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Written by Rowonna McNeely – A couple of weeks ago, we were in Weakley Watson’s Hardware. Kiera and I were perusing the aisles while Aaron looked for parts that he needed to finish a project.

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“Mom! There’s our bird feed we need. Can we get some?” Kiera pointed to the blocks of birdseed that fit the feeder that hangs in our backyard.

“We can.” I responded. “Go ahead and pick a couple since they are on sale.”

Content with our find, we headed off to find Aaron.

Fast forward to this last weekend. I was in the laundry area, cleaning off the dryer when I discovered the birdseed that we had bought. “Kiera! Look what I found.” I called out.

“We forgot to put that out for our birds!” Kiera replied as she reached for the sack.  “Can I go put it out?”

“Sure, honey.” I answered and proceeded to start a load of laundry. My mind was elsewhere as she went out the back door to retrieve the bird feeder.

A few short minutes later, she returned with the bird feeder in hand. I began helping Aaron prep dinner when I noticed Kiera standing at the sink, water running full blast.

“What are you doing, baby?” I asked.

“I needed to wash their feeder before I put the food in it.” She explained as she poured dish soap over the wires that held the food.

I glanced at the bird feeder that she held under cold water. It had small food remnants with white and black areas that I can only assume were from… bird poop. Wrinkling my nose at the sight, I continued helping Aaron.

Aaron and I quickly finished putting the final touches on dinner and I turned to check on Kiera.

“I can’t get all the soap off.” She complained as she held it under the cold, running water.

“Let’s try some hot water. We don’t want the birds to eat soap.” I turned the spray nozzle on and helped her rinse the rest of the soap off the feeder.

“Thanks!” She exclaimed as she grabbed a dishtowel out of the drawer and dried the feeder off before having Aaron help her fill it and hang it outside.

That was the last time I thought of the bird feeder…until I went to scrub a pan. As I approached the sink, I noticed that my scrubbing sponge was lying on the dish drainer. Pausing, I picked the sponge up and tried to remember placing it there instead of at the edge of the sink, which is the standard place for it.

As I stood there, holding the sponge, I began to study it. That’s when I noticed little black and white flecks of…something. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

Carrying the sponge, I went in search of Kiera. I found her lying on our bed, watching television.

Holding the sponge up, I asked, “Honey. Did you use this to clean the bird feeder?”

She looked at me with complete innocence in her eyes. “Yes. Why?” She asked.

I blinked, contemplating my response. “I was just curious.” I answered.

She turned back to her show and I left the room, holding the soiled sponge. I entered the kitchen and promptly threw it in the trash, making a mental note to buy a new one when I went to the store.  I also made a mental note to discuss what is and is not appropriate use of a kitchen sponge.

Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our new blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at [email protected].

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Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.

Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.

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