Boy do I feel bad

Every year right before the holidays begin or in between them, my neighbors ask me to come over and feed their little bird Cassie. It's not like it is a lot of work or anything. It's just that having to remember and go over and do it that bugs me. During the summer, I have to work it in before the afternoon rains begin. Well, she emailed me last week about doing it near Thanksgiving. I really did not want to do it. I have no reason to feel that way other than, I just didn't want to be bothered. I emailed back that I really didn't want to commit this time. One reason was because I don't know what we are doing for Thanksgiving. I've had several family members throw stuff out and since I am the one that normally has to cook, I've been happy to hear the other suggestions. Either way, I know I will have to cook some stuff and I just didn't want to add to that, the whole bird thing.

Well, yesterday, Bill came out with his bird and I don't know exactly what happened but, the bird's wings were getting a little long. A fact that he had noticed and just mentioned to his wife. (Who just found out not to long ago that they are expecting twins. They've been trying for three years and she has numerous miscarraiges, etc.) To make a long story shorter, the bird flew up into their tree.
I guess he couldn't or didn't know what to do as far as climbing the tree; it is a type of oak and Bill, although 49, is in pretty good shape. But, he got the bird to fly out of the tree and it went in one of mine in the back yard. No way to climb mine! It is an umbrella tree. So, he says to shoot water at it in hopes that it will come to him. No, it flies further to another yard in a higher tree where it wound up spending the night. We were all out there for about five hours yesterday.

This morning at seven, I got up and went outside and could hear her. She was screaming her head off. Scared and hungry no doubt. Bill was already around the block standing in strangers front yard shaking the food container and calling her. I stood with him for about twenty minutes. We couldn't really see her but, we sure could hear her. He said he was going to take the day off from work and hoped she would eventually come to the sound of his voice. And with that, he had an epiphany that if he went back to his yard or mine, she would hear him and maybe come toward home rather than away. We walked back and I came in my house and he stayed outside calling her.

I don't normally get up super early because we are up till almost two with Lori's work schedule but, I needed to be at my mother's early and I was, sad to say, worried about the bird. I told Lori last night that I hope the Hawk that has been hanging around here for the past year doesn't get her. Lori replied that it wouldn't because birds sleep at night and Cassie probably went to sleep when the sun went down.

While ago, Lori was going to leave for work and I walked out with her. Bill was next door and walked over. I didn't hear Cassie which I had just mentioned to Lori was odd since she was very loud all morning. So when I saw him coming to our fence I asked him he had gotten her. He said, Nope! The Hawk did. He went on to say that he had finally found a spot where he could see her and he was pretty sure she could see him. He started calling her and she started her loud calling and out of the blue the Hawk flew in. Before he could pick up a rock, his pellet gun or anything (Not that he could have shot that high or far) the Hawk swooped in and there was a lot of rustling and the Hawk flew away with her. Bill is devastated. He saw it all and couldn't do anything. He started choking up just telling us. He's had her since she was a baby and long before he and Natalie married so the girl was at least six or seven years old.

Anyway, now I really feel bad for not wanting to feed Cassie. Errrrrrr.