Ahh summer! The sun pokes its head up so early and stays so late in the evening one has no trouble at all putting in a full day without the benefit of electric lights.
Down in Emu–home of some really strange birds–Smitty was taking advantage of the free light to get a normal start on things the other day at 5 a.m. And when he dropped the tail gate off the old gravel box, he had no idea the chain of events he would set in motion.
“KAAA WHAAAAM!!!” boomed the tail gate as in crashed onto the pile of scrap at about 150 decibels.
In the neighbouring house about 30 yards away, Snuggles was peacefully in dream land as the cool morning breeze wafted through the open bedroom window.
“Omigawd!” she screamed as the racket from Smitty’s activities brought her awake and straight upright in bed.
“What is that man doing over there making all that racket at this ungodly hour,” she raged as she leaped across the bedroom to peer out the curtain into the awakening summer morn.
From the bed, Hubby hooted at the site of Snuggles prancing around the bedroom, rolled over, and drifted back to sleep. Snuggles joined him after Smitty’s gravel truck rumbled off the lot once again, leaving the community in peace.
She was just drifting off when a strange bird call broke the stillness.
“Whoopity! Whack! Whack! Whoooooo!”
Snuggles groaned and pulled the covers over her head.
“Hubby, you’ve got to get rid of that $*&# bird. It’s driving me nuts with all its racket, and I can’t get a decent nights sleep,” she whimpered, elbowing him until he acknowleged her displeasure.
“Well, sir, we should be honoured by the presence of that bird. They thought it was extinct and it’s the first time they’ve seen a Great Speckled-breasted Sap Sucker in these parts in 50 years.
“You just don’t realize how honoured we are to have one building its nest right on our TV antennae,” lectured Hubby.
“Howver, since your wide awake and it’s still not time to get up, maybe we could . . . .” wondered Hubby hopefully.
“Not a chance!” snorted Snuggles as she pulled the covers over her head, trying futilely to block out the bird call from atop her TV antenna.
“Whoopity! Whack! Whack! Whoooooo! Whoopity! Whack! Whack! Whoooooo!” The Great Speckled-breasted Sap Sucker was really getting tuned up now.
“Whoopity! Whack! Whack! Whoooooo!” it continued, raising the volume a few decibels.
Snuggles exploded out of bed, grabbed the 12 gauge from the closet, and clad only in her unmentionables, stormed out onto the patio deck. Whipping the weapon to her shoulder, she let blast–with both barrels.
“Whoopity! Whack! Whack! Whoooooo!” was the final parting call from the Great Speckled-breasted Sap Sucker at seeing part of its nest–and the satellite dish–disintegrate. It decided there already were enough strange birds in this town and it had better find another locale if it wanted to stave off extinction for at least another year.
Snuggles took on the pose of the a victorious Xena, Princess Warrior, and shook her fist at the departing bird.
Now, the bird watchers, having heard of this rare sighting, had travelled many miles for a firsthand look at the Great Speckled-breasted Sap Sucker. They were ranged along the hedge with binoculars and fast-action telephoto lens cameras.
Snuggles had not noticed them until she heard their collective gasp and the frantic clicking of their shutters. They all hit the deck when Snuggles whipped up the 12 gauge although both hammers clicked harmlessly on empty chambers.
Snuggles retreated–and so did the birders.
Learning of the ruckus in the Café sometime later, Smitty wiped his sweaty brow with relief at his own narrow escape, and vowed to start his days a little later.
Hubby was out buying a new satellite dish while Snuggles was catching up on her sleep with an afternoon nap.
