Fable of the greedy mourning dove and the angry neighbor woman.

A mourning dove, irritating symbol of peace and sadness.

“Oh boo hoo,” wept a mourning dove.  If I had as many nuts to eat as the squirrel I’d be a fatter, finer creature, able to nurse my young chicks at my breast. [Yes, doves produce milk for their young.  Can you imagine the price of a half-gallon of 2%?]

But in violation of one of the ten commandments, the dove coveted a squirrel’s nuts.  Oddly, none of the available trees produced any.  Yet, the squirrel was stashing something away.

[Here the fable sort of peters out.  I was out in the yard, watching the mourning doves and squirrels, and I have taken stock of the trees and other plants.  Our yard has one maple, one and a half box elders (one is on the property line), some chokecherries and six ash trees.  Also a thornless hawthorn.  Except for the hawthorn I don’t see any opportunities to squirrel away any fruits or nuts.  Do squirrels eat chokecherry pits?  They eat something because they are the size of kittens.  Big kittens.]

The dove was observing all of this too.  She flew to check out a hole in the big box elder where she saw a squirrel dart.  Sure enough, she saw some chokecherry pits inside and attempted to eat one.  It stuck in her throat.  [Here the narrative is lost.  I believe the greedy dove died of asphyxiation.]

The angry neighbor saw the dove in respiratory distress and almost smiled.