It had been a successful time in the kitchen, twice. I had made an old favorite recipe of my mothers', bologna sandwich spread. I had not thought about this tasty dish for many years, but when I saw the large slab of unsliced bologna in the store, I had to give it a try. I was not sure how my husband would react to it, but he loved the first batch, so I made it again.
It was a lovely day and I had opened the sliding glass doors to the deck. Since Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, likes to go out on the deck, I had left the screen opened just enough for him to fit through.
I had just finished making the second batch of sandwich spread and had made two lovely sandwiches. The spread was nestled in crispy lettuce leaves and topped with a slice of tomato. As I set them on the table and started to get into my chair, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.
Since there are two bird feeders that hang above the railing on the deck, naturally, there are several species of birds that visit. One in particular, a Carolina Wren, has decided it not only likes the feeders, it likes the entire deck. The Carolina Wren is slightly larger than the House Wren, rusty brown in color and its tail sticks straight up. They can be quite loud when they are screaming their "Judy, Judy, Judy" call but they also do the familiar chatter of the House Wren. Recently, this bird has taken to pecking on the bottom of the sliding glass door. When Runtly hears this, he likes to get as close to the glass as possible before lunging at the bird. When he has succeeded in frightening the wren, the wren scolds him with a lengthy chatter.
So, I'm just about in my seat and I know instantly what has caught my eye. Mr. Carolina Wren has entered the building, for the third time. The first time he got in, Runtly never saw him and it was easy to get the bird back outside. The second time, I was able to grab Runtly and toss him in the bedroom, shut the door, and again, easily get the bird out. This time Runtly had seen the bird the same time I did and it was on, like Donkey Kong!
It is said that birds are of the dinosaur family. I believe this is true because the wren looked just like a tiny velociraptor as it darted across the floor and behind the couch. As I sprang into action, I saw the Voice, that lives in my head, running down the hallway with a butterfly net and a bee keepers hat on its head. This was going to be interesting. Runtly was already in hot pursuit and he too disappeared behind the couch. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the bird made it out first and continued its fast paced run across the living room floor. As Runtly cleared the end of the couch, my attempt to grab him failed. The Voice was doing nothing but jumping up and down in one place and all I could think to do was yell "Fly birdie, fly!".....and it did.
During this fiasco, my husband is sitting at the table, with his fine sandwich, watching the free lunch time entertainment. The bird had taken flight, I had finally gotten a hold of the dog and we all watched as the wren, ever so gently, landed..... right on the edge of my sandwich. The Voice tossed its equipment in the closet and I went down the hall to shut the dog in the bedroom. When I returned, I asked where the bird might be and was told it was sitting on top of the refrigerator and so it was. I opened the sliding glass door and screen all the way and walked back to the kitchen. Asking the bird nicely to leave the premises, it obediently took flight, rounded the corner out of the kitchen and went straight out the door.
Some may think I'm full of baloney, but seriously, I can't make this stuff up. The sandwich? Yes, yes I did.
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