Friday Fun With Coffee! #10 Laughs From the Past.

Good morning to everyone on this fine day! Also, Happy Friday! It is cloudy again, but the sun tries to peek through now and then, and it is fairly mild too, the temp this morning was 18F (-8C), which is not so bad for this time of the year. The birds are busy this morning, though not like the last couple of days. I have had the chickadees, both species, and nuthatches, coming regularly to my hands now, which is so nice. I will be out there with them again in a little while.

I feel very worn out this week which is really slowing me down a lot. That means not getting much done on my “To Do” list. Sigh. Hopefully next week will be better. Anyway, today being Friday means another item from my past. Each Friday, as you know, I pick a story from my past to share with you, either near past or further back in my past. This one goes back quite a few years.

Black-capped Chickadee looking up at an eagle flying overhead.

It was a warm, sunny day in July when dad and I went out looking for insulators again. We called it “insulatoring”, not a real word I know, but we made it one anyway. We headed out to a new area to search for insulators, but we were not finding much, hardly anything really. “Not a very good day,” I said, “we should turn back.” “Nonsense,” said dad, “we will find some soon.” An hour later and we still had not found anything except 6 insulators that we already had at home. Sigh.

Then we came to a small pond where they had cut down some poles and put in new ones. But they left all the crossarms, which unfortunately were mainly in the water. There was a larger, grassy clump close to one bunch, if we could just get there. Dad found part of an old pole and we stood it up and let it fall in the direction of that clump of grass. A perfect fall and we were set. “You go out,” said dad, “you are the lightest and I can sit on the pole to keep it from moving.”

This little chickadee is sitting down while trying to peck open a peanut.

“Why me?” I asked, “it was your idea and the pole is steady by itself.” “Fine,” he said, and off he went. He made it without any problems, which was amazing. I tried moving the pole, probably should not have done that. It did move and rolled against dad’s legs and he sat down on the other side of the pole. He started yelling and waving his arms. I walked out there. Dad was sitting in a hole of watery mud. “I’m stuck,” he said.

I started laughing. Loud and long. I tried pulling on his arm, but that did not help, just made dad scream. I tried lifting his legs, but that just made him sink deeper and his arms went into the mud as well. “Stop it!” he yelled. “You are going deeper,” I said, and began laughing more. It was hard to stand and laugh so much. I got a branch, dad suggested it, and put it under him. He yelled again. “Oops, sorry,” I said. Seems I stuck it into his side. He wanted it on top of him.

This little chickadee is upside down, with his head anyway.

I thought he wanted me to try prying him out. I laid it across the hole he was in and he used it to pull on. It did not work, just broke the branch. I got another branch, bigger this time and tried to pry him out. He kind of rolled over and I quickly stuck the branch under him. He yelled again. “You have mud on your face,” I said, and went back to laughing. However, with the branch under him, he was able to pull himself out finally, though it took a few tries.

He was covered in mud. “Wait until mom sees you!” I said while still laughing. We decided to head back home. I laughed all the way back. “How do you manage to laugh so much?” asked dad. “It is easy with you around,” I said. “Bonehead,” he answered. Oh my, we had so much fun on those outings together. I hope you enjoyed this bit of humor today. Once again, Happy Friday and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2023 Steve McLeod.