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Carol Perkins: The Bird Even though she has double-killed snakes, she does have, she says,a place in her heart for all creatures great and small. Next earlier Carol Perkins essay, The Bullfight By Carol Perkins The Bird "What was that?" my partner said as we busied around our shop. "I don't know. Sounded like something hit the wall." I continued folding shirts. She stepped outside the opened doorway and sure enough, a bird had knocked himself senseless after bombing directly into the exterior wall, perhaps attracted to the yellow, blue, and green signs hanging there. "Oh, look at the poor little bird," she said as she leaned over it like Florence Nightingale. "It can't move. It can't raise its wings." She was devastated. "We can't just leave him out there," she adamantly insisted as I continued what I was doing inside, showing little or no real concern. My response was, "Why not?" The response seemed cold and cruel to her That seemed terribly cold and cruel to her, but my decision was based on my own safety and the lessons of my youth. An injured, undomesticated animal (insect, fowl, snake, and any other living creature except man and even possibly man) could be dangerous when injured. "Don't touch it," was the rule. I wasn't going to take the chance that it might be infected. Neither was she. "I'll call Jeff," she said. I heard her telling her husband what had happened to the poor little fellow and within minutes, he arrived. Her husband lovingly scooped up the little bird He lovingly scooped up the bird (or I guess he scooped it up) and held it for us to see. By then, I had peeped out the door. It was, indeed, still alive and I did feel sorry for it once it looked me in the eyes. It's ugly little gray wings were lying flat to this chest. In Jeff's hands, it was safe. He identified the bird by its species, as I feigned interest, and placed it behind the shop to heel itself and eventually fly away. I was sure a vulture was smiling. Some are born with a genetic disposition to protect and revere all creatures, while others put out rice for the birds to eat so they will swell and die. Creative lovers wouldn't set a mouse trap to kill the mouse, but had rather capture it alive and give it freedom in a nearby field to find its way back to me. I am all for killing those suckers. Author has double killed a few snakes I will avoid running over all creatures, except snakes. Only on a few occasions have I had the pleasure of running over a live snake (I've double killed a few). My fear of driving over one is that it will not die, but be slung underneath the car and work its way into my vehicle. There was once a man who drove an old farm truck, picked up a guy who was walking to town, and along the way the guy felt something at his feet. He looked down and a snake snuggled on top of his shoe. It had crawled up through a hole in the floorboard. One time when Guy wasn't at home, I discovered a snake in my garage, lingering near the basement steps.Old rule: Never take your eye off a snake "Never take your eye off a snake," I always heard, especially one you want to kill. What good was my eye without a weapon, so I left it alone, dashed inside, grabbed the portable phone, and called my uncle. By the time he drove from across town, the snake had slithered back outside and disappeared into the brush. All night I visualize that snake twisting though a crevice or worming its way down through the attic and sliding under the covers of the bed. Obama made headline for his fly-swatting episode Out of habit, I will step on a bug. Out of habit, I will swat a fly. Obama made headline for his fly-swatting episode. For my own safety, I will chase a wasp with a rolled up paper and beat the daylights out of it until no leg is left to get up. As for the little bird, I will check on it tomorrow and hope that it has flown away and not when I get there, find nothing but feathers. After all, I do have a little place in my heart for all creatures great and small. Have you read that book? It's a good one! About the author: Carol (Sullivan) Perkins is a lifelong resident of Edmonton, KY, in Metcalfe County where she taught high school English at Metcalfe County High School until her recent retirement. She is a now a freelance writer. is married to Guy Perkins and they have two children: Carla Green (Mark) of Brentwood, TN and Jon Perkins (Beth) of Austin, TX and six grandchildren. Her latest book, Let's Talk About, is a collection of over 70 of her works, and she is presently working on the second book in this series. Carol's ties to Adair County go back to Breeding where her grandfather, Rufus Reece, and her grandmother Bettie Strange, began their married life and later moved to Metcalfe County. You may contact Carol at cperkins@scrtc.com or write at P.O. Box 134 Edmonton. If you would like a copy of her book, you can order through email. Watch for her next story next Sunday. IF YOU'VE ENJOYED READING CAROL PERKINS' STORIES on ColumbiaMagazine.com, you'll love her book, "Let's Talk About It. . . ." The books are $15 plus $4 for shipping. Send check or cash or money order to Carol Perkins, P.O. Box 134, Edmonton, KY 42129 They can be bought at the Herald Office in Edmonton, KY, or Terri's Fine Jewelry in Glasgow, KY. This story was posted on 2009-10-18 02:35:54
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: The Bullfight Carol Perkins: Right Now in a Minute Carol Perkins: The Harvest Carol Perkins: Worry Wart Carol Perkins: What Page? Carol Perkins: Ma and Pa Kettle Carol Perkins: Shall we gather at the river Carol Perkins: Back to school is such grand time Carol Perkins: A teacher speaks out on groupings, testing Carol Perkins: Put that phone away! View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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