Empty Nester

We were away three weeks in May to return to two robins building nests around the outside of the house. The one was in a forsythia bush, high off the ground, the other near the patio right beside the clothes line. As I sat under the sunshade, I began to watch the robin protect her one and only egg in the nest. She talked to me and didn't like that I hung my clothes up to dry almost daily. It became a game, a way to peek into the nest and watch the proceedings. Two weeks ago, the baby hatched. Now the mother was most protective. She sat on the clothes line, one eye on the nest and one eye on me. When I was in the house, off she went in search of food. When I got too close, she tried to distract me and keep me away from the nest. I watched the baby grow and climb in and out of the nest. This morning, the baby was gone. Did it fly away? Did a cat find it on the ground? Perhaps a bigger bird swooped in ....it is all a mystery to me. I have been sad all day. It's like the day when my youngest left home. This was my baby too. I hope it found its wings and flew off to be with other robins. Such is nature.