On Sunday I alternately dozed, sun-drunk, and watched the birds in the yard after raking leaves. Once when I wakened from dozing I saw the reason why we occasionally find blood on the deck. The Coopers hawk dove through the yard and scooped up a little bird, a sparrow or a finch I think, flew over the deck, and landed in the tree above it, still holding the now-dead prey, before taking off for its nest, which I am sure is nearby somewhere. So now I have a cartoon in my head of sitting on the deck with polite company, making polite conversation, when WHOOSH- overhead flies the Coopers, recent kill in talons, distributing blood and entrails into polite drinks. Now there’s a way to break up a party!