You're never going to believe this.....

But as God is my witness, it's absolutely true.

After I spoke to you last, my day took one of those 'surreal' turns. I went downstairs to have some coffee and read the Sunday paper.

I was sitting in the living room chair, reading the Best Buy ad when I heard something. It was one of those sounds that can only be one thing, like a garbage disposal or glass breaking.

It was, unmistakably, the sound of fluttering wings. I've known people over the years that have had birds, and I've been around a fair few wild ones, and I know the sound. That I should be hearing it in my living room is strange, but what was even stranger is that it was coming from the woodstove.

Yes, you read that right, the woodstove.

Not without trepidation, I warned Pops, and slowly opened the door. Out popped a bird. It was a sparrow of some type, and it was covered in ash, but appeared othewise unharmed.

He (or she) took off and began flying around the house. I grabbed a piece of the newspaper and a bamboo drink tray, and tried to herd him (or her) out the open back door. It was a fiasco. He (or she) would fly to the kitchen and land. I'd move to the kitchen and the bird would fly back to the living room, headed for the back door, and land on the curtain rod above it.

This went on for a while, and then the bird found the stairs.

So, once upstairs, the bird finds the bathroom. Now, my only concern at this point is to get birdie back downstairs and out the door unharmed. Into the bathroom I go, and the bird flies over me, and straight into Pop's room. After flying around the room a couple times he (or she) alights on one of my dart trophies.

Knowing it wasn't going to work, and expecting the bird to take flight at any second, I slowly extended my hand toward the base of the trophy. I grasped it, and encouraged by the fact that he (or she) allowed me so close, I slowly took the trophy off the shelf.

The bird stayed put.

I began a slow walk to the back door. All the way down the stairs and out the back door, he (or she) remained motionless. Once outside, my charge glanced about and took flight. Within seconds he (or she) gained sufficent altitude to disappear.

Now, I must sadly report that I have no photographic evidence to support my story, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Or Pops', he saw the whole thing.

If you want I can give you a number to call, and he'll confirm my story.

So, yeah.....that's all for today.

Buenos con queso,

T.