Cody was the first to notice. “How come there are sticks on top of our mailbox?”
“Sticks?” asked Zoe. “What kind?”
“Little sticks,” Cody said.
“Show us,” ordered Eli.
They trooped out to the front porch. Sure enough, the sloping top of the mailbox was covered with little twigs.
Dad came to look too. “Well, I’ll be,” he said. “That is one persistent house finch. I’ve been brushing away twigs all week.”
“What’s a house finch?” asked Cody. “What’s persistent?”
“A house finch is a bird,” said Zoe. “And persistent means it doesn’t give up. Dad! Has a
