Other Breaking Stories: The Pigeon Who Commited Suicide!
Well, today was bit different than we expected for Boxing Day. Usually my husband and I don't pay attention to much and its the one day of the year he will eat "Banger and Mash" (Sausages and Mashed potatoes." This year, I had already decided to skip that particular tradition; we still had left over steak, and I'm not all that excited about Irish sausage flavorings either. Last night we had a lovely grilled steak and some mulled wine before bed. We thought we'd do something similar tonight.
However, the day was weird from the beginning. First, I couldn't sleep last night, in fact I'd had a mild headache and felt dizzy before bed. I kept fighting an urge to go turn on the TV, if I had, I'd have known that once again, The Disaster Cat Radar was on. Yes, there had been another Great Quake. These things seem to wake me up (as do smaller ones if they are closer to where I live). It doesn't seem like a very useful skill, waking up when they happen. But that's how it is. I do get a few other warning signs, like eating lots of popcorn and the mild headaches. But they are so vague, they only make sense after it happens. Searching the Internet I've found there are a lot of other people like me, so I don't feel so weird anymore. But not sleeping last night make for a rather sluggish day. Much of which was spent in front of the TV.
I decided after a few hours of repeated Disaster Reports, to go do something useful like bake some sour dough bread. My "sweet" starter had gotten ignored and had turned into a sour dough one. Instead of using my bread baker, I decided to knead the bread by hand for a change. This not only worked to make some really great bread, it also got some of the restlessness out of my system. Sometimes the simple tasks are the best cures....*grin*
After bread baking I went back upstairs when I heard shouts from outside. My husband screaming the name of our big, male elk hound. Those of you following this blog know that this dog has spent his last few nights inside the house. Something he is not used to, but that the weather made necessary. I think this gave him idea, somehow, no one knows how yet, he escaped his pen. He has never done this before (his sister did it so much we gave up, but she is happy to stay in the yard). There wasn't anything I could do, but hope husband could find the dog. He went all over the place shouting, even as far as the village. On the way home, he was feeling very upset, when a surprise fell on him.
No, it wasn't the dog, it was a pigeon! It fell right in front of him, landed on his feet and sat there. To quote my husband,
"Obviously it wanted to commit suicide. I mean, I try to control my Wolf urges, but some temptations are just too much!"
Bird is now sitting, gutted, plucked and ready for the cook pot. Husband tried to explain how he had done this without a shot gun, but I said I really didn't need the details. Just asked him to please wipe up the blood and feathers off the kitchen table. Which he did. And got lots of points! He also put dead bird in fridge so I didn't have to look at it. Normally sights like that don't bother me. But then I usually have a bit of warning before I walk in on them.
Anyway, before I found bird on table, husband called his dog one more time before going into the house. You guessed it, out waddles dog from sleeping it off in a outbuilding. Dog refused dinner and husband noticed that the conservatory door was open. He had given the barn cats a "huge" feeding a few hours before. I have a feeling that in the morning I am going to have some very unhappy barn cats. Husband promises to walk dog at least twice before going to bed. I suspect he may have a rather large amount of "business" to attend to- LOL!
Tomorrow, husband will check dog pen, and if that is not secure will see if the old swimming pool area is still enclosed enough for the dogs to run in. We don't really want to put dog on a chain, unless we have to. He enjoys it for short periods of time (he's near people, he can watch cats, he gets to bark at the postman) but its a very short term solution. The swimming pool area is bigger than their pen, and the presence of dogs may even scare a fox or two off the chicken run next to it.
Nothing we can do until daylight though. Meanwhile, I waiting to hear the voices of the barn cats, I'm sure I'll be hearing from them soon....
Disaster Cat....wondering if husband is going to carry out his threat to hunt down enough pigeons tomorrow to make a pie?....