Funeral for a Friend

This morning was beautiful! The air was crisp, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping. I could not wait for my roommate to open the house so that I could go out and begin my morning routine. I usually go for a brief walk around the yard to check things out, and then I make my way up the back steps of the house and take my usual perch on the balcony overlooking the stupid dogs.

I like watching the day get started. There is a freshness about it that really makes me appreciate being alive and being a part of creation. That might sound corny to some of you, but don't knock it 'till you try it! One of the things I like the most about my morning routines is watching the outdoor creatures milling about and getting their day started too. The squirrels are hilarious. They run up and down the trees, jumping from limb to limb. There is one squirrel in particular who loves to hang out on the other balcony outside of the boy's room. This morning he was lying on the railing surveying his surroundings just as nonchalantly as I was hanging out on the main balcony. I even thought about striking up a conversation with him, but it probably would have made the dumb dogs start barking. Barking dogs and skittish squirrels don't make the best combination, and I didn't want to ruin the little guy's morning.

As I was watching the neighbors walking out in their Sunday's best to go to church, I suddenly realized that something was missing from my normal morning routine. I had not yet seen the beautiful cardinal that usually flits down to sit on the back fence of the yard. He is there every morning, but today he wasn't there. I found this to be incredibly odd, because he is rarely late, and he is never a no show. I thought that maybe his wife had laid some eggs or something and he was helping out around the nest which would have tied him up, but when he was over 45 minutes late; I became concerned.

I got up and started pacing the length of the balcony. I looked up in the trees, I looked over onto the other balcony; I even craned my neck around the side of the balcony to see if the cardinal was in one of the big bushes against the side of the house. He was not anywhere to be found. I was growing more concerned by the minute. I was just about to head down the stairs to conduct a more thorough search when something caught my eye in the back yard. What I saw next was horrifying, and I don't know if I'll ever get over it.

I saw the big, stupid, black, Labrador skipping and running around in circles. Ordinarily, I blow off such behavior displayed by him, because he is, in the simplest of terms, a moron. In fact, I have often thought that he actually might be retarded. However, this morning, there was something different about his idiot dance. I stopped to see what was up with him before I headed down the stairs. As I observed him closely, I realized that he had something in his mouth. At first, I was not that concerned about it. He normally puts stuff in his mouth: sticks, rocks, tennis balls, his own poop. But this morning as I was watching the big, dumb, black, dog, I saw a flash of red between his teeth! And as I peered even closer down into the yard, I saw feathers floating around his head -red feathers! My buddy the cardinal was in that dog's mouth! I was mortified! I banged on the door trying to get my roommate's attention! The dog had to be stopped! I wanted my roommate to shoot the dog with that tall kid's BB gun. Something had to be done! My roommate, however had already left for work. I was helpless and my friend the cardinal was being devoured.

Have you ever been in a situation where you witnessed something so horrible that you actually just froze unable to react or respond? That is exactly what happened to me this morning. The horror! The other dumb dog out there didn't even perk her ears up while this murder was taking place. I don't even think that she lifted her head out of the hole in the yard where she was sleeping. Again - the horror!!

I hope that dopey dog gets salmonella.