanket.