She's supposed to be writing her next novel.
After she takes us for our morning walk, she's supposed to get her laptop, make herself comfortable, and continue weaving the story of her latest hero. But, sometimes, real life intervenes with a distraction.
Yesterday, the distraction was an insistent tap, Tap, TAPPING that greeted us as we walked towards the front door. Cody quickly tracked the noise to the vinyl arbor that forms an archway between our front and side yards. The arbor is missing two crossbars, which leaves four diamond-shaped holes gaping open at the top of the hollow plastic legs. Somehow or another, a little bird had flown into one of the holes and down a leg. The tapping we heard was the bird's frantic effort to peck an escape route through the thick plastic. We could see its little claws clinging to one of the small holes by which the lattice attaches to the legs, and its hard beak trying to enlarge the opening.
She spent the next hour trying various means to get the bird to climb out of the leg. First Cody's tie-out cable went down the hole, with no success. Then, in succession, morning glory vines, wisteria branches, and household twine. Although the little bird pulled the vine into the hole, and climbed the branch to the next lattice hole, it always returned to its original location and started tap, tap, tapping once again.
Finally, she went to the garage, got a hacksaw, and started sawing the corner open next to the bird's location. Once she opened the corner hole, she cut a piece of caning off her "Cracker Barrel" porch rocker seat, and stuck that through the hole. Then we retreated to the porch and waited for the bird to find his way to freedom.
We didn't have to wait very long. Within two minutes, we saw a little sparrow appear at the hole, then take flight.
It was a great feeling. But her job wasn't finished, yet. Not until she had sealed all four -- now five -- holes with masking tape. He says he will arrange a more permanent solution using painted wood pieces....
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2 comments:
The tapping would have stopped eventually and your arbor and chair would still be intact. Of course, there's always the chance that you would end up with your own, personal Edgar Allan Poe result if you let the tapping go. So, it was probably a good thing she did what she did. Did Cody feel deprived of a meal?
No. He considers anything smaller than a squirrel not worth the effort.
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