The Bird House

I like my home. Yes, it's small-ish. It's old (not in a cool, historic way. But in a "wow, this house needs a lot of WORK" kind of way).
But, I like my Neighborhood, my home in comfy, it works.
Having said that...YES it DOES need a lot of work! And even though I have lived here for ALMOST 13 years, it seems I almost NEVER have the right combo of money/time/enegry to do much "fixing".

Anyway, right outside my kitchen window is an old vent. It isn't attached to anything any more (not sure why), and was covered over on the inside with some lightweight metal/tin stuff.

The sparrows find this to be the PERFCET location for a Bird House! EVERY year, they come back.
And in the early morning? Boy, they are LOUD!!! Chip, chirp, scitch, scatch, ect.
Several times over the years, the sound was SO LOUD, I was just POSITIVE they were actually INSIDE my kitchen cabinets!
But, no.
I'd open the door, no bird.
So, over the years, I got used to the sound and I barely notice it anymore.

Then, Monday night, my Chow/Akita/Terrier Mix, the infamous Oberon/Obie, just FREAKED OUT in the kitchen.
Bark, bark, yip, yap, whimper, whine.
"OBIE!!! WHAT on EARTH is wrong? It's just the birds outside!"

Obie was not giving up.
So, in an effort to sooth his little doggie mind, I opened the kitchen cabinet. As I have mutiple time in the past.
Expecting to show him there was NOTHING in their except tupperware.

However, imagine my surprise when I turned to look, and there was A BIRD IN MY CABINET!!!!
A male Sparrow.
And he looked down at me like: WTF????? WHY ARE YOU OPENING MY HOUSE?!?!??!?

He did not seem happy with me.
I closed the cabinet.
No way. It COULDN'T be!
I imagined it. I MUST have!
So I openee the cabinet again.
AND THERE WAS STILL A BIRD IN MY KITCHEN CABINET!!!!!

Oh my.
I get my husband.
"We have a small problem in the kitchen."
"What kind of problem?"
"A feathered problem"
So we went back to the kitchen, proped open the back door, and once again opened the cabinet.
OUT flew the sparrow! He was REALLY annoyed by this point.
He flew! He swooped! He zipped from room to room, with Obie, Rosalind, Travis and I following him.
"Fly out the door! Fly out the door!!"
We yell helpfully.
Perhaps, the bird did not speak english.
EVENTUALLY, he either had his fun, or got tired of being chased, and he FINALLY flew out the door.
WHEW!!!

For the rest of the night, Rosalind and Obie kept going back to the cabinet in the kitchen.

"Do it AGAIN Mommy! Do it again!!! That was fun!"

Perhaps, if I ever sell my home, I can use that as a selling point.
After all, HOW many people have an active birdhouse on the INSIDE?