Bedtime ritual, interrupted

It was warm yesterday evening, and we sat outside, watching the sun go down. We had company; a busyness of chickadees, a towhee, a wren, swallows far overhead, mosquitos around our ankles, and a family of house finches:

Papa, standing guard

On a lower branch, checking out those intruders; is it safe to go down for our baths?

They waited until we had gone inside, then they brought the kids down for a quick dip before bed.
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