Saturday, January 08, 2005
Little Wing
I saw the damndest thing yesterday.
Over the years, I have seen a sparrow blasted by a shotgun, killed with .22s, pellets, BBs, cats, a dog once, a hawk once, a snake twice, and, of course, have seen a few become part of the grillwork of a car.
This time: I saw one FLAT. I mean, 1/2 the thickness of a thin pancake. Wings spread, aligned like he was flying, I probably could have peeled him off the asphalt and tossed him like a toy plane.
My concern was, how did he wind up in a Drugstore parking lot, all flight-prepped, and be so very flat? Crushed. Squished, even.
I did the forensic thing. Beak pointed due north, with hedges behind him marking the edge of the lot. Did he eat something poisonous, gasp, spread his wings and flop down , vulnerable to the first tire coming his way? Was he diving for a morsel when a quick kid came screeching in, and our hapless little fritter was lost to the forces of physics? How about demonstrating the "Swoop and grab" for a fledling, and knocked himself out on the bottom of a car? We may never know.
Stopped by Sears the other day for a fresh pair of flip-flops. Left without (but with $10 worth of "Oh I gotta have those) tools. The one brand they offered was "Skechers" at $24 a pair. PASS.
Guess I'll wear m'boots for now.
Well, little Pardners, reckon I'll be amoseyin'. Carry on.
