Ode to a Bird

I'm kind of sad this evening. Tee called me when I was on the way home from the shop. There was a bird "stuck" on our front porch. He thought the bird's leg was caught between two slats of wood decking. I suggested he put on some garden gloves and try to free the bird's leg, but he was afraid of doing more damage to the poor thing. It was already doing quite poorly. He asked if it would be okay to put out some water for the bird, in a shallow dish. I told him I thought that would be a fine thing to do, and gave him some suggestions of containers to try.

When I arrived home I checked the front porch, and this beautiful robin-like bird was dead, its head sitting on rim the ziploc container lid Tee put out to try and feed it some water. It was either sick, or had broken its neck by flying into the picture window above our porch-- Lew disposed of the bird, and its leg wasn't stuck but folded under its body.

This week has been odd, too. Tee's had a lump on his leg for a couple weeks, but it wasn't going away. I took him in to the doctor, and she recommended I take him in for a MRI to find out what the mass was. She thought it was a cyst, but she wasn't sure. "I don't think it's cancer, but lets make sure what we're dealing," was she told me as she started the paperwork to schedule the MRI. Despite the snow and icky roads, Lew got us to the hospital on Tuesday for the MRI appointment, and thankfully, with much relief, the mass is a hematoma bruise. It's weird, though, because there's been no pain or discoloration with it, so I'm feeling not quite settled with the diagnosis. Our doctor was out, due to the snow, when I got the results. I need to call back and ask my questions, because the nurse who spoke with me didn't have any answers.

We've been sort of stuck at home for a good part of this week as well. Don, over at Current Observations has a great post, with photos, about his experience with the Western Washington snow storm. We didn't have the same amount of snow Don did, but we sure had the ice, covered with some snow. We live perched on a sizeable hill, and our snow-time entertainment is watching the pinheads who try and navigate it while it's ice-covered.

Being housebound while you're trying to not worry can be oppressive. I did a lot of baking, both solo and with the kids. I enjoyed watching the kids' excitement over the snow, and all the sledders, but I was concerned about Lew driving to and from the shop. The first night our area had snow, it took him hours to wind his way home; he didn't arrive until after 11pm. He'd check in with me when he had cell phone service. Most of the time, the lines were maxed out and he'd just get a "circuits busy" message. This was just snow; imagine if it was a more intense emergency. Cell phones won't be of much help, I think, under such circumstances.

Also, we've experienced some press difficulties. Some of it is due to the weather-- the paper has been curly at times, due to the moisture. We've had some feeding issues that Lew's had to tackle. It's all part and parcel of owning your own business, and it's not huge. The frustration level has been higher than normal, that's all.

So, to see that sweet, lovely bird dead on the deck filled me with grief. To hear my son worry over it and his desire to help it not suffer was bittersweet; I'm grateful for his compassion but it hit me that he was having to trouble over a dying animal and I wasn't there to help at the time. As the evening unfolds, I'm not as despondent but the sadness lingers.

A drop, to satisfy a thirst
Heavy head must rest.
Nubuck down,
Kissed by fawn,
Tint its feathered breast.
Take care, little friend,
so small and sweet and dear.
May you sleep in peace,
Little friend,
Embrace tranquil release.

Okay, enough of the bad poetry. Thank you for letting me indulge. Give someone you love a squeeze tonight and remember all the reasons why you love him.