See those two dark specks up in the rigging? I think they're finches, based on their similarity to the finches nesting on my balcony here at the office. Anyway, make a mental note of their description, in case I "disappear," OK? Brownish, one has kind of an orangey head... I'm not saying anything's going to happen, but I want to have some kind of record of recent events. It'll help when A&E comes to piece together their Cold Case File on me, Violet.

It all started about a week ago, when the Keelhauler and I were leaving the boat. Stepping onto the deck, the Keelhauler asked me, "What are all those twigs on the boat?"

I turned to follow his gaze, and noticed a lot of well, twigs, lying on the deck beneath the boom. (THAT IS THE HORIZONTAL STICK ATTACHED TO THE MAST, incidentally.)

"Are birds building a nest on our boat?" he asked, and suddenly I was Mom, covering up for the bad children and appeasing Angry Dad.

"No," I said, "I'm sure there are no nests here." And that was that, and we left the boat.

I really didn't think a bird had built a nest on the boat. For one thing, we'd had the sails up recently so I couldn't imagine there was a secret, instant nest under the sail cover, and I didn't see a nest in my one-second glance around the boat. Hence: No nest! Yay! Everything's fine!

Except when I got to work, I received this (see picture):

PICTURE

The Keelhauler sent that from his camera phone. Apparently, there WAS a nest, right above the Twig Pile of Mystery, incidentally, nestled against the mast, in the folds of the sail.

The Keelhauler removed the nest (which was empty) and put it on the dock, away from our boat. Shortly thereafter, I came home, and the stalking began. The dive-bombing, the swooping, the angry twittering. And finally, the perching on an adjacent boat, staring.

I feel so terrible! But what could we do? Not sail until the eggs (which did not yet exist) hatched? I don't know. Maybe there's some kind of bird etiquette for relocation, but I don't know what it is.

Anyway, if I don't make it back here on Monday, file a report.