An August Journal: A bird In My Vent

I found this file today and it contains a journal with around eight entries detailing my life in August of 2006. I hope all those entries are worth posting.

I do recall this in the time past my blotted sister’s exodus, but before her taking of her cats. I have never been able to fathom the cruelty of which my sister is capable but that’s a story for another time. I was inspired to write down this event because it was so interesting.  

The 6^th of August 2006

It is on this date that a strange event took place. I had come home from work that morning and gone about my business of preparing meals to frees for future use. I had retrieved tomatoes and chilies form my garden and had made ready the blender. I had left the kitchen to turn on the computer and on returning found Trouble my youngest cat on the stove.

         

I picked him up and stroked his back as he mewed happily all the while keeping his eyes on the stove vent. It was then that I heard a scurrying or scratching coming from the vent. It was apparent that a living animal, rat or bird, had somehow gotten into the vent and was trapped. After some searching in the junk of my home I found a flat headed screw driver and removed the fan from vent and there encountered another obstacle. It was a trap composed of two doors designed to allow material only to leave upwards so that nothing from the exterior could fall on food being prepared.

         

With goggles to protect my eyes I made several attempts to open this and peer within to see what manner of creature had invaded my home.  It was on one of these attempts that I saw a wing briefly thrust thought the trap. Prodding with a long pole I tried to lure the bird down to the trap where I could reach it and hopefully free the animal. At this it flew down to me and I could see that it was a small bird, brown with white spot on its breast, a black beak and small head.

Unable to free the bird this way I pushed up on the trap and dislodged the pipe that made up the body of the vent. I then brought the pipe down and the bird flew free in my home until it found the front door where it resumed its life in the wild. For some hours I was employed in the cleaning of the pipe and fan and had yet to replace it above the stove.

         

I made inquiry to Ken who lives across the street from me and is more knowledgeable in the way of birds then myself. He told me that the bird I described sounded like a female gecko. When I pointed out that this was a lizard he amended his identification to Greco (I believe the name is Greckle and he pronounced it incorrectly) the male being black with yellow eyes like Trouble.

         

In the Eastern world it was once a sign of good luck to be visited by a bird. I wonder how I should take this visit. Perhaps I should view this as a metaphor for my life. As it were I’m clearly trapped. But am I like the bird unable to get free of my own?  Or should I take the nature of the animal to be like my own? The bird could truly not survive long in the vent as birds must eat more than their body weight every day to live. Should I take note and make haste less I find myself dead of the soul?

The incident with the bird was severely lengthened by the dirt and garbage in my home. I have long planed to remove it, but with such problems in my life and the long hours I work cleaning takes a back seat. On cleaning my kitchen after the debris of freeing the bird I found rotting fruit and vegetable matter on the counter under the forgotten dishes and shopping bags.

         

On arriving at work that night Officer Hicks, the most junior of my guard told me that on hearing that I intended on going to the office of my company to discus pay problems that all my other officers had planned to attend with me. Clearly the action is mine to make but I am lost in the many needs of my life and without direction. Lord point me straight.

I may also mention that Ken had been laying concrete in my back yard and I gave him eighty dollars as compensation for materials and asked that he keep the hours of his labor noted so that he could be compensated open the event of the sale of my home.  He stated that Paul one of the other two owners had agreed to pay for materials but been slow to give up the money.