Monday, June 4th, 2007

Heap Big Wind!!

Monday, June 4th, 2007 12:38 pm
auntbijou: (Default)
Last night, a big old thunderstorm blew in, fierce wind, heavy rain, hail, you name it.  The Husbandly One ran round before it it, making sure the kids' bikes were put away, and that there was nothing around that could turn into a missile and crash through a window or something.  I was talking on the phone with my best friend when it hit, and boy, didn't the house shudder when that first big blast of wind slammed into it?  Not long after, our power went out, so I got off the phone and went into the living room and sat down with my family.

"Good thing you took the umbrella down off the table on the deck," I said as I sat down.

The Husbandly One stiffened and looked up at me, then groaned.  "I KNEW I forgot something!  I walked by it three times thinking I'd better take that thing down, and I kept forgetting!"

"I know," I said sympathetically.  Because I knew why.  The kids kept derailing his train of thought, of course.  

I went to the back door to look out and was stunned to see our heavy metal and glass patio table lying on its side in the yard with the smashed remains of the umbrella underneath it.

!!!!

The wind had evidently hit us as a downburst, swept down OVER the roof and UNDER the market umbrella, lifting it, AND the table and sweeping it completely up off our deck and throwing it onto its side in the yard.  

And no, the glass isn't even CRACKED!!!

The umbrella, however, is done for.

Thankfully, the storm was short-lived and passed quickly.  And that seems to be the only damage we had.  Quite lucky, we were! 

The evidence

Monday, June 4th, 2007 01:11 pm
auntbijou: (Default)
Here, now you can see the results of the storm.  





My poor umbrella!!!
auntbijou: (Default)
Okay, so the storm that blew my table off the deck had another victim.  A blue jay's nest got blown out of one of our trees.  One of the nestlings didn't make it, but the other did.  It's getting wing feathers, but not quite flying yet.  The kids came and got me, and thanks to the Amazing Kitten Resuscitation Adventure, fully expected me to pull a hat out of a rabbit and Do Something.

So I did.

"Okay, y'all, back away from the bird.  Where's the nest?  Oh, on the ground.  Okay, leave the baby alone.  No, I promise, the parents are around, but they aren't going to come down here while y'all are standing around, kneeling over their baby.  No, they won't smell you on the baby, birds mostly have little to very poor senses of smell.  No, we can't bring the bird in the house.  Come on, let's go inside and give the parents a chance to take care of their baby."

Well, apparently, I didn't make it clear enough.  My kids thought Mama and Papa Blue Jay would actually PICK their baby up and fly it to a new nest.  I said, no, this is a prime opportunity for them to teach their baby how to hunt for itself.  Leave the baby alone.

I told them that hand raised birds very rarely survive into adulthood.  

I pointed out that it is illegal in our state for someone to keep a wild bird as a pet unless they are a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

I told them again that the parents were nearby, and that they would be watching over their baby, please put it down, leave it alone.

The results?






Yes, that is the Impertinent Daughter, with Scallop on her shoulder.  Yes, the damn bird has a name.  No, we do not have it in a cage in the house.  It is in a NEST on the back porch.  I wanted to put it back where it was found, so that Mama Bird and Papa Bird could have a chance to deal with it, but I was outvoted.  

Oh well.  At least it isn't a mockingbird, and won't divebomb me.

...sigh...

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