Thursday, June 4, 2009

For The Birds

Walking to the cafe in my office building today, I stopped for a second to watch a robin pull a worm from the flowerbed. The creature hopped along for a little while then flitted over to a potted shrub near the front door. I took a closer look and was surprised to see a nest and several tiny chicks. I went back upstairs to grab my little camera and took a few pictures.

Mommy was none to pleased with this. And I didn't manage to get a really good shot either, since the nest was concealed pretty well, at least for such a small shrub. So I was kind of holding the camera above it and shooting blind.

None of this pleased mommy too much. After a few choice words she dive-bombed me. Luckily I am wearing glasses today, so her efforts to pluck my eyeballs from their sockets were futile. I backed to what I thought was a safe distance, but clearly I had enraged the female. She continued her aerial assualts, chasing me a good 50 feet down the sidewalk, at which point I ducked into the cafe where I would be safe.

In the first picture, you can just see mommy's head poking out from inside the shrub.

Robin Nest 3

Close up of the nest, right before I was assaulted.


Robin Nest 4

The housing complex where Mrs. Robin chose to raise her children. +5 points for guts and style. -32 points for the neighborhood.


Completely random non-sequitur: Behind the Counter is back. This was (is again) a really funny blog written by a customer service rep at a Wal-Mart in Anytown, USA. You will groan, laugh, and cry at his stories of the daily shenanigans he (she? I never quite figured that out) endures at the hands of Wal-Mart customers. A cynical yet hilarious perspective on the depressing behemoth that is bigger than ExxonMobil, probably bigger than Jesus. I think The Beatles are still the biggest, though.

The blog disappeared for a while as it's author had apparently gotten sick of it. Or maybe quit their job at Wal-Mart. But a new post appeared today, and it begins:

"I'm going to write again. I've made the decision."

So there it is. Enjoy.

3 comments:

Shannon said...

Jamie, don't tell me this is the first time you've enraged a female! Really, avoiding dive-bombs and thrown stilettos should be taught in school.

Oh, you were all thinking it, too.

Jamie said...

Mostly, it's just been remote controls and glasses. Drinking glasses, that is.

foil away from home said...

Gotta tell you, I'm pretty sure the author of "Behind the Counter" is female, unless it's a person. Key giveway? The phrase "sometimes a girl has needs." But thanks for sharing that great blog.