Birds

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.

~ Aesop

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Joy works in my office.  She is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  She is so nice that she will argue that she isn't nice.  Which, when you think about it, isn't very nice at all.

Regardless, today she told us a story about a baby bird her neighbor found.  He brought it over for her grandsons.  They left to do something and Joy mowed the lawn.  While she was mowing the lawn, she "accidentally" mowed over the baby bird.  She said that she had to pick it up before the boys got home.

"I imagine that neighbor was watching and he probably came over and told the boys all about it today," she said.

She disposed of the bird and when the boys came home they said, "Did you see the baby bird, Grandma?"

"Nope," she lied.  "I didn't see any bird."  They ran outside and the bird was gone.  Their mom said, "Maybe the mama bird came and got it."

"No," Joy told me (this is not what she said in front of her grandsons).  "The mom did NOT come to get the baby bird.  The mom came and tried to peck me in the head when I was throwing the baby bird away."  

I told Joy I was going to post the story.  She said, "That's fine, as long as the boys never see it.  If they do, I'll be de-Grandma-ed."

I sent her a cartoon picture of a bird on crutches with a bandaged head.  I don't know if it cheered her up or not.  She didn't choose to Tweet it, I know that much.

Personally, I think she's just trying to get out of ever having to mow the lawn again.

We were talking about having a potluck at work later that day and were discussing what to have for an entree.  I said, "I know where Joy can get some poultry."  It was only a joke, though.  One baby bird isn't going to feed our entire staff.

Joy came in a day or so later and said her daughter - while taking the garbage out - claimed to hear chirping in the garbage bag.