Yes remove the nest (save it in a ziplock bag in case you ever need to do a nestchange). You can move the box or you can simply make it face a new direction. My sister had a HOSP attack her blue eggs once. She removed the eggs/nest, turned the box and the blues came back and rebuilt and had a successful nesting. As for the wren guard. I use the heavy cardboard that computer paper boxes are made out of, it has never turned to mush in even heavy rains and lots of rain. Sides make it much more stable and prevent the front from blowing in and out wint the wind. I also screw the piece of carboard that is taped to the roof of the box to the roof of the box because sometimes with duct tape, when it gets wet in will loosen up some. I do use water proof duct tape now but I like the screw in the top for added stability. Good luck! Donna

Sorry to hear about your blues. It's hard to tell which birds are which unless you recognize them by behavior (e.g., know about mealworm feeders) or song (I notice different males have slightly different songs sometimes). Your second couple may have started out too late. BTW, there is a link below to info on widows/widowers. Also, chickadees are wonderful nestbox occupants! I love getting them on my trail. They build a beautiful little nesst and the babies look like shrinky dink adults. Unfortunately they usually don't come back to a failed nest site, so you may not see that couple again at that box. In the future, should have you dees, put up a SECOND box (nearby is fine) for blues. Once chickadees chose a box and start nest building, you can put a hole reducer up (1 1/8") on the inside of the hole so blues and house sparrows don't bother them. Altho many folks don't realize it, it is actually illegal to disturb the nest of a native bird (see Migratory Bird Treaty Act info at http://www.sialis.org/mbta.htm). Here is a link that might be useful: widows and widowers.

How do you go from being a mother who your child depended on to someone that no one seems to need? I'm not exactly in your shoes. I'm not single and I have 2 college students, not one. But most of my life revolved around my kids since I was mostly a SAHM and worked part time. The first thing I guess I would say is that my kids both seem to enjoy having me around more now than they did when they were in high school. They both go to college close enough for me to drive up (or down, depending on the college) and have lunch with them. When your daughter starts her freshman year, give her some space and time to get acclimated, and time to start missing you. Then if you are close enough, you may find that she enjoys having you come for short visits sometimes. I find that my kids are around a lot more than I thought they would be, and like to have me visit them more than I thought they would. My other suggestion is to shove those negative thoughts out of your mind after she leaves, and think about positive things. Now is your time to rekindle friendships that you didn't have time for before, or make new ones. Time to take up new hobbies, repaint the house, or whatever you've wanted to do that you put off. Volunteer. There are probably people all around you who need you. And exercise - exercise helps keep the blues away. Every time you think, "Oh how much I miss little Susie, my heart is just breaking", shove that thought out, be thankful you raised such an independent, capable and intelligent young woman, and think about how much you can't wait to buy that new rose bush or take that Italian cooking class, or whatever. One day you will be exercising or gardening or whatever it is that you like to do, and you'll realize the hole in your heart is not so big or so painful. And after she comes home next summer you may even be happy to see her go back to school in the fall and get back the peace and quiet you've grown accustomed to. I know that advice sounds trite and cliched, but it worked for me. Give yourself time to grieve. But keep trying new things or rediscovering old things until you find something that helps fill the hole in your heart.

I am writing this from the living room of the house that we have lived for over a year now. It is a comfortable space where we enjoy spending our time but it took considerable effort to get to this point. Our previous house was a gorgeous building, built with top notch materials and craftsmanship, on a double lot in a desirable neighborhood. We moved about a mile to an area closer to businesses, public housing, and highways with smaller houses and more economically mixed area. Many acquaintances asked me why we moved and my husband's allergies to the monster tree that towered over the house was my stock answer. The reality wasn't so easy to define. One major issue was the upkeep because nothing is easy in a vintage house and the more unique the house, the more effort is required. There was no one reason to move but the more we considered the idea, the better it looked. Maintaining the statis quo was easiest so the major reason to stay was simply me shying away from the work ahead. I realized that until I had to move, I would not go through with getting rid of the stuff that had taken over. It required me to change my perspective of how much work was involved to how much of an opportunity I had to create my new environment. Over the last decade we owned the house I developed a garden in the front yard, gradually expanding to take over more of the lawn area every season. I spent years adding compost and working the dirt and the result was a yard that was a riot of color and a jumble of plants. However, it became more of a task after it became a neighborhood fixture and was into maintenance mode. It turned out that I didn't enjoy keeping the more vigorous plants from taking over the world and spending lots of time weeding and dividing perennials. I found the developing of the garden was more interesting than the ongoing pressure I put on myself to keep it tamed. It is a natural reaction to be sad about finally leaving a phase of life behind. I had to admit to myself that all the projects I had considered, all the fantasies of fabulous creative works, the opportunities to entertain, and the perfect family events had not and would not be happening. That house was where we raised our children and they had flown the nest and it was time to move on. I had to embrace the freedom to make changes because the changes were going to be happening whether I fought them or welcomed them