Animal Lover

For years, I used to carry gardening gloves in the trunk of my car, in case I ever had to rescue an injured animal.

Don’t laugh too hard. I knew a fellow who carried a long, heavy rope in his trunk, in case he ever had to rescue someone from drowning.

See–my gardening gloves don’t seem so strange now, do they?

Anyway, as it happens, I have moved a turtle or two out of the middle of the road to safety wearing those gloves. But this is a story about a bird.

Many years ago, I was driving on a narrow two-lane street when a Mourning Dove swooped down and I hit it with my car. It lie limp in the road. I wasn’t sure if it was dead or not.

With tears pouring down my face, I pulled my gloves out of the trunk and had just slipped them on when a man, driving on the opposite side of the road, stopped his car.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I ran into a bird.”

He laughed hysterically. When he looked at my gloved hands, he sneered, “Are you going to operate?”

Then he drove off.

I couldn’t stop crying. The idea of killing a bird horrified me. I walked over to it. I’m sure it was dead, although people have since informed me that birds go into shock and the dove may have been perfectly okay later. I didn’t believe them then and I don’t believe it now. At any rate, I carried the bird to the side of the road and placed it under a bush.

Over the years, I’ve actually saved a lot of birds who went into shock for one reason or another. They fly through badminton nets and into windows. Birds are simply not always equipped to handle human obstacles.

But no matter how many I’ve rehabilitated, I’ve never been able to forget that poor dove, or that guy’s repulsive, insensitive mocking.

Pensacola Beach After the BP Oil Spill

Photo from

How sad! And the oil is still gushing. It’s like the Exxon Valdez all over again–only this time on a daily basis.

A lot of people and politicians are asking why the well can’t be blown up.

From Rep. Phil Gingrey

“For the life of me, I can’t understand why BP couldn’t go into the ocean floor, maybe 10 feet lateral to the — around the periphery — drill a few holes and put a little ammonium nitrate, some dynamite, in those holes and detonate that dynamite and seal that leak. And seal it permanently,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (Ga.) said earlier this month.

Could it be BP is more worried about their bottom line? Do you think they care nothing about people or nature?

Oh, forget I wrote that. No one could be that greedy.

10 Ideas (and more) When There’s No Money For Vacation

Over the past few months, I’ve pointed out a number of places to vacation. All in the U.S. All good for the pocketbook. All good to help boost the economy. But suppose you don’t even have enough money to hop on a plane, or a train, or to gas up the car? What then?

It could be time to get creative:

New York, New York

The Big Apple

When you read that title, New York, New York, tell the truth, didn’t you automatically hear the lyrics in your head? I can almost picture a line of dancers kicking up their heels in unison at the Radio City Music Hall.

New York City is the next city on my countdown for vacationing on a budget and where to do it in the U.S.

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The Cape Cod Seagull

When the weather is really, really cold, I like to think about warm-weather places I’ve visited. So, picture  with me springtime in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the town situated at the tip of Cape Cod. it’s a pleasant day–perfect for sitting outside to eat lunch.

That’s exactly what my friend and I decided to do as we walked up to a restaurant that boasted open air seating right on the beach. The porch had a peaceful, cozy feel. The balmy breeze blowing off the ocean made it even more inviting. After a morning spent browsing the shops, we were ready to enjoy a quiet lunch.

We were seated at a round table with a large green umbrella overhead. There was a wooden railing next to our table and as we scanned the menu, a seagull landed on the railing. He was so close, I could’ve stretched my arm out  to touch him. I didn’t dare, of course, but I did retrieve my camera from my pocketbook and I snapped a quick picture. As it happened, there was no hurry. The bird continued to sit and scope out the rest of the patrons eating at the other tables.

As I mentioned, our table was a typical picnic table with umbrella. There were a few tables on the porch, however, without umbrellas. Just as I began to wonder what  the gull found  so interesting, he flew up into the air. Circling once, he suddenly swooped back down. There was a scream and quite a commotion at the table next to ours. A woman jumped up and her chair clattered to the floor behind her. When the bird took to the air again, he was carrying a succulent, roasted chicken breast in his beak. He had stolen the woman’s lunch off her plate.

You’d think the thieving bird would fly as far away from the scene of his crime as possible. That wasn’t the case. He landed on a broken-down row boat that had been abandoned on the beach close to the restaurant. There he shared his booty with another gull friend.

Needless to say, the victim didn’t find the gull’s antics amusing. But I’m forced to admit that after watching the bird’s entire thought process, as he planned his mission, I found it most entertaining. The execution of the steal was flawless. I’ve never forgotten the incident, although it happened more than fifteen years ago.

Cape Cod Seagulls aren’t the only crafty gulls along the East Coast. My sister had a Philly Cheesesteak grabbed right out of her hands while we sat on the boardwalk in Atlantic City.

Again, I’m sorry, but I must admit I thought that was one of the funniest things I ever saw. My sister freaked out. Great fun!

The Saga Of The Squirrels

It was 7:00 a.m. I sat on the porch sipping tea when it happened. First, I heard the loud flutter of wings swooping to the ground, and then I saw the landing, It was a hawk gunning for two squirrels, who minutes before were running around the trunk of a tree, playing and squealing at each other.

Read More About The Danger Lurking In My Backyard

“Bucket List” “Done That List” “No Guts List”

Recently, I’ve seen coming attractions on TV about a new movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman called The Bucket List.  From the few snipets I’ve caught, it appears their list contains things they’ve both dreamt about doing before they kick the bucket.

I have a list like that, too, although I never thought to name mine the bucket list. And happily, my list spawned a Done That List.

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Have You Thought About Birds Lately?

My screened-in porch faces two tall trees that are especially attractive to different species of nesting birds, and both trees are used annually for this purpose. One of the trees has a hole in its trunk, the perfect size for a nest. The other tree is particularly inviting to birds that prefer to build outdoor nests high up off the ground using twigs and leaves and stuff.

This year, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers have been flitting in and out of the hole. I haven’t seen the babies yet, but the mom and pop are hard to miss.

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