My neighbor Crandall stops by just in time for breakfast.

Saturday, February 16, 2002

My neighbor Crandall stops by just in time for breakfast.

&uot;Did you sleep well?&uot; I ask.

&uot;Oh, I made a few mistakes,&uot; comes his reply. &uot;I’m tired. I feel like I’ve been embalmed. I’m just about as tired as I used to get when I was a kid and walked 6 miles to school every morning. Remember those days?&uot;

&uot;I sure do. I also remember how mad you got when you learned that the rest of were all being picked up by a bus.&uot;

&uot;Yeah,&uot; says my neighbor. &uot;Well, at least I got in on all the playing of spin the bottle.&uot;

&uot;Yes,&uot; I agree. &uot;Those were the days. A girl would spin that bottle and whoever it pointed at, she could either kiss him or give him a quarter.&uot;

&uot;Yup,&uot; says Crandall shaking his head. &uot;By the time I was 16, I was able to buy my own home. Say, I found a great way to exercise. I am developing biceps and shoulders that will make Jesse Ventura look like an earthworm.&uot;

&uot;Really?&uot; I ask.

&uot;It is very simple. Three times a week I work out. I started by standing with a 5-pound potato sack in each hand and then extending my arms straight out from my sides. I held them there as long as I could. After a few months of that, I moved up to 10-pound sacks. And then a few months later, I went on to 50-pound potato sacks. Now I’ve got to the point where I can lift a 100-pound potato sack in each hand and hold them straight out for over a minute. It’s a lot of work, but it is worth it.&uot;

&uot;That is amazing,&uot; I say. &uot;What’s next?&uot;

&uot;I’m going to start putting a potato or two in the sacks.&uot;

The bird

Karen and her husband, Craig, were doing some yard work outside their suburban home in Minnesota. Karen was planting some perennials alongside their garage when she felt something land on her shoulder. Her first thought was that her husband’s lawn mower had thrown something in her direction, but then she could hear the sound of the mower in the backyard -&160;far from her location. She felt a presence on her shoulder and turned her head slightly to see who or what the interloper was. To Karen’s surprise, she discovered that her visitor was a bird -&160;a black bird. A Common Grackle, to be exact.

Karen did the normal thing; she shooed the bird away. Karen gave the grackle the look (the same one she sometimes gives Craig) as it flew away.

Then she got back to planting her flowers. A few minutes later, Karen felt something land on her shoulder again. It was the same shoulder that the previous landing was made upon, so Karen knew what to expect this time. It was her feathered friend paying a return visit. Karen shooed the bird away once more. She watched the bird fly away to a nearby tree. This time, Karen glared at the bird as she would glare at her husband, Craig, when he was on his worst behavior.

The process of the bird landing on Karen’s shoulder and she, in turn, shooing it away repeated itself over and over again. Karen readily admits that each time the bird landed on her shoulder, she allowed it to remain a bit longer than the previous time. Once her planting was done, Karen shooed the bird away, watched it fly to its tree, gave it the look and then went inside her house.

She told Craig about her weird avian encounter. Craig thought it was funny. Karen thought about the bird a lot that night. The next morning, she got ready to take her little dog, Sonny, for a walk. By this time, she had forgotten about her experiences with the goofy bird of the day before. Karen’s walks with Sonny always began by going into the garage and getting the dog’s leash. As Karen and her dog entered the garage, Karen felt a familiar pressing upon her shoulder. It was the bird again.

Obviously, it had spent the evening with her car. Proof of this could be seen on the roof of her vehicle. You might say that the bird had put a

deposit down on a car. Her dog, Sonny, barked at the bird perched on her owner’s shoulder for a while, but then tired of the exercise. Sonny was more interested in going for a walk. Karen decided to let the bird accompany her on the walk. She figured that they would not walk long before the grackle would abandon her. The bird maintained its position on Karen’s shoulder for the entire walk. It appeared to enjoy walking the dog, singing as it rode on Karen’s shoulder. Karen admits to not being very impressed by the bird’s vocal ability. When Karen would pause during her walk, the bird would busy itself preening its feathers.

Karen named the bird during that first walk. She named the bird Sinatra as a joke in reference to its less than inspired singing ability. The bird makes Karen smile and appears to enjoy her company. Since that walk, Sinatra has taken up permanent residence in Karen’s garage. Karen figures that a person can never have too many things in life that make her smile. The grackle puts up with Craig, but prefers Karen’s

shoulder for perching. Karen has taken to feeding Sinatra and has learned that it has a varied and large appetite. The grackle is not the cleanest of birds, leaving a mess everywhere. This habit convinced Karen that the bird is a male. Each day, the bird joins Karen and the dog for their daily walk. Sinatra and the dog, Sonny, have an uneasy truce. Sinatra continues to put deposits down on Karen’s car. Karen continues to give him the look.

Etcetera

My sincere thanks to the Albert Lea Lions Club, the residents and staff of Cedars of Austin, the Waseca Senior Citizens, the residents and staff of Knutson Place, the Minnesota Lake Community Club, all the listeners of KDIO Radio, the Council of Catholic Women of Sacred Heart Church in Adams, all the listeners of KMSU and KMSK Radio, the Minneapolis Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, to all present at CURE’s Annual Banquet in Montevideo and to all those officials who attended the Waseca County Winter Warm Up in Waldorf for being such wonderful audiences for my stories. Happy birthday to my lovely bride, The Queen B.

Please join me on a wonderful adventure to Alaska. For more information on trips that I will be leading in July and August, please call 4 Seasons at 373-4705 or 800-328-4298. Your presence will make for a perfect trip.

&uot;The time will come when Winter will ask us: &uot;What were you doing all the Summer?&uot; -&160;Bohemian proverb

&uot;Nurture your mind with great thought, for you will never go any higher than you think.&uot; -&160;Benjamin Disraeli

DO GOOD.

Allen Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. His e-mail address is SnoEowl@aol.com.