Take Your Medicine

Allergy season is here! Loratadine works well for me, when I take it. This morning I felt good. I felt fine. I thought, "I don't need my allergy pill today."

By noon I'm sneezing and sitting on my hands to keep from rubbing my eyes.

Silly me.

I changed my mind and took my medicine.

Is That Your Bird In There?

My four-year-old had a friend over to play this afternoon. As her mom and I were chatting, the little girl came over and asked me, pointing to the fireplace, "Is that your bird in there?"

Both of my pet birds were safe in their cages. I gave the little girl an indulgent smile, "What bird?"

She pointed at the fireplace again. I tried to see what it was that might look like a bird to her. The huge terra-cotta pot packed with dried coriander stems? No. The logs in the fireplace?

I peered into the darkness behind the smoke-stained glass. Something blinked at me.

"There's a pigeon in there!"

A gorgeous, green, purple, and grey bird perched on top of the logs, cool as anything--like he owned the place. He must have flown down the chimney. It was so dark in there I never would have seen him if my son's little friend hadn't pointed him out.

After I took a picture, I went out to the garage to get a pair of gloves. I thought catching the bird would be easy. The fireplace was small, the pigeon looked calm, and I have a way with birds. "Hey, baby, it's okay, I'm going to take you outside now," I cooed as I pulled aside the metal screen.

The pigeon did not know what was good for him. He flapped around the fireplace, sending clouds of stinging ash into my face. I tried to do it gracefully at first, but after a while I just grabbed at whatever presented itself - feet, tail feathers, wings. At last I got a grip on something, then took him between my hands and pulled him out into the room. He kept his wings spread--beautiful feathers! I could feel his heart beating fast.

I carried him out the back door, opened my hands, and let him fly away. It's a good thing someone noticed him - he was in serious danger of starving to death before anyone saw him. Now I just have to clean up all the ash on the carpet.

The Mystery of the Mysteriously Disappearing Tomato Plant

I planted my fall garden yesterday with six rows of cool-weather vegetables and four tomato plants. This morning when I went out to water...

ONE TOMATO PLANT WAS GONE! Gone without a trace. I know there was a tomato plant there yesterday! This must be the work of a dastardly cutworm. Where's the bug spray?

One Day Until September

On my walk back from the school this morning the wind blew down through the pines and I felt like autumn. What was it? The low angle of the sun? The color of the shadows? The breeze that promised cooler weather?

It is over a hundred degrees outside. I'm ready for some relief.

Unscripted

My children are growing up surrounded by cameras---digital cameras, video cameras, cell phone cameras. Any time you want you can snip out a piece of life and store it on the hard drive. What does that do to their little brains?

Carlson Home for Neglected Instruments

On Sunday afternoon the latest addition to my collection of orphaned instruments arrived. A friend of mine found it abandoned in the garage of her daughter's new house and asked me if I wanted it---an old-fashioned electric organ with foot pedals.

The first time we turned it on, I thought it was going to catch on fire. It made this massive WHUMP sound, like someone snapping a blanket in the air. Even after we shut it off again we could smell the dust burning inside. I slept on the couch that night with a fire extinguisher next to me on the end table.

I found an electric organ technician on the internet who assured me my dinosaur organ has a good set of fuses inside and will not spontaneously combust. He thinks he can repair the broken keys in the swell and re-attach the foot pedals. I'll have him over once we've got a paycheck in the bank. In the meantime, my husband enjoys practicing the organ at home rather than having to go to the church.

Leap of Faith

I contributed to my IRA today. If I'd been sharp and savvy I would have done it a few months ago when the stock market was still severely depressed. This morning I found a note I'd scribbled to my husband during church last spring. It said-

Did I mention that my IRA earned $3000 this quarter?
My husband looked really impressed. I grinned and added another line.
Now it's up to $8000
My husband's expression turned to surprise and alarm. Before the crash I had over 20K. With a rueful smirk I penned one more sentence.
I don't even want to know...

Don't tell me what the bottom of that pit was. I didn't look and I don't want to know.