Bird Rescue

We had a bit of excitement yesterday in our usually totally mundane existence. Over lunch I glanced out to the bird feeder and saw a sparrow dangling from the bottom. We have a flock of voracious sparrows that descend on the bird feeder each morning and there is usually a lot of jockeying back and forth to get inside the cage to the food. This poor guy must have lost a pushing match and one of his feet was wedged into the wires under the feeder. My Favorite Panamanian, who usually indulges my fascination with the bird feeder with a patient grin, leapt to her feet and was off to the rescue. With no hesitation she reached up and gathered the bird in and then summoned me. I was able to slowly disengage his trapped foot and he was free.

My wife, as is her wont, then launched into how we were going to nurse him back to health as he had damaged the trapped leg in his desperate attempts to escape. It was my turn to smile in condescending fashion where I pointed out it could still fly and would as soon as she released it. She gave me one of her patented withering looks and decided to test my theory. She put the bird down. It flew away. She said at least the bird would not be back to get trapped again where I opined the easy access to food was probably more needed than ever. We went back to lunch and before it was over the bird was back, limping around the feeder and eating. So, this qualifies as excitement in our current environment.

Day 2 Progress

The war in Ukraine grinds on as the Russians have recovered from their earlier humiliations and reverted back to what the Russians have always been good at, a grinding war of attrition. They’re sitting back and shelling the hell out of everything in their planned path. It’s brutal but effective, especially when their maneuver elements have been so thoroughly outclassed in earlier battles. They’re learning a valuable lesson that we should take note of. Their only real recent combat experience has been in Syria and fighting Arabs is completely different than a near peer competitor. Putin’s biggest problem will be finding an appropriate level of demonstratable success to justify ending his invasion. This will go on for months.

Back yard project day 2 has concluded with the removal of more rocks and the downhill border between the rocks and the grass. My Favorite Panamanian finally entered the planning effort and predictably the planned patio area grew in territory by a third. It was easy for someone who doesn’t have to dig to make these grand gestures. Two more movies, both keepers, fell in my A-Z quest: The 13^th Warrior and 16 Blocks (from a time Bruce Willis still cared).

Any Kid Who Grew up in the 60s Will Remember this Group

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                        

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course