Hummingbirds will not domesticate me

My father has placed hummingbirds' lives in my hands.

He placed a hummingbird feeder in front of Max's playroom window to amuse him. They do. We adults probably enjoy them as much as Max.

The feeder needed more food this morning. So, I made it. I found the recipe online. 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Boil the water and then add the sugar. I figured even I can make this concoction without burning it.

And I did.

Three times.

No kidding.

After Garrett got up this morning, I told him how enterprising I'd been. Well, he'd been pretty busy, too.

"Was that the stuff in a pot on the stove?"

Was?

How can I get upset that he poured the stuff out when he cleaned the kitchen?

So I made more.

This time, my friend Colleen helped me pour it in the feeder. She's an organic farmer. She knows what she's doing. Five years ago she worked in corporate America. Now she's slaughtering cattle, milking goats, and growing food. She totally knows how to feed birds, right? Well, with my help, we did something wrong because I looked out this afternoon and it was empty. Somehow it leaked out on the ground.

I've made another batch and am waiting for it to cool before attempting to fill it again. Anyone want to place bets on whether those little hummingbirds will get fed?

Zagat for wildlife is not giving me a good score.